If you choose to play solo, you can still find thrilling action-adventure moments. Want to while the evening away and push yourself to fill up your hold as much as possible? You can focus on the loot without being pressured to go check out that skull cloud, or join in on a pirate music party. Want to complete a single voyage in a nice, half-hour chunk? Go for it without any pressure from the rest of the team to stay online. Playing with friends comes with the expectation of consideration for their voyages and their progression. In a game where ‘experience’ is less of a character advancement mechanic and more of a literal thing you gain over time, the solo player gets to set their own schedule. I’ve played hours of solo voyages since then, and it’s quiet, and more difficult, but I feel like I’m advancing my mastery of sailing and brawling. I sailed in circles across the ocean, finally making it to Snake Island. I chose to go in blind, and my first voyage was a short one. In fact, the first few hours you spend with Sea of Thieves will likely be frustratingly opaque, unless you turn to guides and do some reading outside of the game. Solo pirates can find content well within their grasp. But there’s a surprising amount of room to master those mechanics and feel yourself improve at the art of pirate-craft. There are no experience bars, and enemies do not drop items ranging in rarity from green to orange that give you +2 to Shanty Song Mastery or extra damage on your cutlass swings. Sea of Thieves is relatively content-light at launch, and most of your time will be centered around collecting things for three factions.
Even with all of that in mind, I’ve had a blast for around 15 hours as a solo swashbuckler. Will you be at a disadvantage against enemy crews out there on the lawless ocean? Also yes. For those among us who prefer to play on their own, or just can’t rustle up a group, don’t worry: Sea of Thieves is a perfectly viable solo experience. "The current debate around this kind of topic is, you know, is it foolish or is it, you know, fabulous, kind of thing?" shared director Jennifer Peedom. "Is he a hero or is he a villain? And it's not nearly as simple as that.Sea of Thieves is a fun but uneven multiplayer game that allows you to roll around with friends as a crew of four (or two, on a smaller ship) pirates. I really am," he questioned out loud while paddling into open water, but Solo tries to answer this question using footage McAuley recorded while at sea and through interviews with those closest to him.ĭebuting on the National Geographic Channel in 2008, the documentary won awards and accolades for investigating McAuley's disappearance with empathy. What compelled McAuley to leave the safety of his home, as well as his wife and son, and attempt to cross the treacherous body of water between Tasmania and New Zealand? McAuley wasn't even sure about his motivations. Thirty days later, after he made a distress call, authorities found McAuley's capsized and abandoned kayak within sight of the New Zealand coast, and his disappearance was deemed a tragedy in the media. The harrowing documentary Solo captures the story of kayaker Andrew McAuley's journey across the Tasman Sea on January 11, 2007.