Make Sail is the forthcoming sea-faring exploration game from developer Popcannibal. With an early access date set for March 30th, Handsome Phantom was given a chance to dive into the alpha a bit early and try our hand at building and sailing. As such, please note that the following is based on an early pre-release build and not a finished product.
The game puts players into the shoes of a marooned traveller tasked with restoring light and chimes to a long forgotten tower. This tower was once home to many and served as a sort of town square and source of energy. But once it was abandoned and those who drew from it sought greener pastures, the tower produced a large and powerful storm. As a result, the world was flooded, making the surroundings all but uninhabitable.
In order to restore chimes to the tower, players must travel to different islands littered around the water dominated map. Islands contain not only chimes, but also keys to unlocking new pieces to enhance your vessel’s nautical abilities. And this is where Make Sail hopes to hook the majority of its players.
Make Sail’s shipbuilding and customization is where its developers have spent the bulk of their attention. Players will start out with a simple sail boat that will accomplish the task of traversal with moderate success, as well a modest selection of items to change its look and feel. Items available are broken down into four categories. First are structures that make up the main body of your craft and include hulls and planks. Next are lift devices which aid in buoyancy and mitigate against capsizing (which happens much easier than you’d first think). Utilities allow the player to add cosmetic items like narwhal horns and swinging lights. Lastly and perhaps most importantly are movement mechanisms which, to begin with, are two simple sails.
The player is given a decent amount of items to toy with at the outset. As the number of items you can assign to your ship are limited, and weight distribution is a factor, players will need to be cautious about how modifications are applied. While this starter selection will allow you to create something unique, the real draw comes with the lure of treasure found around the map that you must find to unlock and add to your ship.
Traversal is of utmost importance in Make Sail. While your ability to build a ship that can stay afloat and appropriately harness the power of the wind is vital, players will ultimately be at the mercy of the environment. A mini map in the corner of the screen allows players to see swirling wind direction. Sails will need to be positioned in a way to best take advantage of the wind if a destination is to be reached in a reasonable amount of time. A knot meter indicates player speed and when a well placed sail catches the wind at just the right spot, you and your vessel jump to life and bolt across the seas.
The aforementioned buoyancy and wave dynamics also play a key role in successful navigation. Players must observe and learn how their boat interacts with the sea and act accordingly. Those who are not careful will easily capsize and lose parts of their ship. I found myself, on more than a couple of occasions, rolling my craft as I wasn’t careful enough about turning speed, or crashing into the shore because I wasn’t able to control my speed on approach. Failure simply means a re-spawn to the last build point where you can try again or makes changes. And it is these failures that produce Make Sail’s trial and error based approach to ship building. Players need to understand the games physics and sporadic nature of the environment and properly craft a ship that can withstand the elements. Those with a knack for creativity, ingenuity, and a lot of patience will likely get the most out of the games ship building suite.
The story of Make Sail is not at the forefront and is mainly conveyed through a brief animated introduction cinematic and text entries throughout the game. Players are initially greeted by a cell shaded world with no shortage of color accompanied by a whimsical sound track. This simple and bright approach to world building make this title accessible to all including a younger audience.
There are technical issues at play here than can impact the players ability to enjoy what Make Sail has to offer. The camera can make it difficult to see where new additions are being placed on your craft. Controls have a tendency to feel unresponsive and soft (especially when on land – though you’ll spend most of your time in the ship building menu and at the helm). And frame rate is all over the place. However all of these technical issues can be dealt with and are not uncommon with a game at this stage of development.
Much like the outlandish and whacky ships that will inevitably be churned out by players, Make Sail’s use of experimentation and inventiveness in its ship building are what make it unique. A mastery of wind dynamics and water physics are required, and will run the risk of frustrating players into resignation. However if noted issues are addressed, and time is given, Make Sail has potential to be an amusing, gratifying and charming experience. Make Sail is available on Steam early access starting Friday March 30th.
