King Of Seas Review – TEDIOUS TRAVERSAL

Now yes, we all know that King of Seas sounds eerily close to Sea of Thieves. But believe me, they are not the same game. King of Seas is a top-down pirate game where you play as a captain of a ship. To begin with, you are first given a little intro to the story and how the game works. You then have to pick your character, either Marylou or Luky. Both of which happen to be the King of the Seas’ children.

The Beginning

You start King Of Seas by becoming captain of your very own ship for the first time and then have to complete a little delivery quest. I have to admit, during this part of the game, every character you meet looks suspicious. I wonder if they have an ulterior motive. And in hindsight, this was extremely well done because …. I     WAS     RIGHT. When you return you find out that your father has been killed and guess who they suspect. That’s right, you. They then proceed to sink your ship and leave you to die. Only for a well-meaning pirate to come along and save you. This is where the game really begins. The story becomes quite intriguing and mysterious as you’re sent from pillar to post to try and clear your name, all the while being hunted for taking your father’s life.

Gameplay Aspects

I must say though, the visuals in this title are extremely good. The art style works perfectly with the kind of game it is and the attention to detail is fantastic. The water looks stunning, the ports look nice and are well designed, and the weather changes are just brilliant. For a game that has gone for a simplistic approach, they have done a great job here.

The gameplay in King of Seas is relatively simplistic as well. You have three different speeds depending on how many sails are unfurled and can aim all the weapons and attacks with the controller’s shoulder buttons.

The Bad

Initially, the overall formula is fine, until you get further into the game and run into a couple of let’s say – interesting aspects. Firstly, you’ll realise that it’s very easy to run into rocks or other ships that just happen to get in your way, especially when traveling at high speeds. This is a little annoying but not too game-breaking. Secondly, you very quickly realise that 90% of this game is just you sailing around from point A to point B.

The reason is that the side quests fall into three different categories Escort, Delivery, and Destruction. Whether you are escorting a governor, delivering medicine, or trying to destroy Armoury ships, each one has you scaling the sea for your objective. This means that you’ll spend about 10% of your time actually completing quests and fighting, as opposed to the other 90% of the time navigating around King of Seas’ map. Plus, even when partaking in the main quest, it’s all the same thing. Meaning that this game becomes very tedious, very quickly.

The Good

On a positive note, however, this game is not just all about arduous navigating. There are also a couple of awesome aspects that are worth mentioning as well. At one point in King of Seas, you’ll be able to own five ships. Now you are only able to use one ship at a time. But being able to go from a Sloop to a Flute for its cargo space, and then change to a Galleon for its size and firepower allows you to tactically analyse and choose the best ship for the job.

King Of Seas does a heap of things right; the art style, the story, the variety and modification of the ships. However, this all takes a backseat to the arduous navigating…

What is also fantastic is that when you go back to your earlier ships, they’ll keep their custom modifications. These adjustments for your ships are great, with each modification either improving your attack or defense or even changing what cannons or ammo you can use. They all work to make your own unique ship become the most feared vessel of the high seas. Now you can buy modifications from various ports, but honestly, there is no need. Modifications are rewarded in spades for completing quests and destroying other ships. Meaning you will be inundated with parts pretty quickly and will most likely sell some for a decent amount of gold.

Decision

If you enjoy top-down games, then I’d say give King of Seas a go. The visuals are great, there is plenty of loot to get and the story is surprisingly intriguing and mysterious. However, just be warned, you’ll most likely find yourself spending the majority of your playtime navigating your way around, instead of actually completing quests and furthering the story.

By Dillon Van Der Putten

This game was reviewed using a download code provided by Team17. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.