“Skull and Bones” has had a really difficult time. A fresh possibility for a side project that has been in development for almost ten years and builds on technology that was first seen in 2012’s “Assassin’s Creed 3” appears to have been a burden for Ubisoft Singapore. Although it now appears as though the company has finally let go of that weight, “Skull & Bones” continues to exist in the shadow of Ubisoft’s earlier pirate releases.
Of course, “The Assassins” are nowhere to be found. However, it is clear that the concepts were taken from Kenways’ naval adventures. This could change once you take control, especially if there is adequate multiplayer support, but as of right now, very little about the game offers much that doesn’t significantly resemble the experience you probably remember from “Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag”, from the perspective shift as you fire a cannon to the raids against royal fleets or coastal forts to the islands and coves around you.
What to expect from the game?
Since “Skull and Bones'” 2017 announcement, two concerns have dogged the project: what will players do in “Skull and Bones”, and how will it play? While Ubisoft has yet to provide any opportunity to play “Skull & Bones”, a new Ubisoft Forward dedicated to the game has helped to answer some of those questions.
Ubersoft makes it clear in the latest gameplay sample that “Skull & Bones’” theme is to take control of your own fate. Beginning with a homemade raft you will experience major changes throughout the game. You will rise through the ranks of the pirate hierarchy from a position of extreme poverty and shipwreck on an isolated strand, telling your own tale within Ubisoft’s larger narrative arc. You’ll labor for local traders and smugglers to earn “Infamy,” which is the most valuable money for someone trying to make a living on the high seas.
The most valuable asset of a pirate is their name. When your name will become known, spread over Ubisoft’s version of the Indian Ocean, you’ll be able to level up that simple raft you started with to a towering pirate ship. You will be able to customize your ship to fit your mission. Of course, loot is another crucial asset, therefore a cargo ship that is heavily loaded with goods may be necessary for a successful raid. However, to successfully pursue a merchant ship, a swift navigation ship would be a superior option. Alternately, firepower ships can be outfitted with a number of unique weaponry, from deadly Greek Fire to mortars and bombards, if destruction is required.
Given the wide variety of piratical missions you may embark on in “Skull and Bones”, it would seem that Ubisoft made it simple to modify your ship for the next duty. Game developer Ryan Bernard chose crushing and explosive damage weaponry rather than Greek Fire armaments, which would have been more effective against an enemy fleet, in a sequence that included looting a strongly defended citadel. Parts of the ship were strongly armored to protect against incoming attacks from the forts, but in other places, the armor was swapped out for cargo bags to hold more treasure.
The combat is chaotic. The operation is successful because Bernard and an ally repel land and sea attacks, although it’s hard to know exactly what’s going on at any one moment. “Skull & Bones” gives you the option to change your viewpoint from one area of the boat to another so you can see the current action as well as possible. You should put the camera at the helm as you try to maneuver your ship through the battle so that you can be certain of your direction. However, you may change perspectives to the Crow’s Nest, which provides a more comprehensive view of the waters surrounding you, to gain a better picture of the fight as it develops. If you’re up for a fight, various weapon slots seem to offer varied perspectives. You’ll need to manage each one separately to make the most of them, giving up control of the rest of your spacecraft to make the ideal shot. On a mechanical level, the “best-in-class” naval warfare that Ubisoft is striving for appears to be present, but it appears that a top-tier multi-tasker will be required to make the most of Skull & Bones’ largest ships.
It‘s still challenging to fully grasp “Skull & Bones”. It seems that you will be able to determine what sort of pirate you want to be because of a good amount of ship customisation available. With ships colliding from the African coast of the Malaysian archipelago, the open waters appear to promise danger and excitement. Devastating storms, Pirate Hunter assaults, shipwrecks, buried treasure, smuggling and daring raids on multi–ship convoys all promised by Ubisoft. It is a pirate fantasy. According to game director Ryan Barnard, Ubisoft “looks at everything with a multiplayer lens,” weaving that fantasy over a full fleet if you connect to the game with your friends. Yet if you wish to play solo, “prominent pirates” will appear as part of a “narrative arc” letting you to play solo.
But it’s not difficult to see the tried-and-true Ubisoft formula behind all of that. Naturally, “Skull & Bones” immediately brings to mind 2013’s “Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag”. The slightly surreal variation on the Indian Ocean looks amazing, and the ships are detailed, even if the crew operating them occasionally seems a little too coordinated. Nearly ten years of aesthetic improvements have produced the intended results. If you have a sharp eye you will notice features like cannon fire, ship health bars, and a hunting system have been borrowed from Black Flag.
It also appears that the pirate lifestyle won’t be as exciting when you have missions that put you at the whim of NPCs. It is possible to obtain Ifamy by randomly attacking ships at sea, however it appears to take considerably longer than doing some fetch-quests for a nearby merchant. It could be a great way to make a living, but doing random chores for locals doesn’t necessarily look like a pirate’s life.
The margins of Ubisoft’s strategy for its largest worlds have been eroding for a while. Far Cry 6 received positive reviews from critics and consumers alike, however many reviews and community responses shared the opinion that the series’ offerings had already been exhausted by the time it reached its sixth installment and spin-offs. With “Assassin’s Creed”, Ubisoft already had to face the truth in the recent past. Black Flag was created before the “Assassin’s Creed” series underwent major changes to become the franchise that includes “Assassin’s Creed” Origins, “Assassin’s Creed” Odyssey, and “Assassin’s Creed” Valhalla. It’s unclear whether the boundless sea will be sufficient to set Ubisoft free from its open-world playbook given that this game is strongly rooted in its same underpinnings. “Skull & Bones” may struggle to survive given these factors and the coming threat of Sea of Thieves.