Skull and Bones was supposed to be Ubisoft’s latest hit. However, that doesn’t really work: Criticism of the visuals and gameplay can be found in droves. MyMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has checked out the game in beta before release and says: It only needed to have a different setting, then Skull and Bones wouldn’t be so lackluster.
I was really looking forward to Skull and Bones. Not because I was super hyped, but because I am a big fan of the pirate mythos. I love the fantasy of privateers who don’t take anything from anyone. A new pirate game seemed just right for me.
Originally, Ubisoft intended to create a great pirate MMO with Skull and Bones. I had Black Flag in mind: the Atlantic, Caribbean islands, and sea battles with the British and Spaniards. Then the beta came, and oh boy! Some said even the free trial was too expensive, and they had a bit of a point.
I have rarely been so disappointed by a game, even though I had rather low expectations from the start. Aside from annoying bugs just before release, there was hardly anything to do, and then the boss had the audacity to call the game a AAAA title.
The biggest shock, however, was when I opened the map for the first time and really understood where I actually was. I mean… really, Ubisoft. India?!
Nobody thinks of pirates in the Indian Ocean
Skull & Bones does not take place, as one would expect from a pirate game, in the Caribbean, but in the Indian Ocean somewhere near East Africa. To be fair, there was quite a bit of piracy there. Just none that is known today.
All the well-known pirates that we still talk about today and that we somehow know were active in the Caribbean. Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard. Anne Bonny. John Rackham, also known as Calico Jack.
Even Jack Sparrow, who in 2024 will probably be the first person that comes to mind when anyone hears the word pirate, sailed his Black Pearl mostly through the Caribbean and not along the east coast of Africa.
And who was there in the Indian Ocean? William May, William Kidd, and Abdulla al-Hadj, whom you may have heard of, but you wouldn’t really associate them directly with pirates. The most famous name from the region is probably Tempest Rogers, and he was – like most other pirates – also active in the Caribbean.
I understand when someone wants to try to sail new waters. But please, if there’s no story that explains anything or builds a connection to the world, no pirate fan wants to sail around in India.
Just let me go to Nassau, then I would be satisfied
A pirate game doesn’t have to deliver much for me. If I can sail around and explore places that I know from history, that is almost enough for me. Add in some battles with cannons, sabers, and pistols, and I am happy.
But that is exactly what Skull & Bones lacks. I could overlook all the mechanics, no matter how dull they may be, if the surrounding atmosphere was right. But instead of sipping coconut milk in the Caribbean, I’m collecting bananas in Africa. Instead of looking for sugar cane in Jamaica, I’m mining cobalt in Ziwa Kubwa – wherever that may be.
The bitter part is that Ubisoft according to Kotaku at one point even chose the Caribbean as a location, but then discarded it. The biggest mistake in the development of the game.
As far as I can see, Skull & Bones offers hardly any notable endgame gameplay. But if I had the chance to see the pirate capital Nassau or to party in Tortuga, I would have plenty of reasons to check back into the game from time to time.
But like this? No, thanks. I’ll stay away from Skull & Bones until perhaps a Caribbean DLC comes out and until then I’ll keep watching series. After all, I bought one of the best pirate series on Blu-ray because I can’t stream it anywhere.
