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Sea shanties are one of the most praised features in Windrose. NPC crew members sing period-appropriate shanties while sailing, creating an atmospheric experience that has been widely cited as a standout element of the game. PC Gamer's reviewer stated the "boisterous sea shanties my crew sings keep me coming back for more," and the shanties were a key factor in the game reaching over one million Steam wishlists.

How Shanties Work

Players can trigger sea shanties while sailing by activating them from the ship's helm. The NPC crew then sings the shanty together as the ship travels. Key details:

• Shanties are performed by NPC crew members, not the player character

• The player must be at the ship's helm to trigger a shanty

• Shanties play during peaceful sailing, not during active naval combat. The Steam store description says: "When the cannons go silent, claim your spoils and share a sea shanty with your crew as you sail onward."

• Community members have requested the ability to listen to shanties while walking around the ship without being at the helm, suggesting this is a possible future feature

Known Shanties

The Crosswind Wiki lists six shanties available in the game. Additional songs appear in trailers and promotional materials:

In-Game Shanties

Promotional and Trailer Songs

Production

All shanties in Windrose are produced entirely in-house without any AI involvement. The Crosswind Wiki states: "All shanties in Crosswind are made in house and DO NOT use A.I."

The vocals were recorded live by Sean Dagher, a professional folk singer and shantyman known for performing the sea shanties in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Developer Yar_master confirmed on Steam: "The vocals were recorded live by Sean Dagher, an amazing artist and a shantyman in AC Black Flag." The music was composed and produced in-house by the studio's audio engineer, described as "a multi-instrumentalist and active live performer."

Initially, a single vocalist (Dagher) sang all the vocal parts and harmonies. When asked if the trailer song was AI-generated, the developer responded: "No. But for now we have contracted only one singer, and he had to sing all the tones."

Shanties of Crosswind

On April 4, 2025, the Crosswind Crew (the studio's former name) released the "Shanties of Crosswind" music video, featuring in-game footage captured with Unreal Engine 5 cinematics. The video showcased the shanties alongside visuals of ships, ocean, and weather systems. The music video helped generate early interest in the game, with community members comparing the feature favorably to Assassin's Creed: Black Flag.

Drunken Sailor Remaster

On February 23, 2026, alongside the announcement that Windrose had surpassed one million Steam wishlists, the team released a remastered "Drunken Sailor" trailer. The trailer featured updated gameplay visuals from the demo and became the game's official gameplay trailer during Steam Next Fest, where the demo became the most-played demo on Steam.

Community Reception

The sea shanties have been overwhelmingly praised:

• PC Gamer's reviewer admitted they had become "really sick of sea shanties" during the 2021 TikTok shanty trend but were now "fervently pro-shanty once again" thanks to Windrose

• A Steam community member titled their thread "We don't deserve this game," praising the game's "absolute BANGER music"

• Fan demand for full-length shanty versions led to the "Rolling Home" single release on streaming platforms

• Community members compiled shanty playlists and shared them on Steam forums

• The shanties are frequently cited as the feature that first drew players to check out the game

Criticism

A minority of community members raised concerns about production quality. One player felt the single-vocalist recording sounded "overly edited," and another expressed preference for a cappella versions over instrumented arrangements, saying they "don't like the fake pipes and drums." One community member suggested recording with multiple vocalists "preferably off key" for greater immersion. These concerns remain minority viewpoints; the overwhelming reception has been positive.

Comparison to Other Games

The shanty feature draws direct comparison to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, which is also known for its NPC crew singing while sailing and which the developers cite as a primary inspiration. The connection is reinforced by sharing vocalist Sean Dagher between both games. The Windrose Crew developer FAQ explicitly compares the game's naval combat to Black Flag.