Skull and Bones Review

thesixthaxis.com:

Skull and Bones has been a long time coming. First announced way back in the simpler times of 2017, it’s now finally seeing release a whopping seven years later. With numerous delays throughout its lengthy development, it’s safe to say that interest in the title has waned. The initial response was positive, but that has since shifted to ambivalence and borderline antipathy. I’ll admit I approached playing Skull and Bones with little to no excitement, so imagine my surprise when I found myself thoroughly enjoying my time with the game. After many hours of play, Skull and Bones has well and truly got its cutlasses stuck into me. However, my recommendation does come with some serious caveats.

First off, let’s make one thing abundantly clear; Skull and Bones is not Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag 2, nor does it really try to be. Other than the seafaring and naval combat, Ubisoft’s latest bears little resemblance to its distant cousin. For the most part, you’ll be locked into controlling only your ship – this is effectively your avatar – and you’ll spend most of your time sailing the high sighs, blasting other ships into oblivion. Occasionally your customisable pirate captain will be able to disembark on selected islands to explore very limited environments, but there’s no free-running nor cutlass-based combat here, a gentle saunter and a spot of trading and the acquiring of missions is all you’ll be doing. If that sounds awful then stop reading here; Skull and Bones is not the game for you. For the rest of you, let’s continue.

The most striking thing about Skull of Bones is its sumptuous visuals. It’s no overstatement to say that it possesses some of the most gorgeous environmental and weather effects I have ever seen. Whilst exploring the vast Indian Ocean you’ll be beset by thunderstorms, which swirl in as a miasma of black clouds, torrential rain, and flashing lightning, only to soon disperse into crystal blue skies. Sunsets are a thing of beauty, as are the waves,