Sea of Remnants has come a good distance since we first appeared at it final yr. Excessive on model, however brief on particulars at the time, we praised the aesthetics, even when we wanted to see extra from the story and gameplay to know if it has the substance to go together with it. Fortunately, we received a contemporary look at Summer time Recreation Fest 2026, and what a distinction a yr makes. The turn-based swashbuckling and realtime ship fight, mixed with a wholesome dose of thriller and outrageous characters, has my spyglass skilled squarely on the Sea of Remnants.
Because the demo begins, it’s simply me in a rowboat, the star-filled nights sky overhead, and the ocean stretching infinitely in each course. As I row ahead, the ethereal music swells, and luminous sea creatures start to coalesce round me. Simply off my starboard, a whale made of gentle, shades of navy and turquoise, breaches the floor. A fleet of wraithlike boats be a part of me in formation. Ultimately, I come to a solitary ship’s wheel extending above what I presume should be a shipwreck. As I attain out to the touch it, a ghostly ship, a full-sized galleon, instantly emerges from beneath the waves. The non-caporeal vessel passes straight into me, ignoring the strong wooden of my boat completely. It disappears simply as rapidly, because the moon itself rises from the ocean, and my display fades to black.
Sea of Remnants is a beautiful, open-world fantasy RPG set in a world of ocean exploration and piracy. Already the colourful colours and music create a spectacle tugging at my heartstrings. Up shut, all the pieces has a picket puppetry aesthetic – a charming, hand crafted look that jogs my memory of Laiki, the studio behind trendy cease movement classics like Coraline or ParaNorman.
Now I’m at the controls of a full-sized ship. The calm seas are gone and a kraken-like creature is attacking my vessel. We’re circling clockwise across the physique, although tentacles the scale of buildings lash out at us from beneath the water. I take cautious intention with my cannons and fireplace, repelling the appendages as I transfer to fireside upon the middle of the beast. The ship shudders below its livid assault, however as I method, its mouth is open, and I activate a capability that slows down time and permits me to stagger it with a rigorously positioned volley into its maw. Nonetheless, this simply appears to enrage the beast. It begins to assemble power in a huge orb of gentle above its physique. I pour all the pieces I’ve into it, however to no avail; it unleashes a burst of unimaginable energy, and I’m wiped utterly from the ocean.
Your ship is your key to exploration. Because the identify suggests, the world in Sea of Remnants is made up of islands linked by huge tracks of water. Diver wildlife and dynamic climate shade the journey. As you journey around the globe you’ll be increase your ship, upgrading and customizing it to help you discover additional, and survive the hazards at sea. Ship fight is like a midpoint between The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Murderer’s Creed Black Flag. Easy controls and a combine of enemy ships and fantastical creatures resemble the previous, whereas the power to maneuver and shoot, and significance of positioning to go along with your intention are extra just like the latter.
A determine is standing over me. It’s fuzzy, I can’t make out the small print, however he’s shining a flashlight into my eyes and asking me philosophical questions concerning the nature of demise, hypotheticals about strolling by means of a forest, and exploring what little I bear in mind. I reply as greatest I can earlier than fading away as soon as once more. Once I come to, Sigmund, the determine I’d been talking to, greets me correctly, and provides to renovate my largely featureless physique. Along with his assist my puppet beneficial properties a flowing mane of hair, some trendy facial hair painted on my picket face, and I don a trendy frock coat in place of my tattered cloak. Lastly, I seem like the pirate-puppet of my goals.
As you sail the Sea of Remnants you’ll meet new characters, type your crew, and recuperate your misplaced recollections. The primary clue on that journey is a compass, my solely possession, and it factors in the direction of Feffers, a tavern the place sailors are recognized to retailer their valuables earlier than departing on voyages. As I emerge from the workshop, I discover I’m in a vibrant maritime city referred to as Orbtopia. Tall buildings and cobblestone streets stretch round me, and a whole bunch of distinctive, named NPCs populate the realm. After a slight mishap involving a rooster pilfering my compass, I discover my option to Feffers.
Feffers is… a lot. Funky pirate tunes fill the air in a tavern the scale of a division retailer. What seems to be a huge, mechanical octopus sits atop a spherical bar at the middle. Tables and chairs, many crammed with colourful patrons, are scattered about, with a stage at the far finish. I make my option to the bartender and ask about something I could have left behind. He pulls out a suitcase and arms it over, however earlier than I’ve a likelihood to look at the contents, all hell breaks unfastened.
The commotion begins with a woman, RS. She swings across the room on a rope, distributing flyers recruiting for her crew. Sadly, her antics end in a cup of grog touchdown within the face of a significantly ornery trying pirate by the identify of Whitebeard, who sends his goons to punish the lass for the insult. Her makes an attempt to combat and evade in all probability would have labored if not for an ill-timed collision with one explicit harmless bystander (me). All of a sudden we’re surrounded, and I’m dragged into a combat.
Sea of Remnants makes use of a turn-based battle system, such as you’d see in Expedition 33 or your favourite basic JRPGs. The ruffians take the primary flip and chip away at the well being of the woman and I with some up shut dagger slashes and a well-aimed thrown bottle. An motion bar on the left of the display lays out the order; I’m up, and I retaliate with some robust slashes from my sword, whereas RS offers some AOE harm with some type of thrown concoction, ending off one enemy and taking a chunk off the opposite.
Behind the pirate theme, the fight shares a lot of DNA with basic fantasy RPGs. Melee and ranged assaults do a lot of the work, however buffs, debuffs, and explosive potions consider to create a layer of superb technique. Your crewmates have distinctive weapon abilities to contribute, like RS’s “Cutest Doll”, which, regardless of its fuzzy exterior, operates extra like a rocket launcher. I put that to work wiping out the lineup of enemy pirates, although Whitebeard rapidly replenishes them from his huge crew. This explicit combat is fairly closely scripted, so I can’t fairly inform how good or deep the battle system is simply but, however the fast motion and trendy prospers undoubtedly give off a Persona vibe.
With no hope to beat these numbers, RS drops a smoke bomb and sprints out the exit. After a brief pursuit, I catch as much as her on the seashore. She’s not thrilled that I apparently ruined her recruiting effort, however after having her again at the barroom brawl I’m forgiven. She doesn’t know any extra about my amnesia than I do, however after I crack open the suitcase the barman gave me, her face lights up. She acknowledges a {photograph}, and the tattered remnants of a flag. We should be linked in some way. With this realization, we conform to type a crew collectively, and set sail on her ship to start our journey in earnest.
With the wind at our backs and solutions forward of us, our journey begins in earnest on the Sea of Remnants. Certain, “I’ve amnesia” is a bit worn as a storytelling trope in RPGs, however the allure of the artstyle and characters greater than makes up for it, and I’m intrigued to be taught extra about them and the world – particularly if the battle system comes collectively and the ship fight continues to be an thrilling spectacle. We should wait and see the place these winds take us when Sea of Remnants releases later this yr on PlayStation 5, PC, and cell.