Forgotten Seas

I wanted to like this game. The visuals are actually pretty good, which makes everything else even more disappointing. The melee combat mechanics are the weakest, by a wide margin, that I've seen in a long time. Unless I've missed something, there is no block, no dodge, no heavy attack, and no real defensive mechanics. Fights boil down to left-clicking until you - or the enemy - dies. On top of that, attacking feels sluggish and unresponsive. I've genuinely seen AI-generated prototype games with more satisfying combat. The building system is another frustration. To place a single object like a workbench you click to select it, click again to use it, click where you want it, then click AGAIN to actually place it. It's needlessly clunky. The PC controls and options are just as strange. Key rebinding isn't proper rebinding—you don't press the key you want, you pick from a limited dropdown list, and not every action can even be rebound. The audio "sliders" aren't sliders either. They're basically just presets like Quiet, Loud, On, and Off. Then there are all the little things that constantly remind you the game hasn't been polished. Weapons and tools don't line up properly in your …

I'm torn on this one. I do like the concept and the overall setup. However, the game is far too basic to be considered a "1.0" product at this point. Controls are horrid, fighting of any kind feels like a completely random clicking process. Animations of key activities are so basic that they look like something from 1999. I understand that the game is created by a small development team, which is part of why I'm torn. On the other hand, I play almost exclusively Early Access games, and many from small (often solo) developers. My expectations are in line with that worldview. However, this game doesn't compare favorably with the majority of those. And it's not even in the ballpark of a masterpiece like Vein, which itself had a two person development crew until just a couple of months ago.

How is this not early access?

[h3]Cosy Survival[/h3] Survival games are rarely this easy and almost cosy. Sure there are sharks who want to eat you, pirates all over, pirate ships, ghosts, ghost ships, towering battleships... But generally you just need to stay out of the driving rain to stay alive. So it is pretty easy. The best part of the game is the simple yet broad crafting of items that you need to consume and then later on sell. The game keeps surprising you as you progress and discover more and more challenges and more and more puzzles. A few things are hard enough to figure out, but once you do, more of the game mechanics make sense. For example to sail your ship, use arrow keys and mouse to aim your single forward cannon. BUT if the wind changes direction you will need to trim your sails. All this requires learning a few keys which you can now customise in the settings. Learnt to craft buffs which will help you gather resources more quickly, rescue crewmen, defend the traders and then trade your way up with a huge variety of not just decorations but also very practical resources and equipment's. [h3]Base Building[h3] The game features base building which really only unlocks much later in game. So in…

good fun game runs lovely enough

So far, so good