PSBlog Feed: From king of the road to King of the Seas, out this holiday on PS4

[Commander Fury]

Ahoy everyone! We are thrilled to be able to share an exclusive update and brand new gameplay trailer with you for our most ambitious game to date, the pirate themed action RPG, King of Seas. 

After the release of our last game we sat down to discuss what our next project should be. The team wanted to capitalise on our core expertise in developing racing games, but at the same time, charter new exciting territory. The stand-out idea that really excited and energised the team was pirate ships. Instead of putting players behind the wheel of a car, how about behind the helm of a mighty sea faring vessel? We quickly set to work designing a game world where players could fulfil all their buccaneering fantasies — because —  hey, who doesn’t like pirates right? 

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So, we had our pirate theme, we had our expertise in vehicle animation, and we had great ideas for the story, but our big challenge was how to make this game stand out and offer something fresh and new. As such, King of Seas delivers a procedurally generated game world for players. It’s an environment where players can choose their own path, explore new islands, interact with intriguing characters and go head to head with other pirates in ferocious sea battles. This swashbuckling excitement would all be weaved into a quest driven story of betrayal and revenge. 

What really makes King of Seas different, and keeps it sea-salty fresh, is that each time you start a new game, our game engine will generate a whole new game world for you to explore. Each playthrough is a new and exciting adventure when you set off from shore. The dynamic world will also react to your every action, constantly adapting and throwing new challenges your way. Naval routes will change with each conquered settlement, the difficulty will adapt as you progress through your quests, and changes in weather will play a big part in your navigation and combat strategy.  

A Pirate’s ship is more than his vehicle, it’s his home. So we have worked hard to offer plenty of customisation options to ‘deck’ out your vessel. You will be able to acquire and own five different classes of ship on your journey; the sloop, brig, flute, frigate, and galleon. They are all designed with unique play styles and efficiency. New equipment and gear can be acquired through commerce, quests, or plain old-fashioned looting. Each piece of equipment installed on the ship changes its statistics and performance to customise the combat set up. Some items such as the hull and figurehead change the look of the ship providing you with many unique combinations and specific aesthetic sets. With over 900 items available to collect and use, you can truly create a battle-ready vessel to be proud. 

Naval battles are at the core of the King of Seas gameplay and learning how to navigate your way through the combat will be key to your success. The movement and handling of your ships will change according to wind direction, the ship class and the talent points acquired through levelling the gear equipped. Cannonballs can only be fired from the sides, which means positioning in battle is fundamental to success. You will need to keep an eye on the wind, and position your ship accordingly to improve your attack efficiency. It all comes down to the details. 

Choosing the right kind of cannonball to shoot can change the course of the battle in an instant. There are three types you can equip that will impact either the life, manoeuvrability, or efficiency of the enemy ships. In addition to the core battle mechanics, there are exciting unique abilities you can discover on your adventure that really mix up the action, such as flamethrowers, ethereal navigation or voodoo rituals. 

A maximum combination of four unique abilities can be used to deliver the fatal blow or escape dangerous situations — whatever floats your boat. Each battle won will raise the bounty on your head and you can even face off against some of the most feared pirates in history. The difficulty level adds a multiplier to the bounty you achieve in the game — so see how far you can take it in hardcore mode! 

King of Seas is not just all about sea battles though. We have spent a great deal of time creating an interactive world where each step on your quest will unlock new challenges and opportunities. Discover special missions where you can earn extra rewards or reveal new adventures — as well as hunting for maps that can lead to submerged treasures and buried riches all ripe for the taking. You will also be able to trade goods with new settlements, each producing specific goods with their own market value. Make sure you buy low and sell high to fill your coffers with gold. We’ve also added as many as 30 varieties of fish, all living below the surface of the sea to use as food and for trading, but make sure you keep a keen eye on the time of day and of course, the weather conditions. 

We hope that we have given you a glimpse behind the curtain of how King of Seas is shaping up. We are excited to announce that King of Seas will be available on PS4 this holiday season and urge you to check out the brand-new gameplay trailer, available today. On behalf of the 3DClouds team, thank you for reading and we look forward to seeing you on the high seas!

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