Gameplay from Ubisoft’s pirate game Skull & Bones has been leaked online, giving us a look at several mechanics, including sea combat and exploration on foot.
It is unclear what version of the game this “technical test building” is from when Skull & Bones received a major reboot before entering an alpha stage in July 2021. Ubisoft invited some players to test an early version in the last month, which means that this leaked gameplay, shared by Wesam_L on reddit, could well be from this Insider program.
In this version of the game, the Skull & Bones gameplay revolves around a hub area – similar to The Tower from Destiny 2 – that players will visit to make items, visit shops, take on missions, and so on. The name, called Sainte-Anne, is “the center of piracy”, and thus where players are encouraged to socialize (through emotes) and organize their teams of up to three players.
Players will then venture out into the world to complete quests through gameplay similar to what has been shown before: naval battles that look a little more complex than those from Assassin’s Creed.
Most of Skull & Bones seem to revolve around this gameplay loop, though it is mixed up with different types of battles, including attacks on forts and settlements, NPCs and player ships, and major “world events”, such as receiving a merchant and its fleet of companions.
Players must prepare in advance so that they have sufficient resources to keep their ship in good health and food and drink to keep their crew morale up. If not, the boat will be sunk (players are then rebuilt and can return to retrieve their cargo) or a mutiny (where the crew takes over the ship and probably just returns the player to an outpost).