At E3, Rare presented the upcoming pirate MMO Sea of Thieves.
Being a pirate and causing chaos on the seas with a crew, fighting against other buccaneers, and searching for treasures on islands – as Rare has showcased the MMO Sea of Thieves, it seems like a lot of fun. As can be seen from the new gameplay trailer, Sea of Thieves apparently plays extremely smoothly. You team up with other players to form a pirate crew, explore islands, and man a sailing ship, which you use to navigate the seas.
Pirates work as a team
Every player has a task to fulfill, as truly large ships can only be steered by a well-coordinated crew. Smaller boats, on the other hand, are said to be manageable alone. In the case of a large sailing ship, one player, for example, has to raise the sails, another is at the helm, and yet another takes care of the cannons.
In the event of a naval battle, the team must function perfectly to execute quick maneuvers and fire the cannons at the right moment. When hit, players should go below deck to patch leaks before the ship sinks.
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The version shown at E3 was not final yet. Later, it will be possible to engage in combat on the islands with a saber and pistol or search for treasures guarded by the undead. There will be quests that can be completed as a team. You will also be able to explore sunken shipwrecks. Additionally, you can trade with other ship crews; it doesn’t always have to be about combat. Social activities, like drinking rum together or making music, were already possible in the shown version.
No HUD? That could be revolutionary
Sea of Thieves comes – by the way, just like the shooter MMO Escape from Tarkov – completely without a HUD, which is unusual for an MMORPG. Nevertheless, one can see from the video how much this benefits the immersion in the game and how smoothly and coherently the online game plays as a result. When you see an item, you just use it, like cannons. A click is enough, and it fires. Whether this takes complexity out of the genre remains to be seen. As it stands currently, however, it seems to enhance the enjoyment of the game.
Perhaps Sea of Thieves will show how MMORPGs can function in the future, without scaring off new players with overly complex mechanics, many windows, bars, or floating numbers. A release date for Sea of Thieves has not yet been set, but you can sign up for a beta on the official website.
Andreas says:
Sea of Thieves fascinates me. I love how the game is presented and how smoothly it seems to play. No windows or other UI elements disrupt the gameplay. Everything seems seamless. The teamwork encouraged by the fact that large ships can only be steered as a team looks very fun. If there is also much to discover and interesting quests, then Sea of Thieves will be an MMORPG in which I can surely immerse myself. I believe Sea of Thieves even has the potential to open the genre to a much broader audience.
