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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 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 1.5 million Steam wishlists before launch. The Original Soundtrack, composed and arranged primarily by Sean Dagher, is available as a standalone DLC or as part of the Windrose Supporter Bundle.

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."

• Volume and intensity scale with how many crew members are on deck

• Deckhands also perform idle actions (heading below decks, sleeping in hammocks) that tie into the overall day-night ship routine

• 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 game launched with six core shanties and additional songs featured in trailers and promotional materials. All shanties used in the game are traditional songs arranged for Windrose, not newly composed pieces:

In-Game Shanties

Promotional and Trailer Songs

Composer and 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 best 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."

Community feedback after the demo requested "rougher backing vocals" for grittier variety with multiple voices rather than Dagher layered with himself. Kraken Express acknowledged this in the March 23, 2026 post-demo improvements post as one of the Quality of Life additions they aim to deliver during Early Access.

Official Soundtrack DLC

At the April 14, 2026 Early Access launch, the Original Soundtrack became available two ways:

The OST DLC gives owners a full audio library they can play outside the game. Sean Dagher's vocal work is the centerpiece, accompanied by the studio's arrangements of traditional shanty material and original incidental ship music.

Shanties of Crosswind (April 2025)

On April 4, 2025, the Crosswind Crew (the studio's former name before the rename to Windrose Crew and then Kraken Express) 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 IV: 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 one of the most-played demos on Steam (22,000+ peak concurrent, top 20 demo of all time).

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

• Post-launch coverage from outlets including PC Gamer, Engadget, Prima Games, and Tech Yahoo has singled out the shanties for praise

Criticism

A minority of community members have 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, and the March 2026 developer statement on rougher backing vocals directly addressed some of this feedback.

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 (now Kraken Express) developer FAQ explicitly compares the game's naval combat to Black Flag.

Historical Context

Windrose's setting around 1700 predates the true golden age of sea shanties by about a century. Shanties as known today largely developed during the packet ship era of the 1820s to 1860s. The songs used in the game are anachronistic for a strict 1700 setting but fit the broader Age of Piracy fantasy Windrose is going for. Pirate crews of the late 17th and early 18th centuries sang, but their repertoire was different from the shanties later codified as "pirate music" in popular culture.

See Also

• NPC Crew — how crew members behave on deck

• Ship Types — ships you sail while shanties play

• Naval Combat — when shanties pause and cannons take over