By Kei Beneza (Dividelife), OnRPG Journalist
Seafight is a free (MMORPG) that lets you live the life of a pirate. Roaming the seven seas has never been this fun as your take down enemy vessels and sea monsters while “yo-ho-hoing” to the pirate life. As a fresh new pirate, it’s your duty to fight battles, roam the unforgiving seas and expand your territory while gaining the heart of your crew on your journey to become one of the most feared pirates ever. You’ll be fighting notorious pirates as you make your way through the raging currents, firing cannons and savoring the sound of battle while trading cannonballs with enemy ships. Despite its outdated graphics, the game is still being played by a total of 22 million people, of which around 30 thousand playerss can be online at one time. Hard to believe? Let’s take a closer look!
Shiver me timbers! This be better than most’e them MMOs
Character creation is a breeze in this game. After entering your name and choosing your server, your Pirate Captain Persona is up and ready. You’ll be upgrading your ship as you progress through the game. There are tons of upgrades and enhancers to choose from so you won’t have to worry about uniformity taking the fun away. Earning money is the same as any other MMO. You’ll be doing various quests while fighting dreadful sea monsters in order to gain in game cash that are either used for consumables or upgrades. The interface is user friendly and easy to get used to. The game’s not that complicated so you won’t have to spend more time learning the curves before getting into the action.
The game also has a sort of “SIMS” element that makes you take care of your crew in order for them to function well. This means you have to provide them with enough food and necessities (alcohol) to keep them in tip top shape. This is done by accessing their individual windows and looking at their status. It’s most essential for you to keep track of your crew’s health so don’t go around fighting without attending to them first. It is also important that you check your ship’s status most of the time, especially since most pirates won’t think twice about blasting you up to the sky. Getting upgrades may get a bit trivial as you go through the game. In fact, it’s always hard to find the ideal character build that compliments your play style.
I’ll be sendin ye to Davey Jones locker!
Aye aye! This game does have PVP! If you’re that desperate to prove that you’re the best captain there is, then don’t just brag about it, make them see it with their own eyes. Combat is one of the best elements of Seafight. Like the title suggests, the game is built entirely on ship battles at sea. The combat interface is relatively easy to comprehend. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that this game has a technical combat system, but it does have its strategic moments.
Land ahoy! I see em pixilated land lubbers
The visuals are pretty impressive for a game that deals only with ships. The game is presented in 3D but can easily be dismissed as a 2D game due to its isometric view mode that makes the ships and the other elements look a bit flat around the surface. Explosions and other effects look similar to red alert 2 (which was completely 2D by the way). Ships turn at ultra fast speed which makes it kinda funny. Then again, who’d want to use a slow ship at a time like this? The interface still looks MMO-ish despite its red alert-like visuals. Damage numbers still show whenever you hit your opponents with skills and such. The buttons look easy enough to understand, making it easier for people to know what they’re pressing. Some skills and special weapons are expressed through different balls of light. It’s quite simple compared to other MMOs that actually render cannonballs during game play, but the colorful projectiles do look quite appealing. It’s like you have an idea how hard that ball of light will hit just by looking at it. These types of effects add up to the game’s visual harmony and must not be taken lightly. The objects look crisp and the elements look awesome.
The game runs on real time, meaning you’ll be squirming around the seas day and night. This boosts the sense of realism since you’ll be planning ahead like a normal pirate whether in sunlight or under the crescent moon. Might I say that this game possesses an impressive set of visuals that are sure to make Black Bleard himself proud.
The Verdict
All in all, the game’s one of the best pirate games to ever hit the seven seas. The customizable features and ship upgrades really lets you take charge of what type of ship you’re trying to make. The crew may be needy at times but is quite essential for players since it immerses them deeper into the role of the captain. The visuals are steady. The water looks nice with the current unchanging despite certain conditions. The visuals may need a bit of work but it’s not too bad on its current state. The sea monsters and ships do build a form of realism due to its crisp 2d-ish 3d skin. The game runs swiftly with a nice frame rate that would leave any player breathless. The game play is definitely different from other MMOs. What’s better is that the game doesn’t suck despite the lack of traditional features like character archetypes and mass visual exploration. I myself don’t know what makes this game good. It’s not really the best game in the world but its uniqueness is quite charming, making it a must play for any MMO gamer out there. AHOY MATEY!
The Good
– In depth character customization
– Sense of Realism
– Decent Visuals
– Explosive combat looks good despite the lack of detail
– PVP!
– No installation needed.
The Bad
– Graphics need improvement
– Needs more BGM
– Gives you digital sea sickness after a while (colors are too flat at times, its sickening)
– Some ship archetypes may help.
