So, Skull and Bones has been delayed for an unprecedented sixth time, and by way of a response to the unfortunate news, Ubisoft released a thirty-minute developer update. While this update revealed an extended gameplay session, it didn’t seem to be anything we’ve not already seen, and in truth, it didn’t look better than the last bout of gameplay released several months ago.
In this exclusive ‘devstream’, we’re given an insight into the narrative-driven gameplay, carried in part by the iconic factions in the world of Skull and Bones. As the breakdown unravels, loose mechanics and fetch quests are revealed to be key elements of the game, and that’s where viewers start to tune out…
Should Skull and Bones Be Cancelled?
Recently, Ubisoft has broken down and cancelled three unannounced projects in an effort to claw back some funds in a desperate bid to reinvigorate the organisation. It’s in a bad place right now with share prices dropping and, apparently, nobody is willing to help the company out.
Despite cancelling projects, Ubisoft has remained staunch in its loyalty to Skull and Bones, refusing the cancel the years-long development cycle of the game and instead opting to delay it for a sixth time.
Here’s the developer stream below – but be warned, it isn’t an interesting watch:
Skull and Bones, unfortunately, doesn’t look like a game that has spent years in development. It seems empty and some key elements appear to be something of an afterthought more than core concepts in the game.
For instance, plundering a village is as simple as dropping anchor near a beach or a port and pressing a button, waiting for your crew to raid that location off-screen. There’s no direct involvement in the plundering, and the player is forced to simply wait out a timer and then reap the rewards.
Related – Skull and Bones BETA Gets Cut For Console – Now PC Only
There’s a little combat involved, sure, but it’s nothing innovative, intuitive, or even fresh. Admittedly, the naval combat looks worse than in Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag, which was released almost a decade ago.
While the world looks massive, it’s mostly open and relatively barren, and it seems to be entirely accessible through a fast travel menu that wipes out the need to even sail the oceans. There are land-based moments to be had, but they’re restricted to simply walking around and picking up items or talking to traders.
Since Skull and Bones’ last delay, any sign of a launch date has been wiped out, and it’s now expected to simply release at some point in the next year.
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our report regarding the fact that Warzone 2.0 has lost more players than it was first thought.
I got invited to the Alpha a few months back. Did not enjoy it. I started in an itty bitty ship, the tutorial was long and uninteresting. the starter town was overwhelming. (chaulk that up to alpha, maybe?)
The crafting system felt like it was ripped from a mobile game. Long real life minutes to smelt down ore and craft it into something (You can clearly imagine a big button saying insert $ to speed it up).
The core gameplay felt very very arcadey.I think I even remember having lock on aim. Ships handled oddly and more like a car instead of a boat. They missed the opportunity to have the awesome impacts of cannon balls and flying debris and instead we get floating damage numbers and hp bars and ships that feel like they’re a magic carpet instead of a huge ocean vessel.
Also I felt really squished for room. Very odd thing to say about a game that features the ocean. Maybe it’s just the are I was in, but I was always having to navigate around land, swamps, and trees. I often felt like I was on a narrow road instead of an ocean. (Flipping through the video posted, and it’s the same as I remembered.)
Lastly I spent more time in the Alpha walking around on land, or interacting with land (harvesting materials) then I did sailing.