Abandon Ship

Cults and Krakens and seafaring oh my.

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

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 745 reviews

story106 positive mentions

grinding48 negative mentions

The core gameplay mechanics are thematic, engaging, and fun, reminiscent of FTL.
The art style is beautiful, featuring a unique oil painting aesthetic that enhances the atmosphere.
The writing is engaging, with a compelling story that keeps players invested.

The game can become incredibly repetitive, with battles and encounters feeling similar over time.
The save system is frustrating, as players can lose significant progress due to limited save options.
The difficulty spikes can be punishing, especially when facing stronger enemies without adequate preparation.

story
307 mentions
35 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally well-received, featuring engaging writing and a captivating pirate-themed narrative that includes elements of cults and Lovecraftian lore. However, many players find the gameplay repetitive, which detracts from the overall experience, and some express disappointment with the linear progression and lack of depth in character interactions. While the main campaign offers a lengthy and immersive storyline, it can feel drawn out and is often overshadowed by the grind of combat and exploration.
- “The writing is very engaging, the story is fun to follow, and the combat is very fun.”
- “The story is intriguing and the gameplay is simple yet deep enough to ensure great fun.”
- “The story had me hooked from the start and I'm genuinely enjoying this game.”
- “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 narrative progression could be more engaging, and some players might find themselves yearning for a deeper connection with the characters and storyline.”
- “The main story is very linear with no real side quests and also the impact of your choices is minimal.”
gameplay
223 mentions
35 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its engaging mechanics and thematic naval battles, reminiscent of titles like FTL, but it suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of depth in certain areas. Players appreciate the strategic elements and ship management, though many find the combat and exploration can become monotonous over time. While the game offers a fun experience with beautiful visuals and a compelling story, some mechanics feel underdeveloped, leading to a mixed reception regarding long-term enjoyment.
- “The core gameplay mechanics are great, thematic, and fun.”
- “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 feels remarkably similar to the likes of Faster Than Light, but perhaps far less oppressively difficult and RNG-based.”
- “The gameplay loop gets pretty boring quickly.”
- “So, while I do recommend the game, it is with a caveat that the gameplay is going to be quite repetitive and the save system might scare some away.”
- “There's mechanics that should result in variation and depth at the strategic map level and in tactical ship battles, but it seems to not be fully developed or well thought out -- ultimately there's an optimal approach to both, and the game becomes very repetitive and monotonous.”
graphics
96 mentions
58 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning, oil painting-like art style that effectively captures the atmosphere of a seafaring adventure. Many players appreciate the unique aesthetic, which evokes nostalgia for older games while providing a visually immersive experience. However, some critiques mention that while the graphics are appealing, they may not significantly enhance gameplay, and there are occasional issues with interface mechanics and complexity.
- “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
4 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
96 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, with long battles and a drawn-out campaign that detracts from enjoyment. Many reviews highlight the lack of meaningful rewards for grinding, leading to a repetitive experience that can feel like a chore rather than engaging gameplay. While some players appreciate the challenge of grinding in roguelike games, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game suffers from a lack of balance, making the grind feel more punishing than rewarding.
- “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.”
- “The game itself looks fun, but the battles are long, drawn-out, and tedious.”
music
40 mentions
63 % positive mentions
30 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
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 criticize it for being repetitive or forgettable. Overall, the soundtrack is noted as a strong aspect that complements the visuals and gameplay, contributing to the game's unique identity.
- “I love this game and it makes wandering through the endless ocean so much fun with its awesome soundtrack, exploring the different seas and creative NPC encounters, not to mention how fun it is to completely obliterate a ship twice your size with weapons like acid and lightning makes this game well worth playing.”
- “The music is fantastic, and the sound effects work very well.”
- “It’s a far cry from your typical pirate game; there are no stereotypical sea shanties or squawking parrots, but there is a heavily stylized world that’s been cleverly realized and it’s instantly immersive, accompanied by some epic musical scores which support the feel and flow of the game perfectly.”
- “Poor, repeatable music.”
- “Forgettable music and sound.”
- “Also, I think that the music during battles is a little bit repetitive.”
atmosphere
20 mentions
80 % positive mentions
10 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
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.”
- “Where Abandon Ship shines is the atmosphere of the 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
18 mentions
50 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is largely criticized, with many users noting a lack of engaging mechanics typical of roguelites, leading to a repetitive experience after initial playthroughs. While some players appreciate unique storylines and visuals, the overall consensus is that the game offers minimal replay value, particularly when compared to similar titles like FTL.
- “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
60 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed, with some players reporting significant bugs, particularly in the tutorial and specific gameplay stages, while others describe it as largely bug-free and stable, especially in the latest version. Many users appreciate the game's visuals and depth, suggesting that the experience improves with updates. However, caution is advised due to the presence of bugs in early access versions.
- “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
6 mentions
83 % positive mentions
-33 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players find the sound effects and certain comedic elements enjoyable, others feel that repetitive events leading to crew knockouts detract from the overall fun. The captain logs are criticized for lacking genuine humor, and the balance between managing crew levels and enjoying the game can lead to frustration rather than laughter.
- “Haha, funny ram go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.”
- “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 is very well done in this game; I was hard pressed to find much wrong with it.”
- “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 was met with tired clichés that fell flat.”
optimization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The optimization system in the game is criticized for its reliance on crew traits that can only be found rather than earned, making it difficult to justify trading fully leveled characters for those with marginally better inherent traits. Players feel that the time investment required to enhance new crew members significantly outweighs the benefits, leading to frustration in optimizing team performance.
- “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 that may have 200% better performance at something for someone who has 20% better performance inherently. However, 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 that may have 200% better performance at something for someone who has 20% better performance inherently. However, you'd need at least 30 battles to get to that 220%.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
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.
- “The monetization system feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without constant interruptions.”
- “I find the in-game purchases to be overpriced and not worth the value they provide.”
- “The reliance on ads and microtransactions detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a cash grab than a game.”