Sea of Thieves Review | Culture of Gaming

Ever since making huge waves at Microsoft’s keynote back in 2016, Sea of Thieves has gotten a lot of attention and a lot of hype. The news was even more tantalizing because storied developer, Rare, was at the helm of this fresh new IP. One could say a lot is on this swashbuckling journey for Rare and Microsoft.

Ever since making waves at Microsoft’s keynote in 2016, Sea of Thieves has gotten a lot of attention and hype. The news was even more tantalizing because story developer, Rare, is at the helm of this fresh new IP. A lot is certainly riding on this swashbuckling journey for both Rare and Microsoft.

After a brief intro hinting at what’s to come followed by a character selection screen, the game quite literally drops you into the world with absolutely no handholding. While part of me always enjoys this approach, as a lot of modern titles suffer from oversimplification, a little nudge in the right direction early on would’ve been appreciated.

Sea of Thieves’ look is vibrant and colourful, something developer Rare has been known to deliver.

Sea of Thieves’ look is vibrant and colourful, something developer Rare has been known to deliver. The cartoony aesthetic, coupled with the light-hearted atmosphere make for a title that on the surface brims with character and life.

After wandering about, talking to the local vendors and visiting each scenic wooden cabin that adorned the Caribbean island side, I embarked on my first quest.

At the outset, you can accept quests from three different NPC factions. They essentially boil down to, treasure hunting, skeleton killing and smuggling. Each quest type is different but once you repeat a couple, some tedium will surely set in. That is because there is no campaign or main quest line building towards a grand finale in Sea of Thieves.

Sea of Thieves is meant to be played with friends. Everything from quest dynamics to how you sail your boat is designed with teamwork in mind. You can sail the seas solo but doing so greatly lessens the appeal. Much like the lack of in-game tutorials, getting a grip on navigation isn’t easy. Don’t expect a mini map to follow you in the top corner of your screen while adventuring either. Better yet, don’t expect a HUD at all. Successful navigation depends on your compass, telescope and good old intuition.

While I didn’t find the quests all that gripping, grouping up with some friends did make my time that much more enjoyable. Another interesting thing Rare’s latest has going for it is the approach to multiplayer interactions. Let’s say you’re sailing with a crew of friends and then suddenly, off in the distance, you see a ship. By the way, that ship and all ships in the game for that matter are player controlled so don’t expect to encounter any NPC vessels floating about in the game world. That foreign ship may simply float on by without a hitch or instead engage you in a high stakes battle for your loot.

When it comes to sound design, Sea of Thieves impresses. The harsh crack of lighting followed by the sound of a million little raindrops on a waterlogged roof is marvelous. While the sound design is top notch, the voice acting isn’t. To be blunt, it sounds as if each NPC’s opening line of dialogue was delivered by a bunch of inexperienced high school students reading a Pirates of the Caribbean script. However, since the tittle is light on story, this is just a gripe.

Sea of Thieves Overall

My sessions with Sea of Thieves were fun. A sense of great wonder overcame my crew and I as plundered ships and fought the undead. Unfortunately, that marvel fades as each expedition slowly starts to feel just like the last. Simply put, the content in Sea of Thieves feels thin. Games often like this one are usually a “wait and see” type of deal. Right now, Sea of Thieves harbors some interesting ideas. Only time will tell if this ambitious title will reach it’s full potential.

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