From day one, Sea of Thieves hinted at being a game with expansive lore. The world that Rare crafted had always had these subtle cues to something much more elaborate. With the addition of a lore book, a novel and a comic series all expanding on the lore that the game only alluded to, it was no surprise that the devs decided it was about time that the game got onboard with the lore that was already being elaborated on in everything else but the game.
And, they got onboard swimmingly!
Out of everything that the anniversary update brings, Tall Tales is by far the most intriguing and exciting. Not only is the dialogue and cutscenes on point but the way the quests work gives off a Treasure Island feel and still retains that classic Sea of Thieves charm. From following a captain’s log to piece together his sunken ship’s journey to trying to decipher the stars, these quests feel well-crafted and are a joy to play. There’s a sense of adventure when running into caves and dodging traps with a journal of a lost pirate in your hands. This is exactly what Sea of Thieves needed and I’m sure a lot of its players can agree. It is especially fun while playing with friends as sometimes two heads are better than one when trying to figure out a puzzle while being locked in a room with rising water.
The quests are repeatable and although the premise is the same, there are slight differences, like the final stage being on a different island. However once you familiarise yourself with which island had rolled, the quest becomes like a dance routine which adds no real challenge after the third or so try. This is a bit sad given the fact that there is a commendation to do it five times that feels like a rinse repeat loop after a while but it has to be done to get some nice cosmetic rewards.
I don’t want to reveal too much as to avoid spoilers but if Rare can keep content like this up in future then the world of Sea of Thieves is about to get a whole lot more exciting! I’m looking forward to whatever they have planned for E3!
