Info about Skull and Bones: Official game description: Comparison Grid =============== Digital Deluxe Edition ====================== The Deluxe Edition includes: \- The base game \- A captain outfit: the Libertine set \- The Born With It and Stay Alive emotes \- The Pissed and Sea of Tears fireworks Persistent internet connection, Ubisoft Account, Microsoft Account, and Game Pass Ultimate or Core (subscriptions sold separately) required. Premium Edition =============== The Premium Edition includes: \- The base game \- All Deluxe Edition content, including a captain outfit, two emotes, and two fireworks \- The Grand Game Collection, including a captain outfit, a ship set, a figurehead, and a firework \- The Jack's Noggin pet \- The Silver Haze ship aura \- Digital art book and selected game soundtrack\* \*Access the digital art book and soundtrack from the official Skull and Bones website: About the Game ============== Engage in True Naval Combat --------------------------- Experience fast, tactical, and explosive ship-to-ship battles built around positioning, timing, and powerful weapon loadouts. Customize Your Fleet -------------------- Command a variety of unique ship classes – each with distinct roles, perks, and strengths. Customize your vessel to reflect your strategy and playstyle. Co-op with Friends and Share World Adventures --------------------------------------------- Join forces with fellow captains to form a fleet of up to 20 players to take on challenging world events, fortified settlements, and pirate hunters. Enjoy Ever-Evolving Content and Seasonal Challenges --------------------------------------------------- Face new threats and mythical encounters as the world continuously expands with regular content updates. Sail a Living, Immersive Sea ---------------------------- Navigate through a richly realized Indian Ocean with dynamic weather, turbulent waters, hostile factions, roaming threats, and opportunities for high-risk, high-reward encounters. Persistent internet connection, Ubisoft Account, Microsoft Account, and Game Pass Ultimate or Core (subscriptions sold separately) required. Release date: Aug 22, 2024 Categories: Ship Combat, Ship Customization, Cooperative Multiplayer, Open-World Exploration, Progression System, PvP, Action-Adventure Feature scans: - MTX: score 55; verdict: Mixed Monetization; summary: The game receives mixed reviews regarding its monetization and perceived greed. While some players appreciate the cosmetic battle pass and the ability to play without additional spending, others criticize the pay-to-win elements, paywalls for cosmetics and powerful items, and the overall pricing strategy. The base price is seen as too high by some, and there are concerns about the game's focus on microtransactions. However, there are also positive notes about the game's content and the ability to enjoy it without extra spending. - Wiki: score 50; verdict: Needs Improvement; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals several key issues impacting the user experience. Primarily, users are frustrated with the lack of in-game explanations for mechanics, forcing them to rely on external guides or wikis. This is categorized under 'The Student' and is a significant barrier to understanding the game. Additionally, there are concerns about the lack of active community discussion and the need to search for alternative games, indicating potential issues with game popularity and community engagement. Lastly, the high expectations for daily play to stay competitive are seen as a high commitment requirement, which can be demanding for users. - Steam Deck: score 75; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant issues with the Ubisoft Connect launcher, UI and control problems, always-online requirements, and frequent crashes and bugs. These issues severely impact the user experience and result in a high level of friction. However, there are also positive reports regarding the game's performance on Steam Deck. - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: - Community fair range: $6.00 - $20.00 - Reasoning: The evidence consistently suggests that the game is not worth its full price but is considered a good value when purchased at a significant discount. Many users mention that they enjoyed the game only because they bought it on sale, with specific mentions of discounts around 60% off or prices around $6 to $20. This indicates that the community finds the game's fair price range to be much lower than the current base price of $29.99. - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 73.0h - Story completion: 30.0h - Session length: N/A - Endgame: 150.0h - Reasoning: The evidence provided includes various quotes from user reviews that mention specific playtime metrics. The first quote indicates a user who has spent 73 hours on the game, suggesting a high level of engagement and providing a data point for typical playtime for game completion. The second quote mentions 150 hours of playtime on Uplay and additional hours on Steam, indicating extensive endgame involvement. The third quote suggests that the main story can be completed in around 30 hours, as the user mentions being hooked for the first 30 hours. The fourth quote reinforces the 73-hour playtime, further supporting the game completion metric. - Time-to-fun: - Summary: The game is fun from the start, with satisfying combat and progression systems, but it can feel grindy and repetitive, especially in solo play. The story campaign improves as you progress. - Stance: Fun then drops - Anchor: Progression and story campaign improvement - Time to anchor: 1h 0m - Friction: Grindy feel; Repetitiveness; Solo play imbalance - Unlock drivers: Ships; Weapons; Builds; Story progression - Conditions: Multiplayer; Co-op play; Story campaign progression - Player Archetypes: - Casual Pirate Enthusiast (sale) - Motivation: Enjoyment of pirate-themed content and casual gameplay. - Playstyle: Casual exploration and enjoyment of pirate-themed activities. - Experience: mixed - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: pirate fan; casual gamer - Reference games: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag; Sea of Thieves; Uncharted Waters - Solo Grinder (deep sale) - Motivation: Enjoyment of solo gameplay and overcoming challenges independently. - Playstyle: Solo grinding and progression. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: deep sale - Labels: solo player; grinder - Reference games: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag; Sea of Thieves - Co-op Adventurer (sale) - Motivation: Enjoyment of cooperative gameplay and shared progression. - Playstyle: Cooperative play with friends, focusing on teamwork and shared goals. - Experience: familiar - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: co-op player; team player - Reference games: Sea of Thieves; Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Competitive PvP Combatant (sale) - Motivation: Thrill of competition and mastery of PvP combat. - Playstyle: Competitive PvP battles, focusing on strategy and skill improvement. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: PvP enthusiast; competitive player - Reference games: World of Warships; Sea of Thieves Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Enjoyable naval combat (weight 0.51): Players consistently praise the naval battles, describing them as fun, enjoyable, and entertaining. The ship combat is highlighted for its dynamic and powerful nature, making it a standout feature of the game. - Engaging gameplay and content (weight 0.43): The gameplay is described as polished, satisfying, and addictive. Players appreciate the variety of activities, events, and the overall engaging gameplay loop. - Immersive visuals and audio (weight 0.31): The game's visuals and audio design are praised for being immersive and stunning, contributing to the overall atmosphere and enjoyment. - Extensive customization options (weight 0.23): The game offers a wide range of customization options for both ships and characters. Players enjoy the detailed and extensive customization, which includes cosmetic and functional upgrades. - Variety of weapons and ships (weight 0.19): The game features a variety of weapons, cannons, and ship classes, providing players with diverse options for combat and customization. - Good value for price (weight 0.16): Players find the game to be a good value for its price, especially when purchased at a discounted price. The game is considered worth the money spent. - Strong pirate theme (weight 0.15): The pirate theme is a significant aspect of the game, with players enjoying the pirate game elements and the overall pirate-themed experience. - PvP options (weight 0.14): The game offers PvP options that are not forced, allowing players to opt-in or opt-out. This flexibility is appreciated by the player base. - Enjoyable overall experience (weight 0.14): Players report having a great time playing the game, enjoying the gameplay, and finding the experience fun and not boring. - Improvements over time (weight 0.1): The game has seen significant improvements since its launch, with updates enhancing the gameplay and overall experience. - Fantasy elements in naval combat (weight 0.08): The naval combat includes fantasy elements such as ghost ships and sea monsters, adding variety and excitement to the battles. - Solo-friendly gameplay (weight 0.07): The game is designed to be solo-friendly, allowing players to enjoy the content without needing to engage in multiplayer or PvP. - No pay-to-win elements (weight 0.07): Players appreciate that the game does not include pay-to-win systems, making the gameplay experience fair and enjoyable. Common complaints: - Game plagued by bugs (weight 0.3): The game is reported to have a significant number of bugs, ranging from minor issues to game-breaking problems that severely impact the gameplay experience. - Repetitive gameplay mechanics (weight 0.17): Players find the gameplay to be highly repetitive, with monotonous activities and limited variety, leading to a tiring and boring experience. - Grind-heavy gameplay (weight 0.14): The game requires excessive grinding, particularly in the late game, which can be tedious and frustrating. - Limited land combat (weight 0.11): There is a notable absence of land-based combat and activities, which players find disappointing and boring. - Poor value for money (weight 0.1): Many players feel that the game is not worth its price, suggesting it should be sold at a much lower cost. - Small map size (weight 0.1): The game's map is considered small, with limited walkable areas, which restricts the open-world experience. - Feels unfinished (weight 0.1): The game is often described as feeling like an unfinished beta or early access, with incomplete features and UI. - Tedious missions (weight 0.1): Missions are criticized for being tedious and poorly designed, often involving boring fetch quests. - Disappointing compared to Black Flag (weight 0.1): Players feel that the game lacks the completeness, variety, and realism that made Black Flag enjoyable. - UI issues (weight 0.08): The user interface is criticized for being non-intuitive and poorly designed, detracting from the overall experience. - Weak story (weight 0.08): The story is criticized for being weak and unengaging, failing to captivate players. - Ubisoft account issues (weight 0.07): Players report problems with Ubisoft accounts, including login issues and password reset problems, preventing them from playing the game. - Lack of innovation (weight 0.07): The game is criticized for lacking innovation, with a lack of crafting and clear rewards, making it feel stale. - Unnatural land movement (weight 0.07): Character movement on land is criticized for being unnatural and poorly executed. - Unrealistic ship physics (weight 0.07): The ship behavior and physics are criticized for being unrealistic, detracting from the immersion. - Lack of content (weight 0.07): The game is criticized for lacking content, particularly on land, and needing more work to feel complete. Gameplay feedback: - Naval combat and ship mechanics (weight 0.24): The game features a strong emphasis on ship combat, including various strategies, ship roles, and weapons. Players engage in arcade-style naval battles and ship management. - Ship upgrading and progression (weight 0.21): Players can upgrade and build new ships, with progression systems focused on enhancing and acquiring better ships. - Pirate-themed gameplay elements (weight 0.2): The game includes various pirate-themed elements such as plundering, exploration, and empire building. Players can engage in trading and naval combat within a pirate setting. - RPG and MMO elements (weight 0.14): The game combines ARPG and MMO elements, featuring a pirate theme with naval combat, trading, and open-world exploration. - Cooperative and multiplayer features (weight 0.12): The game offers cooperative gameplay and multiplayer features, allowing players to engage in teamwork and skill-based missions together. - Repetitive events and grinding (weight 0.12): Some players find the events and activities repetitive, with a significant amount of grinding required for loot and upgrades. - Open world and PvP elements (weight 0.1): The game includes an open-world environment with PvP and PvE elements, encouraging exploration and player versus player combat. - Variety in gameplay (weight 0.1): There is a variety of weapons, builds, and activities available, providing diverse gameplay experiences and battles. - Comparison to Assassin's Creed (weight 0.08): The game is often compared to Assassin's Creed Black Flag, with similar design elements but distinct differences. - Trading and resource collection (weight 0.07): The game includes trading mechanics and resource collection, allowing players to gather and exchange commodities. - Exploration mechanics (weight 0.06): Players can explore various islands and engage in exploration mechanics, discovering new locations and resources. - Main storyline and quests (weight 0.06): The game features a main storyline with various story missions and quest mechanics for players to follow. - Progression and currency systems (weight 0.06): Players can engage in a progression system with crafting, upgrading, and in-game currency mechanics. - Sailing mechanics (weight 0.06): The game features sailing mechanics, allowing players to navigate the seas with friends in a 17th-century setting. - Enemy AI and levels (weight 0.06): The game includes various enemy levels and AI behaviors, with elite enemies providing additional challenges. - UI design complaints (weight 0.05): Some players have complaints about the UI design, finding it similar to Ubisoft's UI and potentially problematic. - Comparisons to other pirate games (weight 0.05): The game is compared to other pirate-themed games such as Sea of Thieves and Pirates of the Caribbean. Performance notes: - Server instability and disconnections (weight 0.16): Players report frequent server instability, disconnections, and connectivity issues, leading to a disrupted gaming experience. - Frequent game crashes (weight 0.15): The game experiences various crashing issues, including random crashes, crashes at launch, and crashes related to DirectX errors. - Technical glitches and bugs (weight 0.15): There are various technical glitches and bugs reported by players, including persistent bugs and environmental bugs like floating trees. - Game runs well (weight 0.1): Many players report that the game runs well and is optimized, providing a smooth gaming experience. - Graphics performance and optimization (weight 0.08): Players have noted both positive and negative aspects of graphics performance and optimization, with some experiencing issues and others praising the visuals. - Laggy and inconsistent controls (weight 0.05): Players have reported laggy controls and inconsistent server performance, affecting the overall gameplay experience. - Runs well on specific systems (weight 0.04): The game runs perfectly on specific systems like CachyOS Linux, providing a smooth experience for those users. - Disconnections for benchmarking and alt-tabbing (weight 0.04): Players have reported being disconnected for running benchmarks or alt-tabbing, which can be frustrating. - High CPU usage (weight 0.03): The game has been noted to have high CPU usage, which can impact performance and cause issues for some players. - Performance issues with cosmetics (weight 0.03): Some players have noted that cosmetics cause performance issues, affecting the overall gameplay experience. - Anticheat performance issues (weight 0.03): There are reports of performance issues related to the anticheat system, which can affect gameplay. - Crossplay problems (weight 0.03): There are problems reported with crossplay functionality, which can affect the multiplayer experience. - Game not loading (weight 0.03): There are reports of the game not loading at all, which can be frustrating for players trying to start the game. - DirectX12 issues (weight 0.03): There are significant issues reported with DirectX12, including crashes and performance problems. - Blurry crew and low FPS (weight 0.03): Players have reported that the crew walking around on the boat appears blurry and runs at a low FPS, detracting from the visual experience. - Tutorial freezing (weight 0.03): Some players have experienced issues with the tutorial freezing every few seconds, making it difficult to complete. - Installation issues (weight 0.03): Some players have encountered issues with the installation process, preventing them from playing the game. - Game stuck on splash screen (weight 0.03): There are reports of the game getting stuck on the splash screen, preventing players from accessing the game. - Game does not launch properly (weight 0.03): There are issues with the game not launching properly, which can prevent players from starting the game. - Frequent issues requiring multiple solutions (weight 0.03): Players have reported frequent issues that require multiple solutions to resolve, indicating a need for better troubleshooting support. - Graphics settings adjustments needed (weight 0.02): Some players have found that adjusting the default graphics settings, such as switching DLSS to TAA, improves the gaming experience. - Walking animation issues (weight 0.02): There are reports of issues with walking animations, which can be visually distracting and affect immersion. - Ultrawide resolution support (weight 0.02): Some players have mentioned the need for better ultrawide resolution support to enhance their gaming experience. - Wind and sailing optimizations (weight 0.02): There are mentions of optimizations related to wind and sailing mechanics, which can affect gameplay. Recommendations: - Recommended only on sale (weight 0.43): Many reviews suggest that the game is worth buying only when it is on a significant sale or discount. Some reviews specify that it should be purchased only if the price is below a certain threshold, such as $10 or $11. - Highly recommended for pirate fans (weight 0.19): The game is frequently praised as the best pirate game since Assassin's Creed Black Flag. It is highly recommended for those who enjoy pirate-themed games, naval combat, and pirate adventures. - Consider other pirate games (weight 0.15): Several reviews recommend playing other pirate-themed games like Sea of Thieves, Windrose, or Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag instead. - Recommended for naval combat lovers (weight 0.14): The game is recommended for those who enjoy naval combat, ships, and ocean combat. It is also suggested for fans of looter-shooter games with naval themes. - Suggested improvements and features (weight 0.08): Reviews suggest various improvements and additional features such as better land movement, exploring islands, entering ship cabins, larger maps, and an auto-sailing feature. - Relaxing and casual gameplay (weight 0.07): The game is recommended for those looking for a casual and relaxing gameplay experience, where they can enjoy sailing and pirate adventures without much stress. - Worth trying with friends (weight 0.06): A few reviews suggest that the game is more enjoyable when played with others, recommending cooperative play and sailing with friends. - Try the free demo (weight 0.05): Some reviews mention that the game can be tried for free or has a free demo available, making it easy for potential buyers to test it out before purchasing. - Wait for bug fixes (weight 0.04): Some reviews advise waiting until certain bugs or crashes are fixed before purchasing the game. - Recent updates improve value (weight 0.03): Some reviews indicate that recent updates have improved the game's value, making it worth trying during promotions or with the latest updates. - Consider season pass (weight 0.02): One review suggests considering the purchase of the season pass for additional content. Other player notes: - Bug with Premium Edition cosmetics (weight 0.03): Players have reported issues specifically related to the cosmetics included in the Premium Edition of the game. Emotions: - Frustration (weight 0.28): Players are frustrated due to a multitude of technical issues, including game-breaking bugs, poor performance, and frequent crashes. Additionally, the game's interface and menus are cumbersome, and there are significant problems with quests, particularly the main quest being bugged and unplayable. Other sources of frustration include difficulty in upgrading weapons, login issues, and Ubisoft's monetization practices. - Disappointment (weight 0.23): Players express disappointment due to the game's lack of depth, repetitive gameplay, and comparison to previous titles like Black Flag. The game's poor quality, lack of expected features, and unrealistic mechanics contribute to this sentiment. Additionally, the game's focus on monetization over gameplay and the absence of genuine boarding systems and land combat mechanics further disappoint players. - Enjoyment (weight 0.19): Players enjoy the game's naval battles, ship customization, and the overall pirate theme. The variety of activities, engaging exploration, and fun gameplay mechanics contribute to a positive experience. Many players find the game enjoyable, especially when playing with friends, and appreciate the graphics and animations. - Satisfaction (weight 0.13): Players are satisfied with the game's naval combat, ship customization, and the overall gameplay loop. The game meets expectations for many, providing a fun and engaging experience with a variety of ship options and customization. The game's performance, content, and the ability to play with friends also contribute to player satisfaction. - Anger (weight 0.05): Players are angry due to severe bugs, crashes, and the game's poor quality. The main quest being bugged and the perception of Ubisoft's neglect and focus on monetization over gameplay contribute to this anger. Account creation issues and the feeling of being robbed by Ubisoft further fuel this emotion. - Joy (weight 0.04): Players experience joy from the fun gameplay, enjoyable naval combat, and the ability to play with friends. The game's graphics, combat, and progression systems contribute to a positive and enjoyable experience. Despite some flaws, players find the game fun and engaging. - Excitement (weight 0.04): Players are excited about the game's naval battles, ship customization, and the overall pirate theme. The comparison to other popular games like Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and Sea of Thieves, as well as the detailed and immersive gameplay elements, contribute to this excitement. Players also look forward to future updates and improvements. - Satisfied (weight 0.02): Players are satisfied with the game's improvements since launch, the variety of content, and the customization system. The game is enjoyable and not boring, with a beautiful world and tolerable farming. The devs' responsiveness to feedback and the addition of new content also contribute to player satisfaction. - Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Players are enthusiastic about the game's variety of gameplay elements, graphics, and ship design. The enjoyment of the game's improvements and updates, as well as the overall fun experience, contribute to this enthusiasm. - Hope (weight 0.01): Players hope for future updates, improvements, and the potential for the game to improve and succeed. The desire for land combat and the expectation that the game will not be ruined in the future contribute to this hope. - Boredom (weight 0.01): Players experience boredom due to repetitive gameplay mechanics, lack of goals after initial progression, and dull boss battles. Spending most of the time sailing and running missions can also be boring. - Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the developers' responsiveness to community feedback, game improvements, and new content. The game's ambiance and graphics also contribute to this appreciation. - Happy (weight 0.01): Players are happy with the game's good value for money, the fun experience of playing with friends, and the overall positive experience. The game is described as the best purchase by some players. - Amusement (weight 0.01): Players find amusement in the game's humorous situations and the crew's singing. These elements add a light-hearted and enjoyable aspect to the game. - Hopefulness (weight 0.01): Players are hopeful for future game updates and improvements. They see potential for the game to make a comeback and improve over time. - Surprise (weight 0): Players are pleasantly surprised by the game's improvement and enjoyment. The game exceeding expectations contributes to this surprise. - Sadness (weight 0): Players feel sadness due to wasting money and not being able to play the game. This emotion is driven by the inability to enjoy the game as expected.}