Summary
Skull and Boneshas given players a wide sea to explore, and because of that, there are countless islands and settlements waiting to be discovered. However, unlike games likeSea of Thieves, many of these locales cannot be accessed. Instead, players spend much of their time sitting on their ship, which makes for a rather lackluster experience.
Skull and Bonesmay have some strong ideas, but those ideas are often held back by its many flaws. One of its biggest issues has to be the lack of exploration, which is further exemplified by the settlement feature. While there are some settlements that can be explored, the majority of them are simple set dressing, and that leads to a world that feels rather small and without life.
Skull and Bones' Settlements Are Extremely Lacking
Most of Skull and Bones' Settlements Are Inaccessible
When players firststart theirSkull and Bonesadventure, they are introduced to the primary hub city of Sainte-Anne. Then, they are given a ship and told to go off into the oceans to make their fortune. As they conquer these seas, they will run into numerous islands filled with life. However, players may quickly realize just how inaccessible many of those islands actually are.
While players may think they can access other settlements, the majority ofSkull and Bones' settlementssimply exist as a menu. Without getting off of their ship, players can either choose to trade with these settlements or plunder them. There is no option to get out, stretch their legs, or walk around the city streets. Instead, these settlements are almost entirely decorative. It does not stop at settlements either, as almost every island on the map solely exists to set the scene.
The only places players can actually get out and walk around is at the various outposts that dot the land. Unlike Saint-Anne, however, the majority ofSkull and Bones' outpostsare nothing more than a simple fireplace and trader who might have a few contracts. There is nothing to really discover here, outside a few treasure chests, and even though these islands did not need to all be on the same level as the pirate cities, making them this empty leads to a rather bland world.
Skull and Bones' World Feels Small
Leaving the majority ofthe cities inSkull and Bonesas nothing more than simple menus makes the world feel more like a backdrop than an intriguing setting. While there are a few explorable cities packed with detail, those are too few and far between. Their existence does not make up for the fact that Ubisoft left the majority of the cities out of the fun. Without them, this world seems to be empty, and players have seemingly little to do within.
Even though the focus ofSkull and Bonesis on the seafaring gameplay, there needed to be some land-based exploration to back it up.Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flagwas not popular simply because it let players sail the high seas; it was popular because it offered them a true pirate experience complete with an exciting story, a massive open-world, and countless islands to explore. On top of that, every city on the map actually existed within the game’s overworld.
It may be too late for Ubisoft to fix it now, but future updates should definitely add more cities for players to call home. Pirates are much more than the ships that they sail on, yetSkull and Bonesdoes not seem to understand that. Hopefully, the studio now realizes this, because the game has some strong foundations, so it would serve itself well by actually letting players be a part of its world.
Skull and Bones
WHERE TO PLAY
Set sail into the vibrant open world of Skull and Bones, a naval online action RPG where you rise to become the most fearsome pirate kingpin.ENGAGE IN SPECTACULAR NAVAL COMBATPrepare for devastating battles by crafting a dozen different ships and equip your fleet with powerful loadouts. Unlock stronger weapons as you progress and customize your ships to reflect your unique pirate playstyle.SAIL INTO A DANGEROUS HELL IN PARADISEVoyage into the Indian Ocean and explore a vast open world teeming with cutthroat pirates, deadly sea monsters, supernatural threats, devastating storms, and more.TEAM UP WITH FELLOW PIRATESSail the lawless seas solo or team up with two friends or other players to partake in shareable contracts and rewards.ENJOY EVER-EVOLVING CONTENTEach season, face a brand-new legendary sea lord and discover fresh content, limitless endgame opportunities, and new exciting features designed to enhance your pirate experience.
