Sea of Thieves is a bit of a comfort game for me. The sort of title that I can turn on and just relax with for a couple of hours at a time, which given its exclusively PvP set up and the fact that most online gamers have about as many morals as a pack of hungry wolves, it seems like an odd choice for a chill-out game. Since the inception of the games Seasons, I’ve found myself drawn into the pirate’s life far more often as I pootle about on my tiny vessel just looking for treasure and a sniff of adventure as I chase those season pass levels. The most recent of these Seasons has brought in a whole new world to explore, The Sunken Kingdom.
After the last major update (A Pirates Life) We were introduced to the enigmatic and surprisingly violent Sirens, a race of undersea monsters who seem to have a major beef with anyone who decides to have a dip in the sea. During the five tall tales with Cap’n Sparrow we made our way through a few of their temples and castles and even shanked their queen which only served to piss off these jacked mermaids even more. Now we have free reign to explore their assorted shrines and treasuries throughout the ocean and yes, desecrate them good and proper. This has been a long time coming for a fair few fans of the game who were often vocal about their desire for a few new areas under the waves to make exploration of the wide open expanses just a bit more interesting, although most of the shrines and treasuries seem to stick close to shore lines already, not filling as many gaps as you may like but never the less adding a much needed third dimension to exploration!
Of course, there needs to be a bit of incentive to take a dip in the briny depths that isn’t just “oh look at the pretty reefs”. Luckily there is just such a reward, newly discovered coral loot is laid about all over the sunken kingdom in a worryingly haphazard fashion. From chests of gold to some seaweed wrapped Siren Gems, there is plenty to find and collect to make any trip worthwhile. My greatest concern though was how to get all of this stuff back on board my ship, luckily Rare saw me and my worries coming. As you explore, you’ll find mermaid statues placed here and there about the Shrines, each one acting as a checkpoint, a means to instantly return to your ship and, most importantly of all, a storage bin for all your goodies. Each statue can hold up to 20 items so plenty of space for you to hoard gold, then all you need to do is make your way back to the surface and watch as a mermaid rocks up with all your collected items for you! It’s like a fish scented Deliveroo!
If loot isn’t your vibe then why are you playing a pirate game? If this applies to you then you can always take the time to quest! As you explore the undersea kingdom you eagle eyed sea dogs might spot journals here and there. Oh yes kids, its another Sea of Thieves journal hunt! I won’t pretend I didn’t find this tedious, but I still did my due diligence and collected every single one since that is the only way you can get access to the actual voyage that this new update is all geared towards! Well, it took me a few hours, but I got it, and do I feel like my time could have been better spent? Maybe…
So is this a Season worth getting back on board for? Honestly, yes! Maybe it won’t keep you going for a long time but there is plenty here to amuse even a casual fan of Rare’s sea going title, and with a few features requested by fans to make the more hardcore sailors among us happy, this might be a little lighter on content than A Pirate Life, but it’s by no means a drop in the ocean. Okay fine I’m done with the sea puns.
