There was a lot of mixed feedback following Microsoft’s E3 showing. Some cursed the company to damnation and hailed Sony while no one was looking. Others were left feeling proud of Microsoft’s support of indie developers. But if you dig a little deeper (not much I might add), you’ll find a little gem of the E3 conference in developer Rare’s Sea of Thieves. With a big reveal of hands-on gameplay by die hard fans of the company, Rare re-instilled every child’s quintessential dream of becoming a pirate and taking on the high seas with your friends.
From the opening moments of the Sea of Thieves showcase gameplay, the co-op experience is highlighted by the cheery and somewhat overly enthusiastic commentary of players from three different pirate “crews.” While the first crew gets off to a slow start after missing their vessel’s ladder and falling into the ocean, the second crew releases their ship’s mast and raises anchor, setting their sights on an island far off in the distance. Our third crew thought it best to down a pint of pirate’s lager before setting sail, which was followed by an unexpected simulation of a drunk’s coordination as the camera contorted wildly and one player humorously announced: “I don’t know, I can usually walk a straighter line than this.”
The most exciting portion of gameplay came near the end of the reveal, when the second crew spotted an enemy ship in the distance and frantically unmoored their vessel to meet their foes in an epic showdown at sea. Cannon balls soared through the air as crew members attached themselves to the weaponry while another maneuvered the ship in a desperate attempt to stay afloat. Below deck, water rushed in from the holes the enemy’s cannon balls had procured. A shoddy attempt at patchwork with a wooden plank and some nails proved to be ineffective as the sea became the second crew’s worst nightmare. The reveal concluded with the players’ ship completely capsized and their spritely little avatars treading water and looking on with despair at the battle lost.
Though we were only given a glimpse into what Sea of Thieves has to offer, the three and a half minutes of gameplay was surprisingly varied, and the recorded commentary of each crew captured the playful feel that the game’s vibrant and cartoonish graphics inspire. In such a short amount of time, Sea of Thieves had me wanting to sail the high seas with my friends more than ever, and the cinematic trailer that teased encounters with mythical creatures and long lost treasure left me satisfied that there was so much more to the pirate adventure. Though no official release date for Sea of Thieves has been announced, I think it’s safe to say that it can’t come soon enough.
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