Ubisoft is gearing up for the release of its first AAA game in 2024 – Skull and Bones. This action RPG set in a pirate world and offering a multiplayer co-op mode will be available on consoles and PC, over a decade after it was conceived as an expansion for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.
After six delays over the course of six years, Skull and Bones finally has a set release date in mid-February. For all those curious about this pirate adventure, below you will find everything you need to know about Skull and Bones.
Release Date and Platforms
Skull and Bones will be released on February 16th. Those who purchase the Premium Edition or subscribe to Ubisoft+ will be able to play three days earlier starting from February 13th. The game will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It costs $70 on consoles and $60 on PC.
Special Editions
In addition to the standard edition, Ubisoft also offers a Premium Edition for $90. The Premium Edition includes:
– The base game Skull and Bones
– Three-day early access
– Premium bonus pack: Bloodied Bones Captain – outfit & Ashen Corsair Ship Set with 11 different ship decorations.
– Two-task pack: Ashen Corsair and Bloody Bones Legacy
– 84-page digital artbook
– Soundtrack
– Smuggler Pass token (unlocks battle pass)
– Skull & Bones slideshow
Gameplay in Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an action RPG that can be played both solo and in a two-player co-op mode. The main gameplay element is naval combat, although players will also spend time on land, picking up quests and preparing for the next maritime adventure.
Naval combat in Skull and Bones appears to be a more expanded version of the one known from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin’s Creed Rogue. Ships can be extensively customized to suit our preferences both aesthetically and practically. At the start of the game, there will be 10 different types of ships available, each with different abilities enhancing specific aspects of the ship, from offense and defense to navigation and smuggling. We will also have the ability to customize the ship’s armament, armor, and furnishings, which will affect its statistics. Armament will include cannons, ballistae, mortars, rocket launchers, and torpedoes. As for ship cosmetics, we will be able to customize the hull color, sail color, pattern and emblems, and figurehead on our ship’s bow. We will also have various animals to choose from to accompany us at sea – cats and lemurs are just a few of them.
Among other interesting open-world gameplay mechanics, we will find a spyglass that will allow us to identify the rank and armament of distant enemies, as well as signals that we can throw into the air to engage nearby players in battle. Naval combat, while mainly focused on monsters and NPCs, can transition into PvP battles when we decide to undertake mysterious treasure map missions.
In addition to battling other pirate ships, we will come across settlements, production sites, outposts, and fortresses. Settlements can be looted or used as trading ports. Production sites are specific types of settlements where we can buy and sell resources and goods. Outposts are neutral areas where we can repair our ship, buy supplies, take on quests, or fast travel. Fortresses are large, well-defended settlements of civilized people where pirates are not tolerated. These areas are heavily guarded, making combat there one of the most challenging moments in gameplay. Locations on the map are divided into levels from 1 to 15; the higher the level, the better the resources (but also the greater the resistance).
Different settlements are managed by different factions, which will track our behavior in the open world. Harming one of them may cause them to become hostile, closing off our trading opportunities and leading us into further battles.
Progress in the game is visible in the infamous system, meaning the more infamous we become at sea, the more opportunities we will have to upgrade our ship, take on new quests, and acquire valuable treasures. After reaching level 6 of destruction, the game’s narrative changes dramatically, introducing us to a mysterious underworld of smugglers called The Helm, where we will be bestowed with the ability to create our own pirate hideout and embark on our own smuggling operation.
Not everything in Skull and Bones takes place at sea. In third-person perspective, we will also have the opportunity to explore pirate hideouts, such as Sainte Anne, which will be safe areas full of vendors like shipwrights and blacksmiths, as well as characters who will offer us new quests or tales that can lead to encounters with supernatural enemies.
Despite the difficulties that accompanied Skull and Bones’ development, after its closed beta in December, we were highly impressed. Travis Northup from IGN said that the extensive ship customization system made Skull and Bones “feels like a true RPG game at sea”.
Story in Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is not a story-driven game, although it is set in the world of Assassin’s Creed. It does not have a campaign or a cohesive storyline to follow. It is a service-based game where you start as a castaway captain embarking on a “zero to hero” journey in the brutal world of piracy. Your experiences in the game are essentially creating the story.
However, there are narrative elements. Ryan Barnard, the game director of Skull and Bones, told IGN that there will be “important characters” in the game world who will have “story bits and backgrounds to learn about by doing different tasks or contracts”.
For those interested in additional story content, they can delve into the three-volume comic series by Dark Horse called “Skull and Bones: Savage Storm”. Here’s the official description:
“A merchant ship on the open sea is attacked by a ruthless pirate crew, but the battle is interrupted by a devastating typhoon. As the storm subsides, it leaves all the living and the dead stranded on an island somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Discover the secrets and dangers that befall them all. A gripping story set in the merciless world of Ubisoft’s upcoming pirate game.”
Ubisoft has also started releasing a podcast series titled “Gangsters of the Sea” in 2024.
The source of the article is from the blog oinegro.com.br