Yoho Yoho a Pirates life for me, is what I have been singing the past few days while participating in the Skull and Bones open beta. I have had my eye on this game since it first got announced and have been patiently waiting after all the delays, so to see a release date in site makes me happy. I’m a huge fan of the pirate setting and my all-time favourite pirate game to this date is Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag.
I have played Sea of Thieves, but it wasn’t on the same level of satisfaction I got from AC. I know what you all might be thinking, this article is going to be a roast into how AC is better than Skull and Bones, and in some areas that is the case. However, Skull and Bones brings an incredibly enjoyable experience to a setting that feels lacking in games. So, I will welcome it with open arms as I enjoy becoming a pirate captain on the Indian Ocean.
First impressions
For those who might not know, Skull and Bones is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Singapore. You enter a world where you play by your own rules. Start as a nobody and work your way up to becoming the most fearsome pirate kingpin. It is clear to see that this game took huge inspiration from Assassin’s Creed Black Flag with the focus point being the navel combat.
This was one of my favourite parts of Black Flag so I was looking forward to seeing how Skull and Bones would further the experience, this was the first problem for me as I found out that you couldn’t board the enemy ships and instead got a cutscene of your crew. I was sad about this as boarding the other boats was one of the joys of navel combat in Assassins Creed Black Flag not only this but currently there isn’t any combat outside of navel battles.
Yeah, so we can’t even sword-fight other pirates or engage in melee/firearm combat. This was something that I picked up on early on in my time in the beta and thankfully for the beta, some redeeming features quickly made my disappointment at first sight, slide.
Another thing that I found frustrating is that you can’t swim in the sea or rivers. How can a pirate not swim, there aren’t even dive points located so that it is just certain areas on which this is possible it is a case of no, you can’t swim. Moving on from these early negatives, it was nice to see the level of customisation that can go into your ships as well as your character. There are plenty of cosmetics and designs that will help you stand out while sailing the seas.
There is an element of the open world as you can sail around a pretty huge map but one thing you quickly pick up on is that not all these locations can be explored, not only that but when collecting resources, it’s done by a mini-game rather than physically going and collecting them. Don’t get me wrong I still enjoyed the mini game just don’t understand why they couldn’t just let me explore and go on land.
Hoping this might be something they can patch into the game later down the line but who knows? I did enjoy the fact that sea shanties are back, and you can enjoy listening to your crew sign as you traverse the map. Levelling up seems straightforward, and plenty is going on in the game in terms of quests, side missions, and bounties to name a few. You can easily sink time into Skull and Bones just by exploring the places which you can roam around and of course the vast seas.
Who doesn’t love being a pirate?
After about six hours of early game content, I was still hooked on the pirate life. The customisation of the ships was brilliant and I love the fact that the more you explore and do, the more cosmetics you obtain. It works the same with characters too. I enjoy the sea exploration the more I play, it’s one of those games that has a fast travel option but you never use it because it’s a whole lot better the do the sailing yourself.
The missions can start to feel repetitive but when I felt like it was getting tedious, I would do something else which keeps me engaged. Another thing that bugged me was the fact that you can’t walk around your ships, you get to customise them to high heavens but sadly can’t walk amongst the crew, again this is something that I’m hoping can be implemented by a patch later down the line.
The different ship classes are a good idea as each ship has its uses and can do particular things. This means that there is a purpose in building multiple ships and making sure that you are kitting them all out. The weather system is brilliant as it changes the way you sail. It makes for rougher seas and more challenges.
There is a lot of detail and passion that has gone into Skull and Bones, you can tell what Ubisoft Singapore we’re going for when making this game, even though to some fans it seems like we have gone backward, it doesn’t shy away from the fact that this is a solid pirate game with fantastic navel foundation at its route. It is also a game in which I can see the camera mode coming out a lot as the game looks stunning and there are some brilliant hidden gems to find if you are willing to unlock the maps to its fullest.
The PVP was a surprise as you can only engage in combat with other players if they are carrying a treasure map. You can party up with them and go on plunders and take on the AI ships together but the whole PVP element is locked behind certain creatia being met. It was nice seeing that there is a plan in place for the first year of Skull and Bones with content coming out periodically. This is a good sign as it makes me feel confident that they will keep adding to this game to keep it fresh, with new cosmetics and content.
Conclusion
Even though there were some areas of Skull and Bones that I didn’t like or agree with the overall experience I got from the beta was pleasant and I’m looking forward to being able to explore past Brigand (Tier 6 Rank 1) and the late game content. It was a nice addition to know that the progress you made in the beta will carry over to the full game if you pick it up, which was one of the main reasons I sunk (boat pun) so much time into this beta. The boat & character customisation is fantastic and allows you to stand out on the seas.
The online element of Skull and Bones seems like it could have a lot of potential as plundering outposts is a whole lot easier when doing it with others. Not to mention the PVP even though it does feel limited at the moment. I enjoyed the open-world elements that you are allowed to partake in and could honestly spend hours just sailing around collecting resources and unlocking the map.
The ship combat was good, with the different types of cannons and ammo, as well as the different types of ship allowed me to find a particular play style, and once, I got the hang of it made for some tense battles. All in all, I’m looking forward to Skull and Bones’s full release on the 16th of February 2024 and look forward to seeing all you other pirates on the Indian Ocean this coming Friday.
Skull and Bones Gameplay Overview Trailer
Read more of our previews here https://invisioncommunity.co.uk/category/previews/
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