Sea of Remnants gameplay preview: A confused pirate game struggling with identity
By
Tomas Franzese
Kettled twice. Extra chewy, extra trustworthy.
Summary
Sea of Remnants, a new pirate game from NetEase, struggles with identity after an hour of gameplay. It attempts to blend survival crafting, naval combat, and extraction shooter mechanics but fails to excel in any area. The game lacks the cohesive vision and polish of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, feeling like a confused mix of genres with clunky mechanics, poor AI, and unclear progression systems. While it has some promising elements like ship-to-ship combat and a unique art style, the overall experience is disjointed and fails to capture the magic of its inspirations.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledAfter an hour with Sea of Remnants, I'm still not entirely sure what kind of game it wants to be.
It's not Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, and it's not trying to be — but it's also not entirely sure what it is trying to be.
The ship combat is functional, but it lacks the weight and impact that makes naval battles feel exciting.
There are glimpses of a good game here, but they're buried under layers of confusion and clunky mechanics.
Sea of Remnants feels like it was designed by committee, with each system pulling in a different direction.
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