Skull and Bones
MSRP $70.00
“Skull and Bones turns the Golden Age of Piracy, one of the most exciting periods in history, into a mundane and plodding experience.”
Pros
- Exciting naval combat
- Good variety of ships
- Top-notch visuals and performance
Cons
- Mundane tasks
- Mechanics don’t feel fully fleshed out
- Uncompelling late-game activities
- Weak narrative and characters
Skull and Bones is Ubisoft’s long-awaited massively multiplayer online (MMO), open-world adventure game set during the Golden Age of Piracy. Having been delayed numerous times over its decade-long development cycle, it has finally reached the homestretch. Touted by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot as a “quadruple-A title” and with a dozen studios appearing in the opening credits, Skull and Bones has all the pomp of a major release. However, it may be one of the most disappointing major releases in recent memory after several play tests, including the open beta and the launch build.
Lords of the high seas
Skull and Bones’ story begins when my ship is sunk by a hostile fleet and I’m left landless. I’m told of Sainte-Anne, a pirate haven where I can start anew. It’s there where I meet John Scurlock, the kingpin of Sainte-Anne. The core gameplay loop consists of obtaining quests from Scurlock and other NPCs, collecting crafting materials for ships and weapons, and roaming around while trying to sink naval craft along the way. Havens and settlements act as places where I buy stuff or pick up quests, without enabling recruiting crewmates or searching for talented officers.
Buccaneers and boom shots
Skull and Bones offers a true cinematic experience with thrilling naval engagements. Ship controls are smooth and battle loop is further helped by a variety of ship options. Late-game options include explosive specialists and tank-like ships. However, boarding actions are just quick cutscenes and there’s no melee combat as offered by Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag a decade ago. Despite the excitement of chasing down a target across stormy seas, there are some issues like the lack of survival instinct for many enemies and periodic ship AI problems.
The captain’s checklist
Objectives are repetitive and lack the depth and complexity needed for an engaging gaming experience. Even searching for buried treasure feels like a forgettable task and the lack of faction work is quite glaring. It seems that the game’s objectives are mundane and lack the excitement players hope for with their gaming experience.
The Kingpin’s trading empire
Endgame activities do not offer much for solo players and require a co-op approach. The Helm Empire and related activities tend to be tedious and lack luster, making the excitement of a game about high seas adventures fall flat. After 20 hours of play, the game’s dull story, tedious quest objectives, questionable design decisions, and poorly tuned solo experience overshadow its thrilling naval battles and visual quality.
Skull and Bones was reviewed on PC. The code was provided by the publisher.
