King of Seas – Review

Our Rating: 7/10

King of Seas is an action-packed high-seas adventure that will transport us to a procedurally generated world where we will battle to become a maritime legend.

With a pirate adventure that will remind many of Sea of Thieves, the Italian studio 3DClouds takes us to conquer the seas. King of Seas is an interesting and fun experience where the action will be at the center of our history on the high seas, a comparison that will undoubtedly set some people back.

Pirates, Magic, and Betrayals

800 years ago, the government of the Seven Seas chose the side of the Capital, the central axis of a conservative kingdom that prohibited the use of magic, piracy, and voodoo.

The adventure begins one day before the current monarch, our father, is assassinated. We will be charged with the patricide and executed on the high seas after witnessing this tragic event. However, we were able to avoid our doom. We are then greeted by the last remaining pirates on the high seas. A story that will take us from the lowest depths of the pillage world to reclaim the throne that has been taken from us.

The truth is that, aside from the fact that the majority of the King of Seas missions are simple errands, the story progresses well. The narrative thread is engaging enough that you’ll want to keep playing just to see what happens next.

After we’ve explored the oceans and made a name for ourselves, we’ll continue our battles with our former allies in the royal army. King of Seas is not a work that delves into these issues. While the adventure’s aftertaste will be positive, the game’s replayability will be concerning. At the end of the day, it’s a close game. A second round won’t make much of a difference in the adventure’s outcome.

Action RPG with rogue-lite touches

Unlike Rare’s pirate setting Sea of Thieves, where the mainstay of the experience was exploring the vast ocean, this King of Seas takes a different approach. This aspect is relegated to the second or even third plane in this case. The material rewards for touring it are limited, and uncovering its secrets is unlikely to be exciting.

This is because King of Seas generates a procedural map to a greater extent. Only a few locations will remain unchanged, ensuring that each time we lift the anchor, we have a unique experience. Even if it means sacrificing exploration.

The majority of the adventure is about presenting a series of simple but effective actions. The central axis of most missions will be to assassinate a member of the Royal Navy, escort a ship, or shoot down cargo ships to obtain resources.

Simple isn’t always a bad thing; proposing something completely different would have been incorrect. This adds to a control system that is extremely responsive to the player’s input. Something that has unquestionably improved since we tested the demo version a few weeks ago. We can now fully appreciate the boat’s weight and the wind’s strength.

Death?

The portrayal as a rogue-lite, on the other hand, is not completely convincing. No, death on the King of Seas is not overly punishing; we don’t lose any of our belongings, and returning to the location of our sinking provides no benefit. It’s just a stumbling block, a gameplay mechanic that only adds to the difficulty of the game.

At any point during the game, you will be unable to save your progress. To do so, we must travel to one of the ports where pirates are still welcome or at least pretend to be. We will, however, reappear in the epicenter of piracy in these seas, once we have died. A concept that clashes with the proposal’s agility and simplicity.

Public Enemies

Artificial Intelligence is a fascinating feature that adds a unique touch to the product. Everything in this place is run by artificial intelligence, which is, in general, quite demanding.

This will scale the adversaries’ levels to ours. Meaning, as we progress through the adventure, there will be no area where we can farm experience and loot. This leaves us with nothing but unsuspecting fishing vessels or merchandise.

In general, the sensations that King of Seas leaves us with are quite pleasing. The fights are difficult, but they are well-balanced due to the ease with which they can be controlled. This proposal breaks away from the usual tropes of pirate adventures. A two-on-one match in this setting almost always ends in disaster, forcing us to “start over.”

In such competitions, however, we won’t always be alone. Ships that are flirting with piracy or have already raised the black flag will be able to participate in the battles. This allows for some spectacular shots, but we must carefully measure our shots to avoid harming our allies or positioning ourselves to be of assistance.

The captain, his ship, and the wide sea

To face our adventures in King of Seas, we’ll have up to five ships to choose from, which we’ll be able to unlock as we level up and purchase with gold. Follow the classic path of genre games, where we’ll encounter more balanced ships, agile but weak ships, and battleships that resemble tanks.

This puts a premium on cost-cutting and inventory management. Getting to the point where we can make improvements to our boat, on the other hand, will not be difficult. We can find them stranded at sea, steal them from other ships, or purchase them in commercial ports. We also have access to upgrades that give our ships more health, armor, or damage.

When it comes to buying new equipment, trade is the best option we have in King of Seas. Yes, as seasoned pirates, we can enjoy pillaging, raiding ships, and stealing gold, but we may end up spending more on repairs and crew than we have stolen. Despite this, we will have a trusted merchant in each port, one who demonstrates that the economy is not so simple to manage.

Selling large quantities of wood, for example, will lower its value, resulting in less gold the next time we dock in port. This forces the player to juggle their belongings and look for new places to sell their cargo. Without a doubt, 3D Clouds are beneficial to the economy, and the AI in the game is impressive.

Visually unpretentious

King of Seas performs admirably in the visual department. It adopts a cartoon style, similar to Rare’s, that fits the proposal perfectly. Perhaps it’s the overhead view of the uncanny resemblance to Sea of Thieves, but in the end, it’s a dull proposition that falls flat.

King of Seas, on the other hand, does a fantastic job. It runs on PS5 thanks to backward compatibility and scales the resolution to 4K while maintaining a constant 60 frames per second frame rate. Of course, because this is a condensed proposal, we shouldn’t expect a lot of graphic detail. Despite this, it provides a stunning visual experience, with a focus on shadows and stunning sunrise and sunset photographs.

The sound section of King of Seas, on the other hand, is incredible. The cannons, the explosions, the hull collisions when making a wrong turn… All of the effects scratch at a high volume, resulting in a fantastic listening experience when combined with the music.

With epic and very attractive themes, these musical compositions accompany the adventure. When we go into combat, it won’t be difficult to keep ourselves motivated by listening to some of their melodies, though there won’t be many to accompany us during the most boring parts of our journey.

Final Thoughts

King of Seas is a competent title that provides a straightforward and enjoyable exploration of the world of piracy. It’s a simple game that makes use of features like procedural map generation to keep things fresh.

The constant comparisons to Sea of Thieves, however, bring the game down. No, King of Seas isn’t a blatant rip-off of that Rare title. King of Seas has enough personality to provide an unforgettable experience for anyone looking for a pirate adventure with an arcade vibe.