If, like me, you love pirates — I have the anchor tattoo on my ribs to prove it — you were most likely disappointed by Skull and Bones. I played it for a bit but found the grind boring, the graphics lacking for what was touted as a quadruple-A game, and was upset that I couldn’t even take my pirate captain for a little swim. Now, there’s a new challenger on the horizon, and it could be the pirate game we’ve all been waiting for.
Forgotten Seas is a newly released early access survival game set on the high seas of the Bermuda Void. I was sold the moment I saw the player character throw a ship in a bottle into the ocean and marvel as it grew into a full size vessel, like those little sponge capsules you put in the bath that became dinosaurs.
This looks like the pirate game I’ve always dreamed of. You craft your ship in a bottle before taking it out for its maiden voyage. But then, when you want to go exploring on land, you can shrink it back down and take it with you. The ship’s inventory remains intact when shrunken down, so there’s no need to trek back through an island to find it again – just pop it back in its bottle like a little genie and throw it back into the sea when you’re ready to set sail. It’s such a sweet little fantastical quirk.
When you’re not sailing, you can also post up on a deserted island and build yourself a nice little base out of the resources you find on land, or sunbathe in a hammock. Now that’s the pirate life for me. Deep within the islands scattered throughout Forgotten Seas lay clues to the mystery central to the story. A mystery the sea seems keen to protect, as whole islands can be swallowed by it, so don’t get too attached to your bases. There are numerous biomes to explore, too, from snowy ice sheets to misty swamps, so you shouldn’t get too sick of the tropical vibes.
There’s plenty to do on the water, too. Once you launch your ship and sail the seven seas you’ll be able to raid other pirates and send them deep into the drink. Broadside them with cannons or board them and sword fight up close and personal. There are dangers that might drown you, too, however. Whirlpools and krakens mean every voyage could end in Davy Jones’ locker.
If you like the sound of a pirate game that combines island survival with high seas combat, then you can buy Forgotten Seas on steam, right here.
There are also plenty of other pirate games out there, buried in the sand waiting for you to dig them up. You could also try some submarine games if you prefer to stay submerged in the ocean rather than skimming on top of the waves.
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