Skull and Bones

It can be difficult to square the decade-plus Skull and Bones development cycle with its lack of features in some areas, but this isn’t the wreck many expected it to be. The game’s naval combat is simple yet engaging, its world is striking, ship customization is satisfying, and there are plenty of varied things to do, even if most of them don’t involve getting off your ship. Skull and Bones can be repetitive and it doesn’t exactly capture that devil-may-care pirate lifestyle, but keep expectations in check and there’s fun to be had sailing these pleasantly predictable seas.

Skull & Bones offers engaging naval combat and exploration, but falls short in other areas compared to its predecessor, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. While it lacks depth in its on-land gameplay and suffers from some unpolished elements, it still provides enjoyable adventures on the high seas with its ship customization and combat mechanics.

If its publisher Ubisoft continues to support it, Skull and Bones will attract a committed player base of sea-combat enthusiasts who enjoy tinkering with their ships’ builds and facing off against each other, or teaming up to take on the intimidating fleets, cargo heists and sea monsters that lurk tens of hours in. If you are after a game that feels like a pirate adventure, though, you’re still better off with Black Flag.

Seabound play is great fun, initially at least, but the longer your voyage lasts, the more Skull & Bones struggles to provide new, interesting things for you to do. [Issue#39, p.98]

Skull and Bones fails to deliver on the promises made before its release and gives us a game that feels incomplete and rushed, even after ten years of development. Its primary offering is an endless cycle of repetitive naval battles and tedious resource collection.