Windrose players thank the devs for avoiding item durability, a divisive survival game feature: "Possibly the most un-fun mechanic in any video game"

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

Want to add more newsletters?

Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.

Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter

Windrose fans are thanking the developers for not putting item durability into the popular piracy survival game.

Over on the Windrose subreddit, multiple posts about the topic have emerged, with one user writing: "Big shout out to the devs for not including quite possibly the most un-fun mechanic in any video game."

And, for the most part, this seems to be a pretty popular take, with another adding: "I really, really, really hope they don't change this as the game moves toward full release. Having no durability is such a breath of fresh air."

Article continues below

Even those who aren't wholly against item durability seem to be happy, too, with one user saying: "What used to be an immersive feature just became an irksome chore in so many games. Hell, even Animal Crossing included durability. It completely breaks the rhythm of a game and I'm so glad to see it absent." Meanwhile another post reads: "Who would've thought a game becomes 100x more enjoyable when your sword doesn't break into a million pieces every 15 minutes."

Personally, I think item durability can be good when used well. One of my least favorite bits of common game criticism is when I see people giving out about durability in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. But in those games, I think it's done perfectly and plays into the spirit of experimentation and freedom found in Zelda. After all, otherwise, everyone would find the Hylian Shield and Master Sword and call it a day, whereas your last axe breaking and forcing you having to scrap with a Bokoblin with a pot lid and a leaf is top tier gameplay.

Granted, I'm not a big survival game person, and have definitely experienced poor implementation of the mechanic, so if the people are happy with how it's used (or rather, not used) in Windrose, I'm pretty happy for them.

"It would just be Palworld 2": Pocketpair says adding a feature from the viral game it's publishing is impossible.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

CATEGORIES

Scott McCraeContributor

Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1Kingdom Come: Deliverance devs donating $1 of each copy sold on Steam this week to a real-life castle
2. 2"My board games are naturally nonconfrontational." Wingspan designer talks about her latest board game, Sanibel
3. 3The price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is falling, and all it cost was day one access to new Call of Duty games
4. 4The 10 best story-driven RPGs to play in 2026
5. 5The 6 best new shows and movies streaming this week on Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and more (April 21–April 26)