King of Seas
- May 25, 2021
- 3DClouds
- 11h median play time
Fun, cartoonish pirating, which makes you feel cheeky rather than evil.
"King of Seas" is an action-packed pirate-themed game where you navigate the open waters, battling enemies and building your reputation. The game features a dynamic world with ever-changing weather conditions and a day-night cycle that affects gameplay. Engage in thrilling sea battles, upgrade your ship, and make alliances or enemies as you advance through the ranks and become the ultimate pirate king.
Reviews
- The game offers a charming art style and engaging visuals that enhance the overall experience.
- Ship combat is fun and allows for strategic use of abilities, making battles feel dynamic.
- The game provides a relaxing and casual gameplay experience, perfect for players looking to unwind.
- The game suffers from a slow start, with tedious travel times and grinding mechanics that can become repetitive.
- There is a lack of mouse support and poor UI design, making navigation and inventory management cumbersome.
- The story and quests are generic, lacking depth and variety, which can lead to a feeling of monotony.
- story181 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 85 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered weak and clichéd, often described as a forgettable revenge plot filled with repetitive fetch quests and uninspired mission design. While some players appreciate the quirky character design and the immersive atmosphere, many criticize the lack of engaging storytelling and the presence of numerous bugs that hinder progress. Overall, the narrative feels like an afterthought, overshadowed by grindy gameplay mechanics and a lack of meaningful content.
“A story that is nothing special but entertainingly told, thanks to the peculiar character design.”
“The story is silly (on purpose), and too short.”
“The campaign storyline is a little cute.”
“The story is pretty forgettable, a routine revenge plot that you've probably already seen 1000 times over by now.”
“This game is just a glorified mobile fetch quest that has no value by its story due to no voice acting or interesting storytelling, which would be excusable if the other parts of the game weren't also lackluster.”
“The storytelling is for kids, the missions are grindy, the zoom is way too far in on my 32:9 screen.”
- gameplay75 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "King of Seas" is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the ship combat and exploration mechanics, while others criticize the repetitive combat, lack of depth, and poorly explained mechanics. Many reviews highlight the game's simplicity and the need for quality-of-life improvements, particularly in navigation and trading systems. Overall, the experience can be enjoyable for those who appreciate straightforward gameplay, but it may feel lacking for players seeking more complexity and engagement.
“Combat is not the easiest at the beginning when you lack a decent-sized ship and special powers, but late game with better ships, more fun magic (where would we be without a haunted ship?) and a better understanding of the mechanics make it worthwhile.”
“It doesn't try to hook you with a sunken cost fallacy and rewards from the daily grind; it just gives you gameplay, a framework within which you use that gameplay, a bit of story, and there you go.”
“While combat is enjoyable with a good variety of special abilities and solid basic cannon mechanics, the trade and crew systems feel under-baked.”
“Really lifeless cutscenes with no voice acting, boring plot, terrible gameplay mechanics that are really poorly explained, combat is repetitive and dull, and trading mechanics are so utterly lifeless.”
“Limited ship combat mechanics: cannons only aim in a straight line, the tried and true tactic from start to finish is circling around enemy ships, the only way to win is by destroying the enemy's hull, no boarding mechanic, no ship incapacitation by ruining sails or crew (they can always escape even with a dead crew and ruined sails).”
“After playing it a couple of hours, I can say that the gameplay itself is pretty repetitive, mainly due to the unbalanced gameplay that forces you to hit-and-run when facing basically every enemy, since the health of every type of ship (even the galleon, which should be the tankiest among them) is very low; the story is pretty mediocre, not very interesting nor something never seen before, and the soundtrack is pretty good but gets repetitive very fast since it's formed by only one track.”
- graphics45 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming and vibrant art style, with many reviewers highlighting the colorful, cartoony visuals that enhance the gameplay experience. While some mention that the graphics are decent and do not require high-end hardware, others note that there are occasional drawbacks, such as simplified character art and a lack of a photo mode. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing to the game's appeal and enjoyment.
“With an absolutely charming art style, excellent visuals and soundtrack - it's a great game for when you want to switch off and chill a little.”
“The graphics are gorgeous, particularly when docking on islands and using the camera zoom feature to bring you closer to the action.”
“The art style is vibrant, colorful, and cartoony.”
“Port Royale, but with cut content and simplified graphics.”
“Graphics are not good, especially not the character art which has a really weak art style.”
“One wonders if those developers ever developed or even played games before, as this game has nothing to offer in terms of diversion, ingenuity, verve, creativity, freedom of choice, consistency, or any other quality you'd want from a computer game... oh, sorry, neat graphics... I'll give you that.”
- grinding41 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a significant issue with grinding in the game, describing it as tedious, repetitive, and often frustrating, with many players feeling that it hampers story progression and overall enjoyment. While some players appreciate the grinding aspect and find it manageable, the consensus leans towards it being excessive and detracting from the gameplay experience, particularly due to slow movement and a lack of engaging content. Overall, the grinding is seen as a major flaw that could benefit from future updates to improve the pacing and variety of tasks.
“A feeling of missing content from the storyline that leads to level gaps that require hours of mindless grinding, lackluster variety in ships and items, odd enemy AI, sparse enemy spawns making hunting during downtime or for sidequests difficult and time-consuming, distinct rarity of commanders to kill for rare loot (I only encountered 2 on my 11-hour save outside of the quest ones), and more.”
“Great combat and upgrade systems don’t outweigh the shallow trading, repetitive side quests, tediousness of tasks, and most of all, the grind and gating of content behind it.”
“Unfortunately having now played the official release, the demo I feel didn't paint a fair picture of just how 'grindy' the game actually is.”
- music20 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its nautical themes and pleasant acoustic guitar tracks, while others find it repetitive and lacking in variety, consisting of only a few tracks that do not loop well. Although the soundtrack enhances the overall atmosphere, many players feel it becomes monotonous after a few hours of gameplay. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's charm, it could benefit from more diversity and depth.
“With an absolutely charming art style, excellent visuals and soundtrack - it's a great game for when you want to switch off and chill a little.”
“Fun to play, love the music and art style.”
“Don’t get me wrong, there are occasions when the theme turns moodier and more daunting, specifically as you sail through enemy territory or in uncharted waters, but overall, the tone and themes of the soundtrack are pleasant and satisfying, like the music you might hear as you sip your ale in the port tavern.”
“The music doesn't loop well, becomes repetitive, and still times out too often.”
“I got very bored of the music after a few hours, because it only changes based on situation and it's always the same tracks for the same situations.”
“The music could use much improvement.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a decent sense of self-awareness and comic value, appealing particularly to fans of pirate-themed narratives. Players appreciate the amusing interactions with NPCs, humorous gear comparisons, and the lighthearted tone throughout the story, although some feel it may not reach the hilarity of similar classics. Overall, it offers a cute and funny experience, especially for those who enjoy its unique brand of humor.
“Decent sense of humor and self-awareness.”
“And there is a story with funny characters!”
“For example, huge possibilities of ship customization, dialogues of NPCs when you ram/attack them, even funny ones when it's a friendly ship.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; some players appreciate the unlockable ships, abilities, and exploration opportunities that encourage multiple playthroughs, while others find it lacking, citing minimal incentive to replay after completing the game. Overall, opinions vary significantly, with some enjoying the replay value and others deeming it nearly nonexistent.
“Personally, I think it offers quite a bit of replay value with all the unlockable ships, the abilities, and the sheer amount of exploration and treasures to be found. I just beat the game a few days ago and I'm already on my second playthrough.”
“No real replay value.”
“The replayability is pretty much non-existent.”
“Although I did enjoy some of my time with the game, there were a lot of times when I didn't, and this coupled with the lack of replayability means I can't recommend this game.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive qualities, combining vibrant visuals and engaging sound design to create a lively "pirate" vibe. Players appreciate the unique ship designs and the overall environment, which enhances the experience beyond traditional trading mechanics. The developers have successfully crafted an inviting and dynamic atmosphere that complements the gameplay.
“Going into this, I was expecting a trading game where you get richer over time and buy bigger and better ships. What I was not expecting is everything this game offered: it had loot, loot rarity, abilities, different ships with unique designs, boss fights, a talent tree, and an amazing immersive atmosphere.”
“The devs did great with the atmosphere.”
“Looks and sounds blend to create a nice atmosphere.”
“The difficulty is far more forgiving, and the atmosphere is more 'yar-har let's be pirates' and less 'Victorian Lovecraft town'.”
- character development3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is viewed as a mixed bag; while the storytelling is engaging, the character design is criticized for its lack of originality and variation, leading to a sense of repetitiveness.
“A story that is nothing special but entertainingly told, thanks to the unique character design.”
“The character designs are basically reuses of the exact same likenesses, with no variation.”
“The character design is horrible.”
“A story that is nothing special but entertainingly told, thanks to the peculiar character design.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, with users reporting no performance issues or bugs, indicating a smooth gameplay experience.
“It's optimized specifically for them after all.”
“Performance: no issues”
- emotional2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely overshadowed by a lackluster story, with players finding the combat mechanics more engaging than the narrative itself. While the gameplay offers some strategic depth, it fails to evoke a strong emotional response, leaving players feeling indifferent overall.
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a preference for fully completed games at launch rather than partially finished titles that rely on future updates for content. They find the monetization strategy of promoting a game with a roadmap for additional content less appealing.
“Advertising a game with an update roadmap is understandable, but I would rather have a fully released game with planned content to add, rather than a somewhat finished game with the rest of the content planned out.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems like the developers are more focused on making money than providing a complete gaming experience.”
“I find it frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, making it difficult to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report significant stability issues with the menu system, highlighting that the rotary-style category selection is both buggy and inaccurate when using an Xbox Elite controller.
“The menu system is atrocious, and the rotary-style category selection is buggy and inaccurate when using an Xbox Elite controller.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable during crucial moments.”
“I experienced constant lag and stuttering, which ruined the overall experience.”
Critic Reviews
King of Seas review — Sid Meier’s Streamlined
Think of King of Seas as yet another spiritual successor to Sid Meier's Pirates! It has all the tools needed to keep you entertained for many hours. Unfortunately, it's also lacking in certain departments, leading to a more streamlined approach that can't compare to the classic.
70%King Of Seas Review - Frustrating Design Lowers The Mast Of This Pirate Action RPG
King Of Seas ultimately suffers through a lack of visual polish, some frustrating gameplay mechanics, and dull pacing and sequences, which when all combined together create a thoroughly unremarkable experience that doesn't manage to hold its own against even some of the most average of pirate games on the market.
40%King of Seas review
Fun, cartoonish pirating, which makes you feel cheeky rather than evil.
78%