One of the surprise games showcased at E3 this year during the Ubisoft E3 press conference was the multiplayer naval combat game, Skull & Bones. The game aired for the very first time during E3 and looked fantastic both from the cinematic trailer and the actual game trailer.
The cinematic trailer first shows a couple of different pirates captaining their ships and duking it out. Things seem to be going well for the one captain who has her crew working over time to take down her opponent and score the loot to get away. However, things don't go so well when two more ships show up and she has to make a tough decision on what to do. Run and hide or fight to the death? She embraces the gumption of a pirate and faces off against her foes by driving right between her foes.
The cinematic ends with all three ships sunk to the bottom of the ocean while the coinage is lost under the weight of a watery grave.
This all leads into the revelation of the game's actual gameplay video where we get to see Skull & Bones in action in real-time. The game is basically the naval combat game set during the age of sail that we've all been waiting for. You can check out the video walkthrough of the game's PvP and multiplayer component below.
According to Ubisoft, the game was built on the back of the naval combat technology that Ubisoft first designed in Assassin's Creed 3 but then elevated that to the next level with Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. For Skull & Bones the game utilizes the same kind of targeting and navigation systems that Ubisoft perfected in the previous Assassin's Creed games and then elevated that feature to the next level.
Players can pick from a variety of different classes of pirate ships, battling on the high seas against other players while partaking in a variety of modes. The developers didn't detail how many different modes would be present in the upcoming game but they reveal that team deathmatch and a gold rush mode would be present.
During the presentation we learned that the one mode they showcased saw several teams fighting to secure the loot scattered around the map. Each player controls their own boat on the team and each player will have to rack up their own loot during a round. We also see how players who don't pick up much loot sacrifice themselves so that their other teammates can get away and secure the loot. This kind of tactical teamplay in Skull & Bones is a great way to exemplify how the game isn't just another standard PvP title.
Much like the previous naval segments in the Assassin's Creed games, there will also be different ammo types to slow down, damage or impair the mobility of other ships, as well as different ship classes that each carry out their own purpose. The video even teased a giant Kraken at the end, which was pretty cool.
Skull & Bones is due for release on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC in fall of 2018. You can sign up for a chance to play the game's upcoming closed beta by visiting the official website.
