Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S
Genre: Naval action-adventure

In the ever-expanding realm of gaming, few genres hold as much allure and romanticism as the swashbuckling world of pirates. It’s a realm where freedom knows no bounds, where adventure beckons from every distant shore, where the clash of cutlasses and the billowing of sails create a symphony of excitement.

With Skull and Bones, Ubisoft Singapore (and a boatload of other Ubisoft studios) aimed to harness this spirit, offering players the chance to chart their own course through a sprawling open world teeming with danger and opportunity. Yet, despite the grandeur of its ambition and the weight of its pedigree, Skull and Bones finds itself shipwrecked on the rocky shores of disappointment.

High Seas Havoc

At first glance, Skull and Bones appears to have all the makings of a modern-day classic. Drawing inspiration from the acclaimed naval battles of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the game promises to deliver an epic pirate adventure unlike any other.

The base of the game and its core loop is adequate enough: you level up your ship and infamy levels (your player level in an MMO-like setting), you get blueprints to build up your ship, you fight other rivals and enemy faction ships in the high seas, you finish up contracts be it delivering contraband (or blow up enemy ships), and you join up with other players to take on harder and more “live service” style challenges. There is quite a bit to do -low-stakes missions, contracts, and co-op battles against tougher armadas- admittedly more than in other online games with live service mechanics tacked onto it (we’re looking at you, Suicide Squad). From its vast open seas to its intricately detailed ships, every aspect of the game seems tailor-made to immerse players in the thrilling world of piracy. The water tech too looks amazing, seeing as you’ll be spending a lot of time in the open seas, and parts of Africa and Southeast Asia (Melaka, Singapore, and so forth).

Having to sail in the third-person up-close while steering the mast also adds to the immersion and feel of being a pirate, though that quickly drifts away when you can use the more practical third-person ship view. Still, it’s a nice touch. On paper, it sounds fine and does seminally entertain for the first few hours.

And yet, as players set sail on their maiden voyage past the 10-hour mark or so, it becomes painfully clear that Skull and Bones is adrift in a sea of mediocrity. From its lacklustre storytelling to its rote gameplay mechanics where you’re pretty much doing everything from your ship, the game struggles to find its footing from the outset. Missions feel like little more than mindless fetch quests, while exploration is hampered by a restrictive open world that offers little in the way of genuine discovery.

One of the game’s most egregious missteps is its failure to capitalize on the very essence of piracy—freedom. Rather than empowering players to chart their course and carve out their own destinies, Skull and Bones shoehorns them into a rigid progression system that leaves little room for spontaneity or adventure. The promise of a vast open world is quickly overshadowed by a litany of invisible walls and arbitrary restrictions, transforming what should be a thrilling odyssey into a tedious slog. And when you’re boarding enemy ships? There’s no on-ground pirate combat with swords and swashbuckling; just a short cutscene saying you’ve boarded the ship and taken their loot.

Even the game’s much-touted ship customization system feels like a missed opportunity. While there’s no denying the sheer breadth of options available, from hulls to sails to cannons, the actual impact these choices have on gameplay is minimal at best. Rather than feeling like a captain steering their own vessel through treacherous waters, players are reduced to little more than glorified decorators, tinkering with their ships’ aesthetics while the actual gameplay remains unchanged.

The aforementioned combat mechanics, while fine for the first few hours, end up becoming as shallow as its shark-infested waters, offering little in the way of depth or strategy. Naval battles quickly devolve into chaotic skirmishes, with little rhyme or reason to the madness. Rather than feeling like a skilled seafarer navigating the perils of the open ocean, players are left feeling more like button mashers desperately trying to survive the next onslaught. Somehow your cannons can magically end up hitting enemies even if you feel like you made a slight wrong turn, and outmanoeuvring foes can become more rudimentary than skill-based, as the only way you’ll end up dead is if you’re way under-levelled gear-wise.

And then there’s the multiplayer aspect, which feels like a half-hearted afterthought rather than an integral part of the experience. Co-op interactions feel tacked on and uninspired, while balance issues and lacklustre engagement mar PvP encounters. Rather than fostering a sense of camaraderie and competition, multiplayer-only serves to highlight the game’s many shortcomings, leaving players feeling more isolated and disconnected than ever.

Dead Man’s Chest

Skull And Bones’ sailing and naval combat are solid and well-made from the get-go. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough to carry the entire game and its insane “quadruple A” price tag. Whether it’s the lacklustre storytelling, the shallow gameplay mechanics, or the uninspired multiplayer, there’s no denying that Skull and Bones fails to live up to the hype. And as players lower their anchors and bid farewell to this ill-fated voyage, one can’t help but wonder what could have been if only Ubisoft’s higher-ups and management had dared to chart a course less travelled.

There is hope though, especially for its lead developer Ubisoft Singapore: the base is adequately built enough to have a ton of improvements and live service additions made for the next few months. Comeback stories in these kinds of long-term games do happen albeit rarely: see No Man’s Sky and even Microsoft’s own pirate game Sea of Thieves for proof of that. In other words, there is still room to grow.

In its current state, however, Skull And Bones just made me appreciate the 10-year old and feature-complete pirate game Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag moreso than ever. It’s incredibly hard not to draw comparisons between the two, especially when it’s the same company that created that classic title that you can get on the cheap right now.

Were Skull And Bones a RM50-RM80 mid-budget title and had a few other pirate-game essential features (like land combat/swordfights) added into the mix, maybe the current score would be a tad higher. But as it stands, Skull And Bones is a ship that still floats and sails, but just barely.

Pros

• Overall world design and aesthetics are pleasing.
• Decent ship customisation.
• Naval combat feels fine.

Cons

• Feels unpolished & visionless.
• Disappointing multiplayer aspects.
• Repetitive and boring quests.
• Lacks narrative chops.

Final Score: 50/100

Review copy provided by publisher.