CHENNAI : Do you have dreams of sailing the mighty oceans on a ship from the 1800s? Does the idea of micromanaging supply routes and smuggling orders in a pirate empire tickle your brain? Do you have specific ideas on dealing with drunken sailors? Then read on landlubber, because I am going to provide a detailed report on Skull and Bones, Ubisoft’s new online multiplayer, open world adventure game.
The beginning
A ship in the middle of the ocean, calm waters. Beyond the horizon, a fleet of British ship appears, and the crew screams in frustration. They need to be attacked! You jump in to steer the ship, so the enemy is in view of the cannon fire. A cannon explodes on the closest ship, but that isn’t nearly enough. You admit defeat, drawing down your sails. The ship tries to catch the winds as the crew is ordered to row. They row as fast as they can. Thump. A cannon hits your deck. The next thing you remember is being pulled over into a small boat. Along with your newfound crewmates, you decide to start life afresh. Live the life of a lowly pirate. You find a new home at the harbour of Saint Anne and do the odd job by helping a friendly pirate kingpin — Scurlock, who has taken a liking to you.
What is the game?
Skull and Bones is a video game that involves ocean exploration and ship-based combat. Navigating the seas and improving ships is all you do. Land has no purpose, except to provide resources. The outposts act as areas for ship upgrades, collecting new missions, and possibly interacting with other online players to forge alliances. There is a semblance of story within all of this, but it isn’t really a game I would suggest playing if you’re looking for a strong main mission.
Progression happens as you sail up through the ranks of “infamy”. Starting from a common Scoundrel, eventually a Brigand, a Marauder — to a Kingpin. Infamy can be gained through quests — some as simple as hunting for crocodiles and sharks, or as gruesome as plundering outposts and hijacking merchant ships for trade route control.
As an online multiplayer game, Skull and Bones provides the ability to cooperatively rise the ranks. You could also opt-in for PvP elements — also called “Helm Wagers”. Participating and winning in these ship battles can earn you some sweet, shiny pieces of eight — the prime currency in the game!
The end game, if you dare…
A pirate of growing renown needs their money to make more money. Enough gold to sink a full-sized brigantine. And this means that it’s not just enough to loot, plunder and dig for treasure forever! To achieve the status of an economic powerhouse, pirates must gain control over trade routes, and conquer merchants in battles. It isn’t enough to just be good at battles, you need to have the machinery to back it up. The game mandates investments through pieces of eight — getting you blueprints to build powerful cannons and faster ships. Conquering the seas could, in effect, go on forever, as you vie for control over multiple territories and combat constantly with enemy ships.
Sea of Thieves — a comparison
Having spent several hours on the latter, I cannot but compare Skull and Bones to its superior and older rival, Sea of Thieves — another pirate-themed open world multiplayer game. Alright, so there is no real progression in Sea of Thieves, with any upgrades being purely cosmetic. You can’t buy a better boat; you just buy nicer looking sails. It also doesn’t look nearly as good as Skull and Bones does, with its hyper-realistic ocean waves and battle sequences. But Thieves captivates a player with its immersive experience — manual ship controls, map reading, and swashbuckling fights. It makes every treasure feel earned. It’s authentic, while being entertaining. But Skull and Bones provides appeal to progression enthusiasts. If this sounds like your speed, hop on board! The game is currently available on the PC, Xbox and PlayStation, and supports cooperative cross-platform play.
Are You Game?
Anusha Ganapathi
@quofles
(This economics graduate spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)