Ahoy, mateys! Are you ready to sail the high seas, plunder some booty, and fight some scurvy dogs? Well, you might want to look elsewhere, because Skull and Bones is not the pirate game you’ve been waiting for. It’s more like a pirate simulator with a story that doesn’t quite live up to the expectations.
Don’t get me wrong, the game is not all bad. It has some redeeming qualities.
**STORY**
Skull and Bones’ story is decent but not outstanding. It follows your pirate captain in Madagascar after escaping the British Empire. The narrative spans the Indian Ocean, introducing factions like the Mughals, Portuguese, Dutch, and Chinese. Historical events and figures like the Pirate Round, Henry Avery, and Zheng Yi Sao are woven in. The tale offers engaging moments with merchants, smugglers, and rebels, exploring pirate culture and history. It incorporates choices and consequences, allowing you to shape the fate of your crew, allies, and enemies. Additionally, the plot lacks originality and engagement, following a predictable and linear path driven by clichéd and contrived events like betrayals, ambushes, and revelations.
**VOICE ACTING**
However, the story has some flaws, notably in its voice acting. The performances often come across as unprofessional and inconsistent, with some actors sounding like they’re reading from a script without emotion or accent. There are instances of random tone and pitch changes, making the dialogue hard to follow. The voice acting doesn’t sync well with the characters’ lip movements, resulting in awkward and unnatural cut scenes
**GAMEPLAY**
The game’s interface is clunky and confusing, with too many menus and submenus, and not enough information or feedback. It’s hard to navigate and find what you’re looking for, and sometimes the game doesn’t even tell you what you need to do or where to go next.
The game lets you customize your pirate and your ship to your liking, with a plethora of outfits, accessories, flags, sails, and more. You can create your own unique pirate identity and show it off to other players online. However, it also lacks some options, such as afro hairstyles, which is surprising considering that the game tries to be historically accurate and inclusive of the black pirates.
The game also lacks some features that would make the gameplay more fun and diverse, such as boarding, sword fighting, exploring, and interacting with other characters. The game’s hideout is supposed to be your home base, where you can upgrade your ship, recruit your crew, and plan your next move. However, the hideout is also very bland and boring, as it has nothing much to do or see.
The game’s gameplay is enjoyable and addictive, but also repetitive and shallow. The game’s online mode is supposed to be a fun and cooperative experience, where you can team up with other players and take on missions and challenges together. However, it also becomes a source of frustration, as you have to share the resources and loot that you find with your teammates, even if you did most of the work. This can lead to some unfair and unbalanced situations, where you feel like you’re not getting your fair share of the rewards.
The game’s best feature is probably the plundering, where you can attack and loot enemy ships and forts. This is where the game shines, as it offers some exciting and satisfying action, with some strategic and tactical elements. You can choose how to approach your target, whether to use stealth or brute force, and how to deal with the enemy’s defenses and reinforcements.
**COMBAT**
The game does a good job of capturing the thrill of naval combat, with realistic physics and tactical options. You can use the wind to your advantage, fire different types of cannons, and even ram and board enemy ships. The game also features a variety of ships to choose from, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Every cannon has its own weight and impact, and you can feel the difference between the various types of ammunition, such as chain shots, grape shots, and explosive shots. The ships also have different classes and levels, which affect their speed, maneuverability, durability, and firepower. You have to choose wisely which ship to use for each mission and challenge, and how to upgrade it with the loot that you find. The game also offers some epic and intense moments, when you encounter a massive fleet of enemy ships, and you have to decide whether to fight or flee. The aiming system is intuitive and responsive, and the boat turning is realistic and challenging. Ubisoft did a great job in this department, as they created a realistic and immersive naval combat experience.
**VERDICT**
The game looks stunning, especially the water effects and the ship models. Its clearly inspired by Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, one of the best pirate games ever made. However, it also suffers from the comparison, as it fails to deliver on some of the aspects that made Black Flag so great. For example, the game lacks the freedom and exploration of Black Flag, as it restricts you to a limited map and a linear story. The game also lacks the charm and personality of Black Flag, as it has bland and forgettable characters, a weak and predictable plot, and a dull and repetitive gameplay loop. It’s a game that will probably be fun for a couple of months, but unless Ubisoft comes up with something more to add to the game, it seems a short-lived project that could have been a lot more. It’s a game with something there just not enough and the player base would have been a lot higher if it was free to play. The content here does not warrant the price tag.
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