Sea of Thieves is an action-adventure MMO co-op game set in a pirate universe. The game was developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Studios in 2018, and although its initial launch was a bit on the rocky side, over the course of multiple patches and content updates, the game has become very popular, but is its popularity well-deserved? Let’s find out.
Gameplay
The game consists of 4 players being brought together to form a crew and then set sail on a number of mysterious and interesting adventures. Each crew has its own ship that they use to travel around and every person has something to do like hoist the sails, steer the ship, navigate or observe from the crow’s nest. On your voyages, your ship can sustain damage and the players can fix the leaks on the spot provided that they have the necessary supplies. During your pirate adventures, you will be facing off against numerous foes such as other pirate crews, skeleton warriors and even legendary sea monsters like the Megalodon and the Kraken. The game’s interface is very open without any clutter. The only thing that is constantly on your screen is a health bar. One more thing that Sea of Thieves has going for it is that it supports cross-platform experience so there won’t be a shortage of players which can be an issue when we are talking about an MMO.
Combat
The combat system works well but is nothing out of the ordinary, you are given a sword, a pistol, and a musket but that’s more than enough to fight your way through enemies. Ships come equipt with canons that players can shoot cannonballs or themselves out off in order to do damage to the enemy or to get to a new location quicker. Communication in this game is essential and although it is more fun and easier to play with a microphone, it is not necessary because the game comes with a bunch of pre-set messages and emotes to make the communicating easier. The AI is actually good and challenging. Skeleton warriors are very accurate with their pistols and are capable of one-shotting a player and they don’t lack in the sword department either as they are very skilled blockers.
Graphics
Considering that the Sea of Thieves is a relatively new game, one would expect it to look good compared to the modern standards and indeed, it doesn’t disappoint. The game overall looks good, the color palettes range from vibrant to gloomy and they bring out the aesthetics of the various islands extremely well. Though a bit on the cartoony side, the art style fits the game well and the universe it is set in, thus increasing the sense of immersion of the player.
The Verdict
Overall the game is interesting, plays well and is full of secrets that only the bravest explorers can uncover. The game also looks as well as it plays and although a bit cartoony, the graphics look amazing. So if you are looking for a pirate adventure game that will provide you with hours upon hours of fun, Sea of Thieves is definitely a game that you should give a try.