Nowadays, it is inevitable to think of games with a pirate setting where we can handle a ship and the name of Sea of Thieves does not come out in the first place. It would be foolish to say otherwise, knowing how much RARE has tried in recent years to make such an idea so well born.
But there have been a few games about pirates , like Pirates! by Sid Meier from an unforgettable 1987, or, of course, the mythical The Secret of Monkey Island from a most memorable 1990. Now, it is clear that the trend for pirate ships was resurrected in the wake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag in 2013, until its culmination in a big way with Sea of Thieves . And looking to the future there are two titles that will delve into that spirit of the buccaneers: we have the closest one in this King of Seas that will be released in May; the second, the Skull & Bones from Ubisoft.
A mix between Overboard! and Sea of Thieves
If I had to make a comparison to summarize the feelings that the one-hour demo of King of Seas (available on Steam) has produced in me, I think saying that we are facing a mixture of Overboard! and Sea of Thieves may be the most successful, because it uses the perspective and mechanics of the classic to vindicate Psygnosis, but with the depth of the second seasoned with touches of role.
The advertising of the game is not being the most successful, by putting too many scenes with a third-person view at the sea level, which can lead many people to think that we are facing a substitute for the RARE game, but no. The view is from above , that for starters. And we control only the ship. That is why in that part I remember the game of Psygnosis from 1997. In relation to its world, procedurally generated, we have a huge map to explore.
There is, in turn, a story behind, seeing how we are accused of murder (of our father, to make matters worse) shortly after starting the adventure, and with those who were part of our family killing us without any regard. Luckily a pirate ship rescues us and changes our luck, with another life ahead.
In King of Seas you have to control the position of the wind to be able to sail, as long as we have the sails unfolded, of course. We have a dedicated button for the port guns and another for the starboard guns. And there are another series of basic commands that are essential on the high seas, but here they are quite intuitive and very direct, without being a simulator.
Here there is total freedom of exploration , but with missions to follow (if we want, of course), both for those that focus on the story and those that focus on messenger or escort trivia. Everything in the end adds up to improve our team, by obtaining more experience, money and loot. But of course, depending on the level of difficulty chosen, the stress of losing all the loot if they sink our ship is added to the equation. After all, he is still a roguelite .
An hour of play does not go for much, but it does to dispel the first doubts about this new work by the Italians 3DClouds , who surprise with this change of record by putting speed aside after All-Star Fruit Racing and Xenon Racer . With a change of cycle between night and day, discovering the map is pleasant, not knowing what we can come across later. The funny thing is that the game does not take long to show one of the great dangers of the high seas , although without the impact of the wonderful The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker or the arcade Deadstorm Pirates. Yes, we are talking about creatures with tentacles …
One of Team 17’s bets for this 2021
As we navigate its seas, we will see different types of vessels ( galleon, frigate, filibote, brig … ), indicating in turn what type of crew controls it and at what level, to know in advance if it is an enemy or if we would have any chance of sinking it with our cannons.
One of the aspects that I have liked the most about King of Seas lies in seeing the evolution of our own boat and its captain (or captain), enjoying loot of different rarity and multiple properties that take it away from the classic pirate game, bet for greater emphasis on role-playing fantasy . In fact, we have a tree of major skills, with three branches to enhance with countless passive benefits, both in combat and for navigation or trade.
Yes, it also touches the stick of commerce . Already in the early stages of the game we are told the importance of not being fooled by the merchants of each port we discover, because prices fluctuate based on their needs and certain products can be expensive. The good thing is that this is reflected in a crystalline way, so that we do not have to eat the jar with many calculations.
Of course, the hypnotic strategy of ship battles is not lacking, depending on the direction of the ship, no matter how much we have the help of certain active skills. In addition, you can tell the difference if the enemy is of a higher level, even if it is only a couple of levels. If we expose ourselves too much, death will be inevitable, because to repair the ship we will have to be still.
Luckily, we will not be so exposed from the beginning by not raising suspicions with our new boat after giving us up for dead. And it is his thing to go looking for loot (apart from treasures as such) for each new region that we discover, getting to rescue shipwrecked people on the journey to increase the crew … as long as the ship’s improvements allow it, of course.
Next May 25 we will see if King of Seas remains afloat with its ideas on Steam, PS4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One, but the truth is that (from the outset) I liked what I played in the demo, by a lot you have missed a multiplayer like Overboard! . Those games between five people … ARRR!
