You can’t really go wrong with a seafaring sim. Anyone who’s emerged from Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag will have uttered the words: “I’d have played a game dedicated to those pirate-y bits”, and many of us have history with the classic Sid Meier’s Pirates. Let’s not ignore good ol’ Sea of Thieves, either, which has been doing the business on our fair black box.
It means that there’s plenty of room for Under the Jolly Roger, previously known as Tempest (we’re all for the more memorable new moniker). Late to the shores of Xbox, after having a stint on the Switch, PC and mobile, we won’t hold it against it: we are, after all, big fans of any games that let us swash our buckles and buccan our ears. Under the Jolly Roger is out now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch and PC.
There’s a fair amount of depth to this one. Not only are you hoisting the mainsail and taking to the seas, navigating the world of Under the Jolly Roger, but you are doing a hefty amount of resource management too. By gaining booty, you can outfit your ship and improve it, hire an improved crew, or train the crew you have.
There’s a trading side too, as you look for the best rates on your cargo. Beware, though, as others will have sights on your goods, and Under the Jolly Roger is often about keeping hold of what you’ve got in your hold. You will often come across encounters as you travel the world, most commonly in ship battles, where you fire broadsides and incapacitate opponents before hopping on board. Then, the perspective shifts to an over-the-captain’s shoulder view, and you can do that swashbuckling that we promised you, swinging your sword and choosing to scuttle the ship or enlist them to your side.
There’s free movement in Under the Jolly Roger, so you can chart the many nooks and crannies of the map while claiming it’s secrets. Magical artefacts can be found and outfitted to your ship, doing fantastical things like shielding sections of it, and fortresses and temples can be found that hide long-lost secrets.
While it’s looking its age (Under the Jolly Roger is coming up to four years’ old now), Under the Jolly Roger could well capture the feeling of becoming a pirate and overseeing a piratical empire: something we haven’t felt or enjoyed since Sid Meier’s Pirates, and that’s a very good thing indeed. Well worth a few pieces of eight. You will however have to read our full review of Under the Jolly Roger on Xbox to see if this is how it all plays out.
Under the Jolly Roger is out now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and starts at £14.99 from the Xbox Store. It’s also out on Switch and PC.
Game Description:
Under the Jolly Roger is offering an ultimate ability to free roam three vast worlds filled with dozens of colonies and forts, hundreds of quests, and countless ships to plunder. You can trade, fight, explore on your own, or call friends to do the same together! Set your foot on the land to plunder it! Game features: – Limitless sailing in real-time – use Global Map only if you want to! – A system of leveling your pirates, let them grow from sailor boys to skilled old salts! – Hundreds of quests
