Intro

Sailboat Championship Pro puts you at the helm of a yacht, travelling the world challenging other boats and yourself to become the best sailer of the sea.

Gameplay 10/10

The goal of the game is to get round a given course in the quickest time, trying to catch the wind as best you can. Sometimes you race against other boats (computer opponents), but mostly you are on your own on a time trial. Each race/time trial are normally more than one lap.

Race against computer opponents

The wind direction is represented by the direction of the waves on the sea rather than an arrow at the top which was how it was done in the free version. Also, you can tell how much wind you are catching by the transparency of your sail. If it is faded out that means you are not catching much wind, if it is opaque, then you are catching lots of wind. This centres your focus on the boat, unlike the free version, and makes the overall gameplay more intuitive.

Sailboat Championship Pro is a perfect representation of sailing and it feels great catching that perfect wind, seeing your boat heel to one side, and watching as the you leave a trail of churned water behind. It is very similar to the satisfaction you receive on a real boat. iDeams have communicated the feeling of being on a boat extremely well.

Each course is different and I never felt a sense of repetitiveness between the levels. The difficulty, however, is very challenging as you are required to gain XP and stars (medals in ranking) to unlock further levels. You receive XP at the end of every race, but you need to play it more than once to gain enough. Not only does XP unlock later levels, but also unlocks upgrades for your boat or even a new boat. When you upgrade your boat you are given a choice on what aspects of your boat you want to improve: Acceleration, Speed or Steering. This gives a sense of ownership of your boat. All new boats you buy have different stats so if you found it hard to get gold on a course, with a new boat, you can try again.

Purchase and upgrade your own boat

Furthermore, you are required to get gold on most courses to make your way into the game which can become frustrating (I am half a second off gold on one race) and every player has to undergo a sharp learning curve to accomplish the later levels. This means that you have to play some of the earlier levels, a lot. This can become quite repetitive but the very intuitive and relaxing gameplay makes up for it. Nevertheless, it would have been better to introduce the more challenging levels a bit later on.

A great feature is ghost boat. This involves you racing against a ghost of yourself to beat your previous time. This works extremely well and gives you an idea of whether you are beating your previous time or not. It also gives you someone to compete against in the Time Trials.

The weather system is very unique, and I sometimes found that the wind had changed meaning that I had to alter my strategy on getting round the course from the first lap. This keeps the player on their toes and constantly checking the wind and changing their sail angle. You also encounter different weather conditions like rain and sunshine.

Additionally, you can compete in extra missions which involve collecting drowning people in the water. This gives a more ‘free’ feel as you are not restricted to a course to race around and also helps hone in your sailing skills as you still need to keep an eye on the wind and sail. This also gives some variety to the gameplay which is nice.

Explore the beautiful scenery

Graphics 10/10

The graphics are gorgeous! Simply amazing! The lush intense blue of the water to the beautiful islands that you come across on your journey. The boat itself is well detailed and designed. On top of that, Sailboat Champion Pro is silky smooth and I never felt it lag at all while playing. One particular level is where a plane has crashed and you have to save the passengers of the plane (see screenshot). The crashed plane is stunning.

Controls 9/10

The controls are very much like normal sailing controls (but you are not actually sitting on the boat). If you are unfamiliar with sailing then let me explain a few things to you. You have a rope on one side of the screen which controls the sail. Pulling it in (down the screen) will pull the sail in. Letting it out will let your sail out. While doing this you also have to steer the boat using the wheel. You can also set a different type of rope puller which turns it into a slider, but it doesn’t really work for me. Check out the screenshots for an idea of the controls. Experienced sailers might find the controls neat and intuitive, but inexperienced players may find it hard. A way to get around this is try Sailboat Championship (Free) which is more a practice game where you are eased gently into the control scheme. This is very helpful, however if you are going to try out the free version to see how the game is, it isn’t as developed as the full version and some key features in the gameplay are missing. The second option is to hire a sailer, which removes the sail mechanic and just leaves you in control over the wheel. This is so much easier and is recommended for beginners, however, having a sailer reduces the amount of XP you receive at the end of each race.

Sound 10/10

Come on! Catch that wind!

The music in Sailboat Championship Pro is quite majestic and matches the mood of the game well. Also the overall sound effects of the game are quite detailed. You can tell how fast you are going by listening how much water is splashing.

Menus 10/10

The menus are very well presented and give that set the atmosphere of the game from the start. It is quite intuitive and responsive. A nice touch is when you run your finger across the screen in the menu you leave a trail of water as if you are skimming the surface.

Longevity 7/10

There are unfortunately only 11 courses (including extras) within the whole game which will keep you occupied for a time, but will not engage you for long. However the developers have promised more locations in the future, but I can only rate it to what it is now.

However, there are boats to unlock which gives a good incentive to play on.

Sailboat Championship Pro is OpenFeint supported and you can compete with others to get the fastest time on the board. It also includes achievements, but these only include achievements for completing a level, and not tacking 50 times or something like that which would be better.

Price 10/10

With the amount of polish and work that has gone into this game, the $0.99/£0.59 asking price is a bargain.

Conclusion 66/70 – 4.5/5

Even though Sailboat Championship lacks in content, it has to be commended for it’s excellent gameplay. If you are interested in sailing in any way then be sure to pick this one up. You won’t regret it.