A Recommendation: Sea Of Thieves

Pirates have always been something Ive found to be inherently fascinating. Ever since I went to see Johnny Depp shambling around the Caribbean for my tenth birthday. Their appeal since has skyrocketed. This was in 2003, several films have followed and millions of dollars made off the back of pirates. Tragically however videogames based around swashbuckling have been few and far between.

The light on the horizon during this dark time however was Assassins Creed: Black Flag. Released in 2013,  the game showed how fun sailing around as a degenerate, drinking, coin obsessed pirate could really be. It was so fun that is regarded by many (including myself) to be the best Assassins Creed game to date.

What followed was a slurry of announcements for games based around sailing the seas. One of these was Sea of Thieves. You may know that I work at sea, so to get me as excited as I was by the prospect of spending more time on a ship (in a game) is amazing. I immediately warmed to the games art style, design tenants and the larger world at play. 

However it wasn't until this year that I truly 'played' Sea of Thieves. That is, with a friend. Such as to say 2020 is the perfect time to jump into the game with its recent Steam release. Here's why. 

The Sandiest Sandbox

The appeal of this game lies in the freedom your are given to go out and do whatever you please. There are no set objectives per say. Other than to make gold. This is done by killing famous skeletons, finding buried treasure or delivering different goods; there's always fun to be had. But the real fun is waiting for other people to do these, then taking their hard earned loot. You are pirates after all.

Be prepared to lose a lot of your loot,  you'll enjoy it a lot more that way. In my eyes is to play Sea of Thieves with friends is to play it as was designed to be played. Something I found easy once I realised there was cross play with Xbox players. You'll get drunk, play music, rob strongholds, kill skellies and be attacked by monsters. All in a single session probably.

 

The level of fun to be had with friends here surpasses any game in recent memory. You come out of Sea of Thieves with stories that stick with you, every single time you boot it up. Tales you and your friends will laugh about weeks later. 

Pretty Paradise

One of the most memorable and endearing things about Sea of Thieves is how it looks. The art style fits so well with the pirate theme, its almost like a theme park ride, ironic really. The aesthetics immerse you in the world with ease. 

The sea itself is one of the most impressive technological feats Ive ever seen in a game. Water is notoriously difficult to get right in the pixilated realm. So the fact that it looks so good here should be praised highly. It really brings the game to life and makes sailing a joy from start to finish. 

Each location on the sea looks characterful, fleshed out and unique. This makes exploring them endlessly rewarding, even on repeat visits. There are beautiful vistas everywhere you look. Due to the lighting, shadows, particle effects and dynamic weather working in unison perfectly. Honestly its worth the price just for quality desktop wallpapers you'll get out of it. 

Vanity Simulator

I mentioned previously that pirates rob people. And they do. But the real reason anyone becomes a pirate, is the pursuit of being a walking status symbol. Lavishing yourself in expensive clothes and gadgets. To eventually sail around in a rust entrenched, solid gold rowboat. To this end the customisation options on the sea are almost endless.

There is so much that you can truly make your avatar your own. And its both endlessly entertaining and motivating to do so. You will be constantly setting sail in search of the next set of over the top cannons or a glow in the dark compass. Its often the only extrinsic form of motivation to play the game, but id be lying if I said it needed any other. 

Finding a vault full of treasure will have your eyes glinting with the thought of that new fancy hat. Bling Bling. 

Conclusion

This game is fun, ludicrously fun. Its a joy to play with friends, difficult on your own but always rewarding either way. You will come away from it with tales of varying degrees of success but always with a laugh. And that is what games are about, surely. Its never been more accessible thanks to its Steam release recently either. 

Sea of Thieves is available on Xbox One & PC (Microsoft Store and now Steam)

GO BUY IT !!!

Whatculture.com published my article showing the 10 ways Outer Wilds will blow your mind.

https://whatculture.com/gaming/10-things-in-outer-wilds-that-will-blow-your-mind

A Recommendation: Rayman Legends; The Rock And Roll Platformer

I, like many other recently have just put down Ori and The Will of the Wisps a game that has struck a chord with many gamers and reviewers in the industry. I myself loved the game; its atmosphere, story and art style were fantastic. So today I find myself thinking that this game could be used ironically as a platform to catapult people onto an older game; a game I regard as simultaneously the most fun, and rock and roll platformer in history Rayman: Legends. I hold this view because I have two great loves in the world, videogames and music; something that this game melds together perfectly. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

It’s the late 1990’s and platformers are the kings of the pixelated realm. Rayman would be born out of this trend.  The original game was very difficult and deceptively cutesy. But it was even more difficult for a 6-year-old me that hadn’t figured out what a memory card was and had to restart the game from the beginning; every time I turned the console off… EVERY TIME! But thankfully playing Rayman Legends many years later is the perfect kind of challenge. One that has some unbelievable rewards for playing that warrant screaming about; so here I am screaming; if you love platformers you owe it to yourself to play it.

A Fun Time for All

 

The whole game has a feel that evokes memories of being a kid again; playing videogames just for fun. You know before you grew up and rebranded slaughtering countless, nameless, endlessly detailed NPC’s with peashooters as fun. Its levels are ingeniously designed; have a boundless sense of character to them and they are so varied that your attention will never waver. New mechanics are constantly introduced and they see intuitive use as the levels become more complex. By the end of the game some of the things you’ll be doing will seem way more complicated than the game makes being awesome feel. Its deceptively simple.

Rhythm and Moves

 

The sense of rhythm that is strewn throughout the game is what makes it unique. If your good at platformers then you will get endless fun from using the games peerless traversal system. The level can be played slowly if you’re in habit of killing yourself in games way too often like me. Or fast if you have any semblance of skill at games at all. The latter I imagine would be exhilarating here, if only I could do it.  Everything in the levels is placed in such a way to give the feeling of conjoined stepping stones to the end of the level; only in the style of ninja warrior. You can expect the game to throw anything and everything at you; particularly in the latter levels. All in all on most occasions I was disappointed to see the end of the level in sight because of the fluidity of their construction on show.

Colour It Impressive

 
I should mention as well the game is just fun to look at. Each of the games five chapters are distinct and have their own unique aesthetics; all of which are bursting with vibrant colours and are populated by weird and wonderful baddies to punch; squash and avoid. My particular favourites were the levels steeped in a cartoonish Greek mythology lacquer. The hand drawn feel to everything makes each level burst off the screen and means the game looks as good today as it did on release.

The Rock and Roll Platformer 

Now for the cherry on the cake. In the final level of each chapter the game takes a popular music genre; be it rock, mariachi, surf guitar or metal and waits to treat you. The first time you hear a riff heavy rock song adapted and stretched across one of its levels you will be left speechless. It is the best mix of music and pure gaming I have ever seen. You will struggle to wash the smile from your face during it and you’ll pray for it not to stop. It is awesome. Its so good that they are worth the price of the game on their own; and I’m amazed there hasn’t been a game entirely built around this idea since.

Conclusion

This is the first time I have smiled all the way through a game. It was a blast to play form start to finish and the musical levels are so impressive that I can’t recommend playing the game enough. Particularly in this time of lockdown and social troubles. You will not regret it. 

The game is available on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4

Go buy it !!