Fireblade Software has announced Abandon Ship, which is slated for release on Steam Early Access for the PC on February 21, 2018.
According to the developer, Abandon Ship is inspired by other similar games like FTL, Sunless Sea and Assassin’s Creed Black Flag. The theme and art style is said to be inspired by classic naval oil paintings, providing a unique visual identity for the game.
Players will take command of a ship and her crew, navigating the procedurally-generated world while taking on quests and solving random problems that arise on their voyage. The world is based on “grounded fantasy”, where the technology is believably rooted in the “Age of Sails” but fictional constructs like sea monsters can still coexist.
The dynamic weather will affect the gameplay. For example, lightning strikes can ignite fires and storms could bring tidal waves which spells havoc for the ship and crew. While there is still the main story for players to follow, there will be many sidequests and incidental events for them to complete along the way.
During a battle, players will control the crew, moving them around the ship and perform actions like firing cannons, steering and making repairs. While performing these actions, players will face enemy barrages, boarding attempts, storms, sharks, fires and hull cracks amongst other obstacles.
If their ship is destroyed, players need not worry as the game will not be over yet. If the player survives and reaches a lifeboat in time, they can attempt to find a port, where they can acquire a new ship and crew. If that does not happen, players will be stranded instead, inducing unique events to occur. Keep in mind that death is still permanent in the game.
Abandon Ship will be released on Steam Early Access on February 21, 2018, at a price of $19.99/£14.99 alongside a fifteen percent launch discount.
