King of Seas Reviews
Fun, cartoonish pirating, which makes you feel cheeky rather than evil.
King of Seas gets off to a pretty decent start with a promising story and combat mechanics that are initially fun to engage with. However, the repetition isn't long creeping in. This is a game that's seriously lacking in any sort of depth, jettisoning much of its early promise in favour of a bog-standard narrative, hugely repetitive side quests, overly punitive combat that thinks nothing of wasting your time and a constant, mind-numbing grind that very quickly becomes a tedious waste of effort. If you're absolutely desperate for a high seas adventure, there's still a measure fun to be had with the combat in brief stints here but, beyond that, this one really is more of a Sir Francis Drag than a Sir Francis Drake.
The ship combat and looting might carry King of Seas' piratical adventure for some, just beware that there's grinding through a bunch of stretched out story missions to get to the heart of the game. It's a game to break out when you're feeling extra piratey, but it has enough flaws that you should weigh them up before getting your cutlass out.
King of Seas does lots of things well, from its visual presentation to the simplicity of its sailing mechanics. It touches base with many of the things that made classics out of the games that came prior while streamlining the experience into something that feels like a store-brand version of the thing I actually wanted. The lack of real keyboard and mouse support is a black eye on the PC version, though the foundation here is stable enough that King of Seas can have a brighter future through updates.
A fresh and entertaining pirate-ish action RPG with nice customization and spectacular naval combat. Too bad that the lack of variety of side quests and other scattered flaws end up to row against.
Review in Italian | Read full review
King Of Seas ultimately suffers through a lack of visual polish, some frustrating gameplay mechanics, and dull pacing and sequences, which when all combined together create a thoroughly unremarkable experience that doesn't manage to hold its own against even some of the most average of pirate games on the market.
King of Seas is an engaging enough game, offering good ship-to-ship combat and a generally fun time to play through when it doesn't weigh you down with excessive amounts of grind. If you stick through the grind, this is the sort of game that is more than good enough to drop in and out of, giving you a good outlet to meet your pirate-related urges.
The RPG elements mean you'll nearly always be making some forward momentum. Finding treasure, sinking ships, and completing missions rewards you with XP, and you can upgrade and customise various parts of your boat to ensure your vessel is ship-shape. What's more, each town has its own side missions to tackle, and a market where you can trade goods in a shifting economy. These parts of the game are its strengths, but working through somewhat confusing menus and engaging in predictable battles take the wind out of its sails.
King of Seas is a game that knows how to be entertaining right from the start, and that will put your pirate skills to the test. Something more could have been done with regards to dialogues and soundtrack, but these flaws do not hamper the enjoyability of King of Seas, which also offers a good amount of replayability.
Review in Italian | Read full review
King of Seas needs better controls and maps.
If you can get sufficiently sucked into the gameplay, every other problem seems insignificant. On the other hand, if any part of the moment-to-moment experience starts to drag, it can pull you right out of the game. In other words, if all you want to do is sail around starting fights, slowly gathering power until you become a force of nature on the waves, King of Seas is perfect for you. Conversely, if you’re looking for something more multifaceted and less focused, you may want to steer clear. I thought sailing and sea battles would sustain me. Perhaps there’s more to being a pirate after all.
While the cheerful island graphics and pirate themes are fun, King of Seas' over reliance on grinding quickly stifles the enjoyment. Exploration is highly enjoyable, but after you've seen everything, the story is the only thing left to pursue. Artificial barriers to extend the experience frustrate, as there is little satisfaction in grinding to victory.
King of Seas is an interesting proposition. Mixing the idea of an overhead view ARPG in true devil style mixed with pirate ships, cannons and a procedural world sounds good. But the execution is half-ted, or at least that's the feeling that leaves us at the controls.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It has its limits, it does not have huge ambitions, and here and there it brings out ideas that are not bad, especially in combat. And, for the body of a thousand whales, it works. It's very repetitive, but it works. It doesn't extol, but it works.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Think of King of Seas as yet another spiritual successor to Sid Meier's Pirates! It has all the tools needed to keep you entertained for many hours. Unfortunately, it's also lacking in certain departments, leading to a more streamlined approach that can't compare to the classic.
King of Seas is akin to a reputably strong pirate now maligned with scurvy. You can easily see how this pirate game could be a great success, but so many deleterious design issues turn it into something cursed.
King of Seas is a quiet and peaceful procedural adventure that will make you love its interesting combat mechanics, but that gives up on proposing any innovation whatsoever.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While King of Seas is a slow-burning pirate adventure with some finicky combat, it ultimately makes for a fine journey across the Seven Seas.
King of Seas has some appealing bits to it like building up your ship and seeking out treasure but it gets repetitious and takes a long time to get anywhere. It looks good and can be fun for a little while but if you’re seeking the pirate life there may be better options out there.
Overall, King of Seas is a serviceable action-RPG with a pirates theme that is intended for a more casual audience. Its mechanics are solid, and the title is entertaining enough for short bursts of gameplay, but its grindy and repetitive nature quickly takes the wind out of its sails. Some of my complaints are certainly fixable in future updates, at which point I imagine the game to be a solid option for those who yearn for a decent but simplistic pirate life simulator. For now, I'd steer clear until some changes are implemented, or you can wait for a substantial sale.