Available on PC and Xbox One
1 to 4 players online.
On the seven seas of the video game globe, Fortnite is not the only one sailing. Even though it clearly has the wind in its sails at the moment, legend tells of a game mixing pirates, turquoise water, treasure, skeletons and adventure. Strap on your finest wooden leg and follow the map that will lead you to an excellent game to recommend to your young deckhands. Ready to weigh anchor!
Although it came out a year ago, Sea of Thieves (developed by the studio Rare) has very recently received a big update, making it much more complete and interesting. I would like to stress that buying a game on release day is not necessarily the best strategy. Waiting for one or more updates often changes things quite radically. In the case at hand, the game had been sharply criticised for its lack of content and a certain repetitiveness.
You play a pirate who must collaborate with other players to explore paradise islands and sometimes stormy seas, in order to make your loot grow. Everything that makes up the folklore of piracy is here. Galleons, treasure maps, sea monsters, wooden legs and accordions jostle in a zany style and an atmosphere that the Pirates of the Caribbean saga would not disown. Camaraderie, cooperation and thought are essential in every game, and the update offers vast exploration quests in which you have to solve captivating puzzles. We now have access to a much more polished and complete product.
Sea of Thieves can only be played online (note that a paid Xbox Live subscription is required to play on Xbox One) and it is strongly recommended to block unknown users and sail in a closed crew, reserved for friends. Likewise, it is possible to disable voice chat with other crews (see images below).
An interesting fact: before the introduction of the megaphone, which allows crews to communicate with each other, the first reaction was always to let the cannons do the talking. Since that addition, the priority is friendly exchanges.
If you would like to diversify the games of your freshwater sailors, Sea of Thieves is now a thrilling alternative (though less frenetic than Fortnite…). Here are a few points still to bear in mind:
- A session can be quite long; allow a minimum of two hours to complete an expedition and be able to save your progress.
- The gold coins earned in the game are only used to buy cosmetic items, and at no point is there any question of spending additional real money.
- Several aspects of the game’s puzzles may recall those found in escape rooms. This is also a way of suggesting an “off-screen” activity to do as a family.
To discover the game and its content by watching other players, follow this link https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Sea%20of%20Thieves
He works in Switzerland on the issue of excessive screen use, notably with families. He uses video games as a therapeutic tool and keeps a close eye on developments in the medium (new releases, trends, impacts, etc.). Alongside his professional activities, he voluntarily runs a game review site (www.semperludo.com), as well as a nationwide association of gamers (www.gamingfederation.ch), through which they aim for responsible video game practice.
Twitter: @niels_weber, @semperludo, @GamingFed
