Sea of Remnants Is Looking To Sail Right Into Greatness

If you are a fan of pirate-themed games, Sea of Remnants might have been on your radar since its announcement. This fantastical open-world RPG is looking to make its mark by going forward and combining the best parts of turn-based free-to-play games while still being something fresh and new. With the closed alpha officially setting sail, we got to experience what the game has to offer players down the line.

Setting Sail and Experiencing a New Tale

Right when you boot up Sea of Remnants, you’re given the perspective of a puppet, lost at sea. But this isn’t the sea that anyone would know, and as you continue sailing, cryptic scenery is slowly shown off. You find yourself waking up in a whole new world after seeing the moon reflected in a massive waterfall, with two other puppets near you in yet another unfamiliar place.

The game will then take you on a somewhat on-rails journey for a bit, allowing you to create your character and take on some brief combat tutorials to acclimate you to the gameplay loop. The character creation is quite well-designed and diverse for the most part. While some options are lacking (the ability to create a more muscular or leaner character isn't available), there are still many other options for customizing your character. You can truly create your own unique pirate that reflects your personality, even without the many options that other games have.

When you finally reach the stage of the game where you get your own ship, the game truly opens up for you to explore. You’re given the option to freely sail and explore some of the islands scattered throughout the world. While there aren’t many right away at this stage of the game, there was still plenty to explore and play around with to get a handle on all the systems offered. The scale of the game in this alpha test is already quite impressive and enjoyable. Players have the ability to sail around solving puzzles in the open ocean or go to an island to search for riches and treasure while taking down bosses. It is a common formula, but still very entertaining and worth your time if you’re interested in these games.

Familiar Combat and Premise

The premise in Sea of Remnants is also fairly familiar, with the main character you play as waking up from slumber and discovering that they are suffering from amnesia. While this isn’t anything new, the way it is handled is quite special in its own way. You’re discovering something new with your character, sailing into the unknown with the first companion you meet, RS. Speaking of RS, she is the token unhinged and free spirit character to your down-to-earth and somewhat normal main character. When you first meet, you see how carefree she really is while also learning that her story is tied to your own as well. The characters are two sides of the same coin, keeping each interaction fresh as you continue through the story offered.

Characters all have their own web of other NPCs that they interact with – 400 characters each with their own routines to perform throughout the day and social stats. Even if you aren’t interested in exploring the world of the NPCs, it is still quite impressive. While the NPCs of the world may not have the most vibrant designs, the playable characters all have a fantastic look to them. From their outfits, animations, and ultimate abilities, they all have something about them that reflects their personality and lore.

When going through the combat, you’ll most likely be surprised to hear that the game plays a lot like Honkai: Star Rail. Many folks might expect an action game from something that follows the story of pirates adventuring through the seas. But this unexpected turn-based combat is wonderful, and really takes the best parts of other games and runs with them. Each character has an ultimate ability, two abilities that depend on their class, and the option to defend themselves during their turn. The system isn’t as in-depth as something like Persona, for example, but it is still in line with what we’ve seen with some other free-to-play turn-based games. It is a fun system that does allow you to work with different characters and create a party of pirates that really work well together to secure more loot and levels.

Not many games stick with naval combat; there aren’t that many pirate games that commit to it. What might come to mind is something like Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag when you think of ship combat. The naval sections of Sea of Remnants take on a more arcade-style role, offering the ability to turn quickly and fire your cannons consistently. It isn’t bad, it isn’t amazing by any means, but it is still surprisingly enjoyable when you get to partake in these sections. Outrunning a Gorilla manning its own ship while hurling cannonballs your way isn’t something you’d ever imagine being in a game, but it is in this one, and it is hilarious and entertaining in its own way.

Characters also get upgrades as you continue playing. You’ll upgrade their various stats when you return to the main port town and give them even more ways to survive the high seas and dungeons you explore. You’re also able to choose subclasses for them, offering new ways to handle combat. For example, your main character can be an outright DPS character that shreds through enemies, or you can turn them into a tank that soaks damage and heals through taking big hits from your foes. There is a ton of variety, and you’re encouraged to play around with the systems and really learn what party composition and classes work best for you.

Vibrant and Unique World

The game is incredibly vibrant and fun to explore. One of the first dungeons you’ll find yourself in is going to be a cave, which shouldn’t be a colorful spot to go through. However, while the cave does lack in colors for the most part, you can find that it does fit the mood and themes that Sea of Remnants provides. Exploring hits many of the same notes as other games you may have played. You’ll run through each area, collect treasure from chests, and gather materials from the enemies you fight.

Another unexpected addition is the game's music. Where you might expect some sea shanties and pirate music in general, you will get the polar opposite. The music isn’t bad. It's all quite good in its own way. But it is almost whiplash when you expect one thing and get some pop music while watching two punk rock pirates engage in a bar fight. Expect the unexpected, as several genres of music are sprinkled into the game.

The game has an incredible amount of polish for something in the alpha test stage. There are some minor issues, many of which will be fixed as development goes on with the game. Placeholder text is used frequently, and some spelling errors appear in certain item descriptions. But these aren't major issues at this stage, and don’t take away from what is being shown off during this phase. What you can expect is a fun, over-the-top game about some pirates making their way through the world. Sea of Remnants is shaping up to be a heavy hitter, with amazing characters and wonderful visuals wrapped with a compelling story that looks to make the game shine.