Developer: Likho Games
Genre: Visual Novel, Dating Sim
Reviewed version: 0.2.7
Censored: No
Patch Needed: No
OS: Windows, Linux
Language: English, Russian
Wet Sand is an engaging adventure game that blends the usual tropes from pirate stories with fantasy elements.
Pros
A captivating plot that keeps you wanting to see what's coming next
Solid gameplay
An interesting and likable cast
Gorgeous art
The soundtrack is good and enhances the scenes it plays in
Cons
…except for a few songs that don't fit well and break the player's immersion
It's quite short
Story
You play as Fabian: a stowaway turned pirate captain of the Drunken Dragonfly who now has to learn the ropes of his new role, get on the good side of his crew, and discover who murdered the previous captain before they kill someone else. It does a great job of keeping you interested in the story. When you're not thinking about who the murderer is, you're wondering how Fabian will get out of his predicament or what the hell they are hiding in that locked room.
Furthermore, the cast is likable despite their lack of development due to the game's length. The protagonist, Fabian, is not the typical cocky guy who kicks ass regularly and has a harem of hot women at his feet; he's an understandably scared guy who'd rather get out of the ship ASAP than try to be a pirate captain. The side characters are more archetypal, though. There's the aggressive and dominant redhead, the old pirate who mentors the protagonist, the sympathetic navigator who acts like an older sister to the protagonist, etc.
Gameplay
I said before this is an adventure game because there's a bit of freedom here. You can explore the ship and interact with the things and people you see instead of just clicking mindlessly to progress. You'll also have to make choices during dialogues that'll increase or decrease your relationship meter with the cast. They range from simple things like choosing the right attitude to more complicated decisions that affect the whole crew, like whether to spare or kill enemy pirates or pick up stranded people.
There's also a neat quest system that tracks your progress with the quests the game throws your way and makes you progress through the story and improve your relationship with the crew once you complete them. The tasks you do are varied and go from just talking to someone about a specific subject to fetching items or playing minigames, such as shooting targets or navigating the seas in a way that resembles the balancing minigame in Usagi Health Club.
Audiovisuals
You can tell the team put a lot of effort into the game's visuals because they are downright stunning. Everything is very detailed; the characters, backgrounds, and the like. There are only 2 sex scenes at the moment, but they are as eye-pleasing as the rest of the game's art. As for the soundtrack, it doesn't have any memorable tracks, but they do a great job at enhancing the scenes they play in, except for the jazzy song that plays during the saucier moments of the game. It feels so out of place it breaks your immersion.
Verdict: Short but impressive
Wet Sand is a fantastic and eye-pleasing game that was a bit short in its current state. I still recommend everyone to give it a shot, but when you should do it depends on how much you dislike cliffhangers. Go for it if you don't mind getting blue-balled at the end of the game; otherwise, wait for updates.