Gamer reviews for Seabeard
Become a Legendary Pirate in Seabeard
Take on the titular character, the legendary pirate Seabeard's dream of unifying the land as his only descendant in Seabeard. Seabeard is currently available only for iOS for free but there are rumors going around that it will soon be released for the Android platform as well. There are In-app purchases that come in the form of the game's special currency; pearls. No ads present as well which is always a plus for consumers.
After character creation, which has no impact on gameplay, the game begins with a history lesson about the land and it is then shortly followed by the storyteller, Rudolf, triggering the quest to reunite the land. The game is largely familiar to fans of the Animal Crossing games since this game resembles Animal Crossing in gameplay and even in its art and graphics.
The task of reuniting the land begins with the Island Seabeard established which is now in ruins. It will take a long time to return the land to its former glory but with Rudolf's guidance, through the tutorial stages all the way to the later stages, it will surely be something that is achieved slowly but surely. Aside from getting the main island up and running by having some stalls where the hired traders sell their respective wares and also giving them sufficient dwellings, the task of getting a crew like Seabeard did, is the next step the game focuses on. The first crew member to be hired would be the Angler/Fisherman who catches the first lucrative source of income, Fish. All these tasks will take a lot of time outside the tutorial stages which is the first flaw most people might point out.
During the tutorial stages, the tasks can be solved with relative ease. Then suddenly, after the game is done with its hand-holding, the tasks suddenly get increasingly demanding. This can be clearly seen in a very contrasting difference between the first crew member obtained, the angler, to the second crew member which is the fighter. The sheer difference in difficulty in obtaining the two members are as big as night and day. The curve in which the quest line difficulty is too steep and the NPC that handles this quest borders on annoying and unreasonable with its tasks. This could also be seen with the subsequent buildings that are built like the trader houses which look and function similarly to each other but oddly enough becomes increasingly difficult to obtain items for construction and even longer build times.
Although these are considerable drawbacks to the game, they are just seen as a great increase in difficulty because the previous tasks or upgrades were too easy to complete due to being part of tutorial stages. All those noted, this game isn't something to play continuously. It is meant to be played during free time in between other tasks. The game also runs in real time meaning if it is morning in the real world, it is morning in the game's world as well.
Some quests and other items like certain types of fish only come out at night. This mechanic may just need a schedule if it is to be played seriously. One more thing the game does well is the light push the game makes on microtransactions. Yes it is possible to buy pearls to make life a lot easier but these pearls can be earned steadily. Especially with the daily quests and login rewards. Not to mention some NPCs handing them out for quest rewards and the machine that sacrifices five useless items for a shot at random prizes including some pearls so eventually, pearls come in rather easily with some luck.
The graphic style is really easy on the eyes. It uses a 3D, cartoony style that is similar to some games like Animal Crossing which seems to have inspired this game beyond just its gameplay. The sound is also catchy and fits this games "relaxed" style. The other sound effects around the game are done just right as well from the sounds during fishing to the various mini-games the game has.
Seabeard is a fun and light game that could be played in short bursts while doing other stuff. Its real time feature is an interesting mechanic to incorporate the game to your real life schedule and its not-so-heavy-handed approach to microtransactions is a commendable feature. This game takes a rather long time to play properly and is well worth the long time spent in it.
