Skull and Bones review – half pirate romp, half busywork

After more than ten years and numerous postponements, pirate adventure Skull and Bones is finally here. The turbulent development cycle is clearly noticeable in-game. The game doesn’t shipwreck because of this, but the fact that it offers less freedom in many respects than Assassin’s Creed Black Flag speaks volumes. Skull and Bones was originally intended as an expansion for the sixth AC game, released in 2013.

Now it’s developed into a stand-alone that Ubisoft is offering at full price. CEO Yves Guillemot himself provides the reason for this: «It’s a very big game, and we feel that people will really see how vast and complete that game is. It’s a really full, triple… quadruple-A game, [sic] that will deliver in the long run.» Anyone talking such a big game better deliver. I can already reveal this much: after around 15 hours, I’d definitely deduct a few As from this release.

A pirate’s life for me

In Skull and Bones, I go from freshwater pirate to feared captain of the Seven Seas, or at least the Indian Ocean, where the game is set. After a failed confrontation with the British fleet, my ship is sunk and I have to make do with a meagre dhow. I use it to sail around a small tutorial area until the whole map finally opens to me. As is typical for Ubisoft, it’s quite large and offers everything a pirate’s heart desires, from picturesque bays to the stormy high seas. But I searched in vain for a gripping story.

I share the crystal blue sea with traders, military ships and other privateers. The latter are mostly human players, up to 20 per server. I can spontaneously join up with others or hit the seas alone.

The gameplay in Skull and Bones consists of completing missions, collecting resources and crafting. There are missions on every corner. In no time at all, my logbook is fuller than the population of roaring pirates in the harbour pub. In terms of gameplay, the missions aren’t very varied. Sometimes I accompany a lost merchant and protect him from enemy ships, other times I have to get certain resources. I can hunt down pirate captains too. It all boils down to the same thing – sailing and fighting.

In contrast to Sea of Thieves, where I mostly command a ship as a team, the controls in Skull and Bones are extremely simple. Even large ships are almost as manoeuvrable as racing boats. I hoist or haul in the sails at the push of a button. Operating the gun batteries feels like a first-person shooter. Depending on which cannons I equip, they shoot further or scatter more. Each cannon group reloads separately so that I can fire again at the bow while the stern is still being refilled with black powder. There are also muskets and firebombs for close combat and mortars for long distances. I can even use rocket launchers that cause huge destruction but reload slowly.

Battles don’t require much tactics. Red areas are particularly dangerous and that’s where the complexity ends. There’s no detailed damage model, nor can I specifically damage the rudder. At least there are chain balls to impair mobility and ships blow up in spectacular explosions. This pleases the pyromaniac in me.

Less freedom than in Black Flag

Skull and Bones is a joy to look at. It can’t keep up with top dogs like Cyberpunk 2077 or Horizon Forbidden West, but the island worlds of the Indian Ocean are atmospherically designed. There are stranded ships to marvel at everywhere and the water invites you to swim. Just a shame this isn’t possible. Unlike in Black Flag, my character is a non-swimmer. Shame, I designed him specially with swimming rings. A travesty, really. Underwater worlds can be a top feature, and existed in the 11-year-old Black Flag too.

I can also only stretch my legs at certain outposts. The controls as a landlubber are so horribly spongy, it’s as if I’d really been at sea for months. It’s obvious this feature was implemented late in the development process. I can’t walk around on my ship. Not even in battle can I board an enemy ship together with my crew. I can only give the boarding command at the push of a button. If it works, I see an animation of my crew pulling the ship closer. That’s it.

A pirate’s life calls, just very quietly

Skull and Bones is a rollercoaster of emotions. I like sailing around tropical waters. High-sea battles are entertaining, and there are always new upgrades and ships waiting to be unlocked. I can convert the countless resources into building materials at larger ports and use them to construct cannons, armour or entire ships. Resources can be obtained by plundering ships and settlements, collecting flotsam or by mining directly from the ship. This involves a little mini-game where I have to press a button at the right moment.

Hardly any wishes remain unfulfilled when it comes to customisation. I can customise everything from the sails to the mast decoration to the crew’s clothing. I can also decorate my character more colourfully than Jack Sparrow. I pay for most of it with silver earned from playing. Some are also available with gold, which must be purchased with real money. So far, these live service elements haven’t affected me in a bad way.

Tiresome menu management

The actual missions are less exhilarating. There’s no practical overview to see what goals I’m pursuing. The numerous map symbols are more confusing than they’re useful for orientation. Missions hardly offer any variety. It’s mostly about collecting or destroying. Occasionally I’m allowed to search for booty armed with a treasure map. However, a stiff wind blows against my greed for gold, since my cargo hold is constantly bursting at the seams. At least I can access my universal warehouse at some ports and drop ballast there. Nevertheless, many missions degenerate into micromanagement of which material has to go where and when. Even accepting and delivering missions is sometimes confusing, as new and completed missions look practically identical in the menu.

The upgrade system is also unnecessarily complicated. Cannons, tools and ships can be made by craftsmen. I can look at the offer, but if I want to have something built, I need the corresponding blueprint. The location where I can buy them is displayed, but why? If the craftsman has the cannon in his range, why does he need a construction plan from me? I thought I’d registered as a pirate and not for obtaining permit No A38.

It doesn’t get much better when I set sail with friends. Skull and Bones takes a completely different approach to the recently released Helldivers 2, which really takes off through co-op. If we need to collect resources for a quest, we do this separately. Friendly Fire isn’t a thing, I don’t have to take my fellow pirates into consideration in battle. That’s still fine. But preventing me from attacking other players is ridiculous. Ubisoft has at least hinted that PvP will be delivered later. As things stand, co-op mode is extremely rudimentary. But pinning enemies down and blanketing them with full broadsides is fun. Nevertheless, I’d like to see a little more focus on team play.

Verdict: it could’ve been so much more

Skull and Bones isn’t the complete flop it appeared to be at first. However, it isn’t the big hit Ubisoft would’ve hoped for. The game has too little depth for that, and the missions are too much on the level of a free-to-play mobile game. For a 60 to 70 franc/euro triple-A, sorry, quadruple-A game, that’s simply not enough. I’d expect more. Although, that’s not quite true. After such an arduous development process, I was expecting pretty much exactly this game.

Ubisoft steers the boat precariously close to the cliff. Skull and Bones is a lot of fun. Just like with psychologically perfected free-to-play mobile games, the constant upgrades, level ups and rewards trigger little endorphin rushes in me. There’s definitely no shortage of content and things to do. New ships as well as bigger and better cannons motivate me to keep playing. I already feel the urge to set sail again. The only question is, for how much longer? Still, I’m a sucker for pirate games with ship battles.

The islands of the Indian Ocean evoke a holiday mood and invite you to explore. Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel very lively despite other players. This is also due to the fact that there’s hardly any interaction with other pirates. Let’s see if the PvP upgrade brings any improvement.

If you fancy ship battles and the typical upgrade loop, it might be worth taking a look at Skull and Bones. Instead of buying, however, I recommend purchasing a one-month Ubisoft Plus subscription or waiting for a price reduction. Alternatively, I can recommend Sea of Thieves, which may even soon be released for the PS5.

Skull and Bones will be available on 16 February for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. I tested the PC version provided to me by Ubisoft.