It feels like a $30-$40 game in early access. That in itself is not an insult or anything, but it's a little mind boggling after so many years, and when you're charging $60 for it.
There is fun to be had in the right circumstances, but it's not the kind of fun that has much longevity for a wider audience. It's the same fun that was already available in the betas - all they did was add two other factions with equally simplistic voyages to grind against, and increase the price of the cosmetics tenfold.
Those comments from the former Rare artist on Reddit, who worked on this game, talking about how the devs were well aware that the game mechanics were a bit shallow and bereft of content - but they were overly fixated on fussing over the basics and it slowed development - really resonated with me, and what you see in the "finished" product. It feels like a title where they spent 3.5 years getting the audiovisual experience and ship physics "just right", then realized they didn't really have a mechanically engrossing GAME built around it, and crammed for the final six months to come up with things to do.
Hence, you get waves and spawns of brainless skeletons to fight as the only AI threat; simple radially generated missions and skellie waves as the dev-provided "content"; and endless talk about "creating your own stories" to try and fill in all of the massive remaining gaps.
Their horizontal progression concept is fine with me, but if you're not going to have that standard kind of ascending progression loop, you need to have in-depth mechanics for people to explore. Ship combat is fun, as part of a coordinated galleon crew - at least for now. But past that, what is there? Playing the same four songs on an instrument? Play-acting drinking grog? Solving the incredibly simple "riddles"?
The world can be explored, but it's also bereft of anything to do in it. Find an underwater temple? You can't actually DO anything in it. Every non-loot object is a board, cannonball or banana, and all three will always come in a barrel.
There's talk of another faction being added in a few months, when the first big content update drops. But ask yourself honestly - if this new faction features more simple radial quests like the other three, will that feel like a fresh reason to keep booting up the game? If legendary captaincy just lets you do these tasks in a fancier looking boat, will that?
Let's get positive for a moment: The game is gorgeous. The sense of presence on the boats is perfect. Naval combat can be fun. The kraken and skull forts were neat - the first time I encountered them. The actual act of sailing feels polished.
I want this game to succeed. I pre-ordered it TWO years ago. I bought your hardcover lore book, and your special edition controller. I enjoyed my time with the betas. But boy, right now this game feels like a gleaming sandbox with no toys in it.
I'd like Rare to get out there, and assure people who feel like me, that they are being heard and responded to. Judging by the reviews, I am not alone.
