Skull and Bones Review | PlayStation 5

From its announcement at E3 2017, Ubisoft has frequently postponed the release of Skull and Bones, making it one of the most anticipated games of the previous several years. Anyone who follows the news knows that Ubisoft's CEO dubbed Skull and Bones a Quadruple-A title—and that's just because the company spent a whopping $200 million on the project, not because how it looked matches.

The naval battle is the game's alleged crown jewel, and it is, which is also perfectly great. The issue, though, is that this was present in both Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Odyssey. And guess what! After almost a decade in the making, Skull and Bones —a spin-off project based on Black Flag—has become one of Ubisoft's most bizarre releases.

 

The main issue is that Skull and Bones never have any real excitement. It's always a drag. In a game like Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara, you take on the role of a pirate, but the emphasis is on humor, exploration, and riddles or even Tortuga - A Pirate's Tale that offers meaningful, in-depth strategic naval combat. Whereas there is a lot of grinding in Skull and Bones and much like other massively multiplayer online role-playing games, it centers on the loot grind.

This entails repeatedly constructing, hunting supplies, and attempting to take out ships to obtain treasure maps and a design for a slightly upgraded cannon. To some extent, that is the only mechanics of this game. Intending to extend the gameplay as much as possible, the developers want you to keep returning for the same repetitive gameplay and eventually feel compelled to microtransactions.

It is not uncommon for live service game games to focus on either the open world or the gameplay; rather, they must strive to blend both aspects. Typically, these games spend the initial phases introducing you to the game's features and explaining why you should spend countless hours on it. However, you'll be thrust into action as soon as you start playing Skull and Bones.

Everything seems rushed from the beginning, yet you are already tinkering with a more robust ship. On the other hand, there isn't much to the gameplay other than firing your cannons. Furthermore, there is no feeling of impact; you have no idea how vulnerable the enemy ship is; it appears as though they are unscathed until they suddenly explode.

You are expected to lose this major fight that starts the game. And once you've made it through, you can shape your character however you like. All of it is quite limited. All you have are a handful of settings to choose from when customizing your hair and beard. As bizarre as it is, you can choose a body type, but since you can only see your face, you won't be able to appreciate the full effect of that choice. While you can make adjustments and see the results at a later time, it is still not up to par.

 

So now your journey begins as a pirate whose ship has been wrecked in a recent battle. After being destroyed by the British Navy, your ship's survivors have banded together to embark on a new pirate mission. While your character is completely passive, you still have the option to personalize your ship and create a unique character. Then you're opted to gain some notoriety by completing missions throughout the Indian Ocean. A reputation for yourself will be established, and you will unearth numerous treasures formerly held by other pirates.

Once you've made your character, you can take a little boat to an adjacent island. Your first tutorial objective will be to return to where you sealed off and collect treasure at sea. For instance, this was also included in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, but it was only an optional feature to help you gain treasures. However, Skull and Bones serves as a genuine quest objective, similar to the initial task that needs to be completed. Then, you return to the pirate once you've seized these weapons and liquor.

There isn't much action here; instead, you're required to investigate a shipwreck, and all you do is deliver the items. Once you have completed the tutorial, you can get off at various alternate locations, while there is essentially zero action taking place at these locations. The game essentially consists of a large number of NPCs carrying out the same animation again, except for a handful of vendors. You won't feel like you're in this world; instead, you'll be transported to a pirate-themed amusement park.

Skull and Bones is basically an enormously multiplayer online role-playing game. You sail around, of course, but that's not the game's goal; the point is to complete objectives. Some of these can be quite engaging, as they provide a diverse range of objectives, which is the game's most compelling feature. Objectives include attempting to incite tension between opposing factions, attacking enemy forts, robbing civilians, or even targeting specific ships with surplus loot, etc.

 

The developers put a lot of effort into making this game perfect; however, the idea behind it was flawed. The game's intended setting is a massive online pirate community, but the question remains: who will be interested in grinding a ship? Most objectives include acquiring supplies at specific locations on the map, destroying specific ships, or boarding them—a process that repeats itself in a cinematic with a large loot-like user interface obstructing the last scene of each cutscene.

The gameplay of Skull and Bones has been painfully stretched out, which is the main drawback. As you complete missions, you acquire better ships that can be constructed as your character levels up. Plus, if you haven't stored your crafting supplies correctly, you'll lose them all the time when you sink. Say you have a collection of uncommon wood planks. You'll have to return to port carefully, clean the wood, take it to the blacksmith to transform it into a ship, and then set sail again.

You can get ammo in this manner because you require cannon balls, which are limited in quantity and can only be obtained by participating in more battles. Your character's inability to swim is hilarious, and the animation is especially off-kilter; it makes it seem like your captain, who ought to become the most dreaded pirate in the Indian Ocean, is terrified of water.

Skull and Bones also has a foot-based mode in addition to the ship-based one. You can control your character in a third-person view, similar to the Assassin's Creed games. This mode allows you to wander around the world without engaging in battle. You can take your time exploring the area, looking at various objects, and learning about the history of the people who lived there. That's pretty much what you do in this mode. To discover hidden gems is a major motivation to go exploring on foot.

 

You must first locate a map that indicates the direction of an outpost. A red cross clearly indicated the treasure's location on the first map I found. Despite glancing in the specified direction, I could not locate the chest. After several minutes of frantically exploring the island, I stumbled onto the hidden treasure. And you know what? The Red Cross had misled about the location of the treasure. According to my understanding, this is not how treasure maps are meant to function. And whenever you find a map, it's the same boring thing happening: you're frantically searching these islands for treasure.

There is an overwhelming number of ship battles, most of which are probably the same, except for a few. Every battle involves ramming the adversary, attempting to shoot them, and boarding them if they get close enough. You can jump on their boat and then steal a significant amount of their loot for an even larger payoff.

But leaving your boat never feels like an option. For instance, in certain areas of the map, such as a small, fast travel sector, your only options are to purchase or equip upgrades or even execute a treasure map. But my main concern is simply trying to understand the significance of all these.

Ubisoft has made it rather apparent that the game is 90% about navigating your ship, but it doesn't make it any less of a pirate game, especially when you're paying full price for it. I still have a lot of complaints about the game, even after taking it at face value. For the first several hours, you'll be doing the exact same thing: starting an objective at the same outpost, setting sail to a marker on the map (or capturing a ship), returning to the far-away outpost, speaking with an NPC, setting sail again to another marker far-away, and so on.

Ship battles are the only gameplay in Skull and Bones, yet they may be thrilling nonetheless. Additionally, you have a significant deal of leeway in terms of the battle strategy that your ship employs. You can try to sink other ships by crashing into them with a rammer or striking them with an armored point.

 

You can equip your ship with a long-range arsenal or, more simply, shotgun-like weaponry that can help wreck other ships in close proximity. A more distant option would be to acquire additional weapons, such as mortar launchers. You have the option to decorate your shop with various types of armor. Though engaging, the ship battle severely lacks depth.

I will admit that the game's brightness flashed through at random moments. Several contracts from various NPCs and Bounty boards become available as the game progresses, so it's not all bad news. Therefore, you won't need to stop at the outpost nearly as frequently and may enjoy a much richer experience at sea. Intercepting traders is necessary to obtain their commodities over certain trade routes.

However, adjacent guard ships will rush over to join the fray whenever you fire at them. When attacking neutral targets, you'll trigger a wanted system similar to Grand Theft Auto; these are the finest times to be in the game because you can choose to stay or flee when a fleet of ships suddenly starts chasing you. You can also find villages where you can exchange goods for free or obtain them through commerce.

You can also plunder a village. The plundering action triggers a cutscene in which your ship's crew enters the town to engage in combat while you remain on your ship and engage enemy ships that are bringing in cash. Plus, looting becomes better the longer you keep at it. There are instances when other players can join you in your looting.

Also, there are these scope battles with stronger ships. While these ships have been in the Assassin's Creed games for a while, it's still wonderful to witness another player take aim at one and then decide whether to aid them. As other players fly around, adding life to the game, you'll notice how these social features benefit the game, in contrast to the robot NPCs.

 

As far as social aspects are concerned, Skull and Bones pulls it off flawlessly. I met other players on unpredictable occasions, which was my rare moment of joy in this game. Having another person on the quest for a bounty at the same time as mine was a wonderful touch. Playing against other players who attempted to sink the same ship or assault the same fort was awesome.

When fired, certain projectiles can repair damage to other ships. You also have the option of forming a group and selecting a target. Here is where the game's goal finally became clearer: to give players the thrilling experience of becoming pirates united against the villainous British Navy or other rival forces.

But everything was very fundamental when it came to the many tasks we did and the various groups we hunted. As a whole, the game never feels fully realized. No matter how many ships I construct, new areas I investigate, or random treasure maps I unearth on a sunken ship offshore, none of it ever feels nice. In my opinion, that is the most severe criticism it can receive. Plus, massively multiplayer online role-playing games must prioritize player enjoyment before anything else. However, you should not expect more from an online game than this. Other games with a free-to-play option likely have more robust customization options than this one.

Still, the entire price of Skull and Bones is there, and the microtransactions are there to always remind you. Also, I hope Ubisoft games don't follow this tendency in the future. First, it's already a pain because the outfit shop is the only place to modify your character's appearance rather than the menu. You can use the silver, the game's standard currency, to purchase new costume pieces or equip those you've earned from activities.

 

You can still find better-looking microtransaction clothing in this menu than in-game clothing. In addition to the specific store page seen in previous Ubisoft titles, these items can be purchased from in-game vendors simply by interacting with non-playable characters. It seems like Ubisoft is attempting to hold us accountable for the years of mistakes this project has endured. All it is is an interface for microtransactions. Almost all of your ship is adorned with bizarre cosmetics that resemble fake skeletons.

I was hoping for more depth after ten years of development. Sailing around, leveling up, and seeing cool locations is, I suppose, the game's goal, but it never really gets thrilling. No matter how much I try, the grind makes it such that nothing feels exciting, even when attempting to take down a bounty or fight a large vessel with gobs of stuff on it. The whole thing felt like a chaotic RPG with far too many quests and XP bars to fill since your character and ship are leveling, and some ship parts are leveling up, too.

The cutscenes in Skull and Bones aren't particularly eye-catching either. There isn't a compelling plot that makes you want to know what happens next. While these archetypal pirates sit on their perch and bark orders at you, you can't help but fantasize about glory and looting with them. Even though it's a game for the new generation, it was definitely developed for the last-gen consoles in its early stages. Numerous character models are nothing more than overblown fools who repeatedly say the same stupid things, and they all look terrible with their hair stuck to their heads.

 

There was so much potential for Skull and Bones to be a fantastic pirate MMORPG, but it is not even close. And due to the lack of meaningful content, Skull and Bones has the potential to be the most disappointing full-priced Ubisoft game that I have ever played. Our money seems to be going toward what seems like a free-to-play game that managed to squander an AAA developer's resources.

Skull and Bones is an Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag clone, so if you like Ubisoft's open-world games with a stronger emphasis on single players, you might want to look elsewhere. I'll advise you to hold off until the seal is broken and the game goes on a big sale or until it's included in PlayStation Plus or Game Pass, which I feel will happen very soon. I do not believe Skull and Bones is worth your attention, much less your money.
 

Azfar Rayan (@AzfarRayan)
Senior Editor, NoobFeed