I've really tried to give this game a fair go. It takes quite some time to figure out some of the mechanics, how -to sail your ship and so on- before you can really get your teeth into the content so I think probably the first 10 hours are simply finding your feet, but it's a good learning process which is simple to learn but hard to master, the Holy Grail.

Once you get the hang of things though, it could be magnificent game. There are messages in bottles, treasure maps, fights with Skeleton Pirate ships, clever merchant Cargo Runs with some really interesting mechanics to make sure you take care. Delivering silk that's been in the sea will reduce the reward for example. There's lots of random islands to simply stop at and rummage through. The sea looks magnificent and the physics of the ships and the changing weather is absolutely beautiful, crystal blue waters with brilliant sunlight gradually overcloud and transform into storm swept seas with huge rolling waves and darkling clouds. Very good stuff.

The crew mechanics are good, and it is definitely a multiplayer game, although you can sail the smallest ship solo and progress quite quickly.

So, considering this is all quite good - why the negative review?

the game in its current state is a Toxic Players Paradise. By making it PvEvP it sets up griefers perfectly to systematically demolish your session. Here's my experience of the PvPvE environment so far;

Complete a raid on a Skeleton Fortress Island, having spent 20 mins sailing there and 30 mins surviving the waves of enemies only for someone to rock up in their ship, sink your stationary ship for no reason, kill you with cannon fire while you're on the beach and then take all the loot you've earned. CHECK

Get followed by a ship while we fight a Skeleton Galleon, waiting for us to defeat it before killing us and taking the Galleon loot? CHECK

Get fire bombed in dock over and over and over again until we have to restart in another server? CHECK

People attempting to form an alliance only to blow the snot out of you for kicks? CHECK

So, the ONE thing that would make me give a glowing review to this game would be a PvE only server. I suspect it'd be full of players who want to cruise around, fighting skeleton ships, killing the Kraken, following clues to buried treasure, and simply cruising the high seas as they're rendered SO WELL. Sailing about really is a fantastic thing to do in this game and when no one comes and gives you a good fisting the game is great.

If you like having serious anger issues and blood pressure problems because the game is designed to reward the worst, most vile, toxic and nasty tactics and don't mind wasting time for someone else to get the reward, spend your money. I mean it, you'll be bloody livid when it happens to you - and it will. I have yet to experience in nearly 40 hours of gameplay a positive experience with another crew.

IF you prefer to have at least some restrictions on the people who get the reward from completing an event or raid (so you can at least be rewarded for you time if nothing else), keep your cash until PvE only servers come along -or more importantly- go and spend it on something else.

I've really tried to give this game a fair go. It takes quite some time to figure out some of the mechanics, how -to sail your ship and so on- before you can really get your teeth into the content so I think probably the first 10 hours are simply finding your feet, but it's a good learning process which is simple to learn but hard to master, the Holy Grail. Once you get the hang of things though, it could be magnificent game. There are messages in bottles, treasure maps, fights with Skeleton Pirate ships, clever merchant Cargo Runs with some really interesting mechanics to make sure you take care. Delivering silk that's been in the sea will reduce the reward for example. There's lots of random islands to simply stop at and rummage through. The sea looks magnificent and the physics of the ships and the changing weather is absolutely beautiful, crystal blue waters with brilliant sunlight gradually overcloud and transform into storm swept seas with huge rolling waves and darkling clouds. Very good stuff. The crew mechanics are good, and it is definitely a multiplayer game, although you can sail the smallest ship solo and progress quite quickly. So, considering this is all quite good - why the negative review? the game in its current state is a Toxic Players Paradise. By making it PvEvP it sets up griefers perfectly to systematically demolish your session. Here's my experience of the PvPvE environment so far; Complete a raid on a Skeleton Fortress Island, having spent 20 mins sailing there and 30 mins surviving the waves of enemies only for someone to rock up in their ship, sink your stationary ship for no reason, kill you with cannon fire while you're on the beach and then take all the loot you've earned. CHECK Get followed by a ship while we fight a Skeleton Galleon, waiting for us to defeat it before killing us and taking the Galleon loot? CHECK Get fire bombed in dock over and over and over again until we have to restart in another server? CHECK People attempting to form an alliance only to blow the snot out of you for kicks? CHECK So, the ONE thing that would make me give a glowing review to this game would be a PvE only server. I suspect it'd be full of players who want to cruise around, fighting skeleton ships, killing the Kraken, following clues to buried treasure, and simply cruising the high seas as they're rendered SO WELL. Sailing about really is a fantastic thing to do in this game and when no one comes and gives you a good fisting the game is great. If you like having serious anger issues and blood pressure problems because the game is designed to reward the worst, most vile, toxic and nasty tactics and don't mind wasting time for someone else to get the reward, spend your money. I mean it, you'll be bloody livid when it happens to you - and it will. I have yet to experience in nearly 40 hours of gameplay a positive experience with another crew. IF you prefer to have at least some restrictions on the people who get the reward from completing an event or raid (so you can at least be rewarded for you time if nothing else), keep your cash until PvE only servers come along -or more importantly- go and spend it on something else.