Ahoy me mateys! Xbox fans rejoice! Sea of Thieves hits the shelves on March 20th, and if the open beta is anything to go by, there is a lot to look forward to. At the time of this preview, it comes with a $59.99 price tag from Microsoft Store.
Sea of Thieves is a new game that allows you to set sail on the shark-infested seas to plunder treasure or transport goods to different destinations across the map. You’ll come across other pirates who may decide, while following their own missions, to attack your ship and steal your booty or leave you be. But don't worry about the pirate brawls. It’s family friendly. It's also multiplayer and very fun. Continue reading for a more detailed preview of what the game has to offer.
Back in 2002, Microsoft purchased UK game developer Rare. They developed games like Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country and one of my personal favorites – Golden Eye 007. It’s fair to say that since their purchase, Rare hasn't really developed a blockbuster game for Microsoft, but we think Sea of Thieves is going to turn the tide.
Sea of Thieves is all about customization. Every pirate looks different, and the more gold you plunder, the more options become available for you. When you start, you'll get a wide selection of salty sea dogs to choose from. They're randomly generated, and you can switch it up as many times as you want until you find the pirate for you. It's important to note, there is no advantage or disadvantage based on your character's size and shape.
There are two ship options to choose from. The 3-4-player Galleon or 1-2-man Sloop. Sea of Thieves is very much a multiplayer game, and if you want to set sail on your own, you can do so via the smaller Sloops. But the real fun comes when you're part of a larger crew. Microsoft has enabled ‘Cross Play’(a ‘Play Anywhere’ title), so you can play with anyone on PC and/or Xbox One.
Treasure Hunting
I started the game at an outpost, and it's here that I found the three trading companies – The Gold Hoarders, Merchant Alliance and the Order of Souls. These happy fellas dished out voyages (for a price of course), and I tried my hand at a treasure hunting expedition from the Gold Hoarders. Before I set off, I stocked up on supplies found in barrels littered around the outpost. I certainly didn’t want to run out of cannon balls or wooden blanks mid-battle. Then I sauntered off to the captain’s cabin to vote on a voyage.
We threw our knives down onto the trip of choice, and then we set sail. I was given a map to follow, and my first task was to find the island on the mid-deck map on the ship. Keep in mind, cooperation is key. The helmsman has no way of knowing the direction to go in unless you let him/her know. My team raised the anchor, set course and dropped the sails, angling them to the wind to gain speed.
The water graphics are beautiful. The ship flew along at full speed, bucking the waves as it went. The sea even sprayed from the crest of the swell. It was so realistic, I almost felt mildly seasick. But what a thrill it was!
The island was quite close to my starting point, and it didn’t take my crew too long to get there. We trimmed the sales to slow down and found a good anchorage point. Then there was a BOOM, and as we scrambled in panic, we realized it was just one of our crew mates. He shot himself out of the cannon express service!
Luckily the island was quite small, and it didn’t take us long to find where x marked the spot. We got to digging and soon had our very first treasure chest! As we shuffled on board, someone spotted a sail on the horizon. Unsure of the approaching ship's intention, we got underway and headed back to the outpost to cash in on our prize.
Once we returned with our loot, we were given further quests from the Gold Hoarders. This introduced us to longer voyages--some with riddles to crack.
Skeleton Raids
If you're brave, you should check out the Skelton Raids. These generally require a minimum of four players, and you can find them by looking for a green-eyed skeleton cloud. If you head towards the direction of the cloud, you’ll find an enemy fort with waves upon waves of dangerous skeletons. You’ll have to destroy them before the Skelton captain comes out. Once the entire army is dead, you’ll receive a handsome treasure. Just beware. There are always other players lurking around who would love to get their paws on your prize.
The PvP Element
My favorite part of the game is seeking out other ships on their journey. This isn’t always easy. You have a lot of space to cover, and you need to keep a keen eye on your own back. When you finally find other vessels, you can choose all sorts of fun ways to destroy them. Sneaking on board their ship with a gunpowder barrel and then blowing it up in the bottom deck is one of the best tactics.
Final views
A few of us TopCashback team members spent hours playing the beta, and we're very excited for the launch. A lot of content has been held back for release day, including the Kraken, but you can’t deny the charm that Rare has captured here. It is truly shaping up to be one hell of a pirate fantasy!
Not a TopCashback member yet? Join for free here and never miss out on cash back deals again.