Audiences have been captivated by the idea of pirates and piracy for a long time. Whether it’s video games like The Secret of Monkey Island or popular movie series like Pirates of the Caribbean, people have shown an enamored interest in the pirate’s life. Ubisoft Singapore’s upcoming game, Skull and Bones, seeks to capture the feeling of being a pirate on the high seas, but may sink instead of swim based on what's known so far.
Skull and Bones was originally announced at E3 in 2017, but has seen so many delays and push backs that fans aren’t sure when the game will actually release. The developer has already stated how the upcoming game took inspiration from the naval aspect of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, which definitely shows in its gameplay previews. However, as of right now, it’s hard to see what will make Skull and Bones a standout game rather than a refined portion of Black Flag.
What’s Known About Skull and Bones
So far, fans of the upcoming Skull and Bones have only seen glimpses of its naval warfare and multiplayer mode, which doesn’t exactly paint a well-rounded picture of what the game will be overall. It’s been confirmed that the game will feature a single-player campaign, but this doesn’t exactly excite fans when previews have shown how heavily it relies on multiplayer gameplay.
The main gameplay mechanics are focused on naval warfare, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn’t give players a full-fledged pirate fantasy, either. Players can customize their pirate captain and ship, but must remain stationary to the ship. This means, unlike its spiritual predecessor Black Flag, players cannot board another ship to fight against the crew, or even dock on an island and explore the land.
As it stands now, Skull and Bones has been delayed because the developer has said it needs more time to get things right. This game wouldn’t be the first to take on a new vision as development progresses, thus requiring more time and resources to make it just right. With this in mind, it’s possible the gameplay previews that audiences have seen could differ greatly from the final version of the game. However, no one will really know until Skull and Bones gets closer to an official release date.
What Skull and Bones Needs to Get Right
Beloved pirate character Captain Jack Sparrow has personality and flair, making him one of the most memorable parts of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The same can be said of Black Flag’s own Edward Kenway, whose reckless greed is balanced by his desire to help those beneath him. The best video game characters, pirates or otherwise, need to have personality—something it seems Skull and Bones hasn’t worked on yet.
Customization of the player captain and ship is a nice touch, but if there’s a single-player campaign baked into the multiplayer aspect of the game, the protagonist needs to capture the swagger that comes with living a pirate’s life. Additionally, the game previews have shown that players will loot treasure from defeated ships to make a name for themselves on the open sea, but there’s not much else to it. For pirates, the whole point of amassing riches is to spend it as much as hoard it—what will players be able to spend their riches on, especially if they can’t set foot on land?
Right now, from everything revealed about Skull and Bones so far, it doesn’t capture the flair and appeal of a pirate’s life. Instead, it seems more similar to Anthem or Call of Duty—games now primarily focused on PvP gameplay and grinding for rewards rather than story-telling. There’s still a long way to go until Skull and Bones’ release, so hopefully these changes are implemented sooner rather than later.
Skull and Bones is currently in development for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.