Sail Forth: Maelstrom Review – More Seafaring Goodness

Sail Forth is an indie sailing game released at the end of 2021, developed by Festive Vector and published by Quantum Astrophysicists Guild. The game’s first paid expansion has just released on January 11, 2024, in the form of Sail Forth: Maelstrom adding a new biome, the Underworld, a new ship, items, loot and a new faction to help. I have jumped back into the game experience the free Open Seas update and to play through the new content.

I loved the chill factor of this game sailing from point to point, taking out pirates and helping other factions. However, each island was its own instance so it broke immersion when you faced a loading screen each time you wanted to sail to a new location. Earlier on January 3 of this year, Festive Vector released a free Open Seas update which opened free sailing between all islands, making it a much more open world adventure and it is now even better than release. If you put it down shortly after release or haven’t played it in a while, give it a try. You can read more about the base game in my original review here.

Sail Forth: Maelstrom introduces colossal vortexes across the Deepblue, the areas around and between the current base game islands. The maelstroms themselves are very well animated with their swirling depths and ominous clouds creating a breathtaking spectacle. The existing charm of the Deepblue remains, with vibrant sunsets and twinkling constellations painting the night sky. Just be aware of sudden changes in weather.

Navigating the chaotic whirlpool currents is challenging while you try to avoid being dashed against the rocks. The rewards are well worth the delve with new cosmetic items, weapon upgrades, maelstrom pearls, and more challenging tasks to complete for the Arcane Order. There is also a new ship, the Wormkin Warship, a giant hollowed-out worm carcass with lateen sails.

With a new biome of course comes new adversaries to test your sailing and combat skills. Lesser Worms are small 1-shot enemies that try to collide with your ship. Greater Worms are large monsters that circle your ship and attempt to ram it. Wormkin Ships are powerful warships crewed by worm-infested sailors while Wormkin Towers are defended by powerful canons, so use your long-range weapons to your advantage. You’ll also come across Wormskin Nests and Wormkin Forts for additional loot opportunities. Though having spent 20 hours in the base game and kitted out my fleet quite well, there weren’t too many options to swap out from the moon-based weapons. Still, it’s good to have more variety, especially if you haven’t reached endgame yet.

Overall, Sail Forth: Maelstrom is a worthwhile expansion to add more seafaring activities to an already fun and engaging game. At AU$7.50, it’s well worth the purchase price with new content to explore beyond the base game and the change in aesthetic gets you access to a new ship and upgrades to add to your fleet.

This review utilised a key provided by Qantum Astrophysicists Guild and Sail Forth: Maelstrom is available now on Steam in addition to the base game, as well as Epic Games Store, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.

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