Forgotten Seas
- June 7, 2024
- Pangea Game Studios
- 5h median play time
Forgotten Seas is a survival game set in the Bermuda Void, an endless ocean filled with islands that appear and disappear in time. To survive, you'll need to craft a ship and navigate treacherous waters filled with bounty, treasure, and danger. Ships are magical and can be stored in bottles, allowing you to build a fleet for various purposes. The goal is to conquer the forgotten seas and rule the waters.
Reviews
- The game has a lot of unique mechanics and offers a fun crafting and building experience, especially with the ship-in-a-bottle feature.
- Despite being in early access, the game provides a substantial amount of content and activities, keeping players engaged for many hours.
- The developers are responsive and actively working on updates, which gives players hope for future improvements and enhancements.
- The game currently suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including poor ship mechanics and lackluster combat systems.
- Many players find the gameplay grindy and repetitive, with limited variety in tasks and enemy encounters.
- The sailing mechanics feel simplistic and unrefined, often compared to driving a car rather than navigating a ship, which detracts from the overall experience.
- story26 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as a mix of basic RPG elements and engaging plot twists, with a pirate theme and a unique setting involving WWII pilots trapped in the Bermuda Triangle. While some players appreciate the variety of missions and crafting elements, others criticize the randomness of quest locations and the lack of a clear quest tracking system, suggesting that the narrative could benefit from more structured guidance. Overall, the story has potential but feels underdeveloped and occasionally frustrating due to its execution.
“It seems very basic at first but it ramps up and there is a storyline to get into.”
“The story is about WWII pilots who got stuck in the Bermuda Triangle, which apparently itself remained in the 17th or 18th century.”
“Great storyline, well thought out game.”
“I would say it's AI written, but I honestly think the devs should consult ChatGPT on their plot and writing--it would be most beneficial.”
“The 'story' feels like a throwaway tutorial from an old school RPG.”
“The story is WWII pilots got stuck in the Bermuda Triangle, which apparently itself remained in the 17th or 18th century.”
- gameplay20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of potential and frustration, with many players finding the mechanics simplistic and lacking depth, particularly in ship combat and sailing. While some appreciate the game's accessibility and mechanics that open up over time, others criticize the grindy nature, timegating, and a lack of engaging activities during gameplay. Overall, the game is seen as needing significant improvements to its sailing and ship mechanics to enhance the overall experience.
“Pretty rough game at the moment, but it has a lot of good mechanics, and really opens up after a few hours.”
“I think this game would benefit hugely from some form of map, and that it should be given within the first 60 minutes of gameplay, allowing players to explore various locations without needing a quest to guide them.”
“Think of it as an old RPG with some arcade ship mechanics, designed to be accessible to all age groups.”
“The ship fighting mechanic in this game might be one of the most boring and worst I've ever seen in a pirate game; all you do is lock onto a ship and click.”
“There is no sailing mechanic.”
“A lot of the mechanics are pretty simplistic when it comes to boat stuff.”
- graphics19 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the overall visual quality and water effects, particularly on ultra-wide monitors. However, some players note that the art style feels basic and lacks refinement, with issues like poor shadow rendering and stuttery movement detracting from the experience. While the graphics are generally solid for an early access title, there are calls for further aesthetic improvements and a more cohesive art direction.
“Just a fantastic game with amazing graphics and very fun for an early access type game.”
“The graphics of the game greatly enhance the gaming experience.”
“Very solid graphics and I was unable to find any lag issues.”
“This game feels half-baked and something out of the early 2000s with updated graphics.”
“But besides that, shadows don't render well, movement sometimes feels stuttery, and this is not helped by how the rest of the graphics and mechanics play out.”
“The art style feels basic and without much direction.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the resource gathering and crafting as integral to the survival gameplay, others feel it can become repetitive and tedious, particularly when it comes to farming materials for cannonballs and other resources. The open-world exploration and quest variety help mitigate the grind for some, but the frequent respawning of enemies can lead to a cycle of relentless farming. Overall, the grind is seen as a core element of the game, with opinions varying on its enjoyment level.
“That's it, there's no aiming the cannons, the cannons don't rotate or anything, the cannonball just spawns from your ship basically and goes towards the enemy to make the number go down. Basically going with the WoW theme, you're just grinding ships for materials/experience/quests and that's it, no real fighting in it.”
“Until you get some levels under your belt, which equals very grindy gameplay.”
“In lots of games, it feels grindy, or micromanaged.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, user feedback on optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and quick load times on older systems, others highlight significant optimization issues that affect gameplay.
“Firstly, this game has some serious optimization issues.”
“I play on a laptop built in 2014 (Xidax) and it runs smooth with no screen tearing or stuttering.”
“Works with my Windows 7 Pro computer that still meets the other specifications (for now, still being developed) and does not seem to be running slowly; load times are easily under a minute.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is well-received, with users praising the pleasant original soundtrack and its fitting themes, particularly in relation to naval battles. The sound design enhances the overall experience without presenting a steep learning curve.
“The soundtrack is very pleasant, and I like the idea of naval battles.”
“The learning curve isn't steep at all, and the sound/music is well done.”
“- Running Wild - Pirate Song -”
“The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous after a short while.”
“The soundtrack doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“The sound effects are poorly mixed, often overshadowing the music and making it hard to enjoy.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often derived from unexpected and chaotic moments, such as players being stranded in the ocean after a pilot takes off. While some aspects may be frustrating, the disjointed nature of the start has been described as amusing, providing a mix of genuine laughs and absurdity.
“The start was shocking and disjointed, albeit so bad it was actually really funny.”
“Some things I hope they fix soon is being able to stand on the ships and walk around, not fall in the ocean when the pilot takes off and leaves you stranded in the middle of the ocean (it is funny to see the first few times).”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, stability in the game is a mixed bag; while some players report a lack of glitches in the early stages, many others highlight significant issues with janky ship mechanics and buggy physics, which are particularly concerning given the game's focus on ships.
“Be warned, as stated in almost every review, the ships are janky, buggy, and ship physics are nonexistent... in a game about ships.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that players are skeptical about the game's monetization strategy, particularly regarding the promised updates and enhancements, which they feel may not significantly improve the experience.
“I saw an advertisement that the game was getting a 'face lift' with some new bells and whistles, but I was not expecting much.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is consistently described as magical, creating an enchanting and immersive experience for players.
“The atmosphere is magical.”
“The game immerses you in a beautifully crafted world that feels alive.”
“Every sound and visual detail contributes to an enchanting ambiance.”