Why are we sitting here reading this? This is a shared-world pirate adventure game. Win! Break out the rum and celebrate!
In all seriousness, Rare’s Sea of Thieves looks like the kind of game that will have people grinning like Cheshire Cat. From its gameplay elements to its presentation, everything seems to scream, “PICK UP AND PLAY ME!!!” It’s been a long time in the making, but it looks as though the time spent developing this game has been time well spent.
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Sea of Thieves doesn’t seem to be a game with an overarching objective. At least, I haven’t seen one. Instead, it seems as if it is the seafaring, swashbuckling equivalent of No Man’s Sky, where the only goal is to explore and do piratey things. During Microsoft’s presentation of the game, they debuted a gameplay demo where several people were grouped up into three crews and, without instruction, were let loose in the world of Sea of Thieves to do those very things. Fun ensued.
Through communication, the ad-hoc crews managed to get the basic tasks needed to set a ship out to sea done. The ships look highly interactive, with tons of things to do on them. Crewmen can raise and drop the anchor, raise and lower the masts, and interact with many objects, from the cannons the copious amounts of rum liberally placed on board. Once under way, the crew can go where they please, exploring the seas with impunity.
I cannot say enough how beautiful everything looks in this game. The graphics are simplistic and cartoony in some aspects, but the vibrant color palette and gorgeous water and waves are very pleasing to the eyes. The gameplay demo initially showed a bright day with plenty of light, but approached dusk by the time the ship-to-ship combat started. The visuals were superb throughout.
About that ship-to-ship combat: it rocks! Literally, the cannonballs that hit your ship shake everything! Between the rocking of the waves and the impact of the cannonballs, it’s a wonder anyone can stand straight. The weight of the battles shown in the demo is palpable. The action gets more and more frenetic as the crew members race between the different stations to engage the enemy while keeping the ship pointed in the right direction. In the demo, crew members would have to do below decks to repair the damage made by enemy fire. One ship eventually succumbed to its injuries and sank. It was all amazing to watch.
Honestly, this game cannot arrive soon enough. There is no firm release date as of yet, but I am hoping they announce one soon. It will be available for both Xbox One and Windows 10.
