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Abandon Ship

Cults and Krakens and seafaring oh my.
Abandon Ship Game Cover
76%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, optimization
73% User Score Based on 780 reviews
Critic Score 88%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchLinuxPCTabletAndroidMac OSPhoneiPadMobile PlatformiPhoneWindows
Abandon Ship Game Cover

About

Abandon Ship is a single player survival role playing game with fantasy and historical themes. It was developed by Fireblade Software and was released on October 22, 2019. It received positive reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Become king of pirates while sailing through seaports, battles, krakens & navy

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73%
Audience ScoreBased on 780 reviews
story109 positive mentions
grinding48 negative mentions

  • Engaging story with Lovecraftian elements and a unique pirate theme.
  • Complex and enjoyable combat mechanics that allow for various strategies.
  • Beautiful art style and atmospheric sound design enhance the overall experience.
  • Repetitive gameplay can lead to boredom after a few hours.
  • Frustrating save system that can result in losing significant progress.
  • Limited variety in weapons and ship upgrades reduces long-term engagement.
  • story
    320 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is a mix of engaging and generic elements, with a Lovecraftian theme that some players find captivating while others see it as repetitive and lacking depth. Many reviews highlight the narrative's potential, noting its intriguing premise of escaping a cult and exploring a richly designed world, but also criticize the linearity and predictability of the plot. Overall, while the writing is often praised, the execution can feel monotonous, with some players desiring more interactive storytelling and varied quests.

    • “The story is engaging enough, but the combat is so dull, the gameplay is so repetitive to the point that I don't even care enough to try out the small guns build though I have all the guns I want.”
    • “The writing is engaging, the story is fun to follow, and the combat is fun.”
    • “The story had me hooked from the start and I'm genuinely enjoying this game.”
    • “The world and story just felt like a rather generic fantasy, without much depth.”
    • “While the premise is quite interesting and neat, it does not really go anywhere major with the story, and at the end I felt a bit underwhelmed.”
    • “The main story is very linear with no real side quests and also the impact of your choices is minimal.”
  • gameplay
    240 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is generally enjoyable, featuring engaging ship-to-ship combat and exploration mechanics reminiscent of titles like "FTL: Faster Than Light." However, many players note that it can become repetitive over time, particularly in later acts, and some mechanics feel underdeveloped or unbalanced. While the graphics and atmosphere are praised, the save system and certain gameplay elements can detract from the overall experience, leading to a mixed reception regarding its long-term replayability.

    • “The core gameplay mechanics are great, thematic, and fun.”
    • “Gameplay consists of manning a ship and surviving through battles with other ships or monsters, and sailing from port to port for exploration or quests.”
    • “Its captivating visuals, strategic gameplay, and the thrill of commanding your own ship on the high seas make for an enjoyable experience.”
    • “The gameplay loop gets pretty boring quickly.”
    • “The story is engaging enough, but the combat is so dull; the gameplay is so repetitive to the point that I don't even care enough to try out the small guns build, though I have all the guns I want.”
    • “Unfortunately, combat still gets repetitive rather quickly, and because of the distance mechanic, half the time you don't even see what your weapons are doing.”
  • graphics
    100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and striking art style, often described as reminiscent of oil paintings, which effectively captures the atmosphere of a seafaring adventure. While many reviewers appreciate the beautiful visuals and engaging aesthetics, some note that the graphics lack the polish found in more complex titles. Overall, the game's visuals contribute significantly to the immersive experience, despite some criticisms regarding interface mechanics and occasional graphical stutters.

    • “The visuals in Abandon Ship are striking, featuring a stylized art style that beautifully captures the atmosphere of a seafaring adventure.”
    • “The graphics are stunning to behold and awe-inspiring the first time you encounter a heavy storm!”
    • “The visuals are great - the 'painted' art style on the sea surface in particular is amazing, and the wide variety of different biomes, weather, and climate types are all really atmospheric.”
    • “Very tedious game, shame should and could have been better, no effort in graphics nor scenery.”
    • “So in summary: graphics are terrible - reminiscent of 1990s, storyline is okay, gameplay while fun is extremely hard on the easiest settings, and the save system sucks given how difficult the game is and unforgiving.”
    • “This is a badly made FTL knockoff with graphics from a PlayStation 1 cutscene.”
  • grinding
    50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players finding the process tedious and unfulfilling. Players report that battles and exploration become repetitive and drawn-out, leading to frustration, especially when progress can be easily lost. While some enjoy the challenge of grinding in roguelike games, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game lacks sufficient rewards to justify the extensive time spent grinding.

    • “If you want a casual story-filled game with little to no grinding, you're barking up the wrong tree.”
    • “Some people just want to enjoy the story, not grind for hours only to start over again due to a small mistake.”
    • “You gain so little from battles that it takes a lot of grinding just to get the items you are aiming for.”
    • “The main campaign is way too long (40+ hours to complete in a single playthrough), and combat gets very tedious after a while.”
    • “I was really looking forward to it, but sad, just sad, very grindy, some battles are unplayable, boring and tedious.”
  • music
    41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received a mixed reception, with many praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the immersive experience, particularly during battles and exploration. While some players find the soundtrack captivating and fitting for the game's themes, others note instances of repetitiveness and forgettable tracks. Overall, the music is seen as a strong aspect that complements the visuals and gameplay, contributing to a unique and engaging adventure.

    • “The music is fantastic, and the sound effects work very well.”
    • “It’s a far cry from your typical pirate game, there’s no stereotypical sea shanties or squawking parrots, but there is a heavily stylised world that’s been cleverly realised and it’s instantly immersive and accompanied by some epic musical scores which support the feel and flow of the game perfectly.”
    • “The battles - teeth grindingly intense, the monsters – almost but not quite overwhelming, the music - so appropriate without being intrusive or irritating, and the stunning maps.”
    • “Poor, repeatable music.”
    • “Forgettable music and sound.”
    • “Also, I think that the music during battles is a little bit repetitive.”
  • atmosphere
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in "Abandon Ship" is widely praised for its striking visuals and stylized art that effectively captures the essence of a seafaring adventure. The combination of atmospheric music, detailed environmental effects, and engaging narrative elements creates a captivating experience, despite some critiques regarding gameplay depth. Overall, the game's immersive atmosphere stands out as one of its strongest features, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the adventure.

    • “The visuals in Abandon Ship are striking, featuring a stylized art style that beautifully captures the atmosphere of a seafaring adventure.”
    • “The visuals are done very well and the audio team pulled off the atmosphere perfectly.”
    • “The developers have captured so much atmosphere in this game!”
    • “Which is above average, as it could have been pixel graphics and nothing about the atmosphere would have changed.”
    • “Where Abandon Ships shines is the atmosphere of the game.”
  • replayability
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players noting a lack of depth and variety that limits their desire to replay it. While some appreciate unique storylines and engaging gameplay, others criticize repetitive combat and insufficient upgrades, leading to a consensus that the game does not offer high replay value. A few players highlight strong replayability in specific contexts, but these sentiments are overshadowed by the general feeling of disappointment in this aspect.

    • “Everything is perfect and it's replayable; simply a must-buy if you like pirates.”
    • “Unique storyline, good visuals, lots of replayability, and decent gameplay.”
    • “Strongest suit is true replayability and it delivers a great ambiance through music and art direction.”
    • “Zero replayability.”
    • “Low replayability.”
    • “I've seen a lot of comparisons to FTL, and while the game mechanics are similar, there is less replayability because of the small number of weapon variants (regular, fire, acid) and that boarding seems significantly more effective than using cannons at this point.”
  • stability
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's stability has received mixed feedback from users. While some players report a generally bug-free experience with solid gameplay and beautiful visuals, others have encountered significant bugs, particularly during the tutorial and specific gameplay stages. The consensus suggests that while the game has potential, it still exhibits some instability, especially in its early access phase.

    • “The game seems to be quite bug-free, and ultrawidescreen is supported.”
    • “Beautiful artwork, solid gameplay, and bug-free so far.”
    • “Bug-free and beautiful to play, it has a surprising amount of depth considering it's just been released.”
    • “A little buggy, and ultimately feels like a mobile game.”
    • “Currently, the tutorial is super buggy.”
    • “Be warned it is buggy; after 50 minutes of play, there seems to be a bug between the Kraken and the 'find port' stage.”
  • humor
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is hit or miss; while some players find the sound effects amusing, others feel that repetitive events and lackluster captain logs detract from the overall comedic experience. The balance between managing crew and enjoying the humor can lead to frustration rather than laughter.

    • “Having six crew and getting them leveled up is pretty much the difference between laughing in the face of enemies and frantic annoying micromanagement.”
    • “Sound effects humor are very well done in this game; I was hard pressed to find much wrong with this game.”
    • “[b]Check out my [url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/ucjtq9htq19vhvyu-u4fomng?]YouTube channel[/url] for hilarious playthroughs of other such games!”
    • “It was okay the first few times, but when every second event knocks out one of your crew, that's absolutely not funny for me.”
    • “The jokes felt forced and repetitive, making it hard to enjoy the humor.”
    • “I expected clever wit, but instead, I got tired clichés that fell flat.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization aspect of the game is criticized for its reliance on crew traits that can only be found rather than earned, making it difficult to justify replacing fully leveled characters with new hires that offer marginal performance improvements. Players feel that the trade-offs are not worth the effort, as significant enhancements require extensive gameplay to achieve.

    • “Positive traits cannot be earned, only found on crew hired at taverns, and they aren't worth much when you're trading off a fully leveled character who may have 200% better performance at something for someone who has 20% better performance inherently. You'd need at least 30 battles to get to that 220%.”
    • “Positive traits cannot be earned, only found on crew hired at taverns, and they aren't worth much when you're trading off a fully leveled character who may have 200% better performance at something for someone who has 20% better performance inherently. You'd need at least 30 battles to get to that 220%.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy has received mixed feedback, with some users appreciating the inclusion of ads for adding a "pirate flavor" to the experience, while others express dissatisfaction.

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10h Median play time
9h Average play time
4-14h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Abandon Ship is a survival role playing game with fantasy and historical themes.

Abandon Ship is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Phone and others.

On average players spend around 9 hours playing Abandon Ship.

Abandon Ship was released on October 22, 2019.

Abandon Ship was developed by Fireblade Software.

Abandon Ship has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Abandon Ship is a single player game.

Similar games include Abandon Ship, Dead Age, Trigon: Space Story, Bounty Train, Convoy and others.