For many years, gamers have been wanting a good pirate game where they can truly live a life sailing across the seven seas. In Sea of Thieves, developed by the brilliant minds at Rare, they may have finally got their wish. Its E3 2017 trailer certainly garnered much interest, helped by Simon Pegg’s entertaining commentary.
Sea of Thieves, a Microsoft exclusive, is a multiplayer only game where players join together as a crew of pirates and explore a vast open world embarking on various different tasks. Players will control their own pirate ship, search for treasure and engage in battles on land and sea. Oh, and of course they can take a trip to a tavern for many glasses of rum.
Release date
The UK release date for Sea of Thieves is 20th March 2018, exclusively for Xbox One and PC with enhancements on the Xbox One X. This means that unfortunately for PS4 owners, they’ll have to stick with Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag to get their pirate fix for the foreseeable future.
One cool feature is that Xbox and PC gamers will be able to form teams together thanks to cross-platform play. Also, Rare has said that there will be continuous updates for the game in the months following its release.
Players who pre-order the action-adventure title will receive access to the closed beta. The date for this to begin though is currently unknown.
Story
The main objective of Sea of Thieves is for players to build up their reputations and become a pirate legend. This is done by venturing out into the sea with their crew discovering new regions and islands, collecting as much treasure as possible to fulfill their destiny. Once they become a legend, these respected pirates will get the opportunity to go on a voyage for the fabled Athena’s Fortune.
It’s not all smooth sailing, however, as crews will encounter sea creatures, skeleton captains and other pirate crews threatening to spoil their journey. These battles will certainly be a test to see if the pirate life is indeed for you.
Sea Of Thieves trailer:
Graphics
Using Unreal Engine 4, the online multiplayer game takes on a cartoonish art style which works very well with its pirate theme and gameplay style, which includes exaggerated physics. For example, if players want to blast themselves out of cannons, they certainly can do so.
Despite the cartoon graphics, the dark stormy seas look vicious and intimidating, although bright, nature-filled islands are packed full of colour. There is a lot to discover on islands and under the never-ending sea. The game is just lovely to look at both when exploring and in battle. It’s nice to see that it does run smoothly even when engaging in a back and forth pirate ship battle on the squall-ripped seas.
Gameplay
Sea of Thieves is a multiplayer only action and adventure game where players truly experience the life of a pirate. When the game starts, players choose from a variety of pirates to play as with the ability to customise their hairstyle, clothing and more. They can then either play solo while learning the ropes before joining a crew or jump straight in with friends immediately.
In a crew, players will take on different roles on their pirate ship from steering to firing cannons. It’s important to have patience when trying to become good at managing a ship as a team. Pirates can communicate by shouting out tactics to each other or using gestures. They can also vote together on what voyage they embark on or whether to attack an enemy crew. If an attack on an enemy ship goes haywire, the ship can be repaired or bailed out on if things really go bad. Players may be lucky enough to have access to a smaller ship which can be used to either make an escape or send one or two crew members on a small exploration adventure.
When venturing out into the sea, crews use their maps and riddles to go on a voyage journey in the hopes of finding treasure. They will discover new regions and islands while searching for landmarks where loot may be located. Pirate riddles are known to be tricky, so full co-operation is necessary in order to hit the jackpot. There are plenty of secrets and stashes to find also. For example, seagulls will flock over sunken wrecks where food and weapon resources and gold can be found. Upon finding treasure, groups can trade them at a Trading Company outpost for items. These outposts will also send players on tasks for which they’ll be rewarded.
The fastest way for pirates to build their reputations in the game is by completing voyages offered by the outposts. Rising up the company’s ranks will provide tougher tasks as well as more trust and better rewards to be obtained. It’s important to know that there will be different region outposts with different tasks belonging to each one. Once a player’s pirate has reached legendary status in their reputation, they will be given the daunting objective of finding the sacred Athena’s Fortune.
There are many dangers for crews to be wary of when travelling through the open world. Skeleton Captains and giant sea beasts are out there along with other crews, with Sea of Thieves taking place in a shared world. There may be two crews searching for the same loot at once. There are many forms of combat in the game to deal with these threats. Players will use their ship cannons in sea battles to take down another crew’s ship or engage in a typical close combat sword duel. Various firearms are available, with each one having their own traits to be mastered.
For more gameplay information and footage, check out the official Sea of Thieves YouTube channel.
Sea Of Thieves gameplay video:
First impressions
There’s certainly no shortage of content in Sea of Thieves. Players will be able to play this game and feel like a pirate. However, trust and patience will be needed within a crew in order to survive the treacherous seas and achieve the ultimate treasure.
It’ll be interesting to find out how the game plays when the closed beta opens. It would also be nice to see some epic battles take place on land and sea involving multiple pirate crews. It’s not long to go until Xbox and PC owners will find out, so gather your crew, sharpen your swords and get ready to go treasure hunting captain!
