It was originally conceived as a spin-off of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, but it has since been reworked multiple times with different concepts before finally being released in 2023.
Skull and Bones is a pirate game developed by Ubisoft.
The game takes place in the Indian Ocean and features RPG mechanics and naval combat.
Skull and Bones is a pirate game developed by Ubisoft. It was originally conceived as a spin-off of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, but it has since been reworked multiple times with different concepts before finally being released in 2023. The game takes place in the Indian Ocean and features RPG mechanics and naval combat.
Skull and Bones was released on February 16, 2023.
The game has an average score of 31 on Metacritic based on over 300 user reviews at the time of writing this article.
Many users have unfavorable comparisons with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag which was released in 2013 and involved a lot of sword fighting, naval battles, and stealth.
Skull and Bones focuses more on naval battles as players send their sailors to board enemy ships in a short cinematic instead of engaging in melee combat.
Negative reviews focus on pacing issues and limited game design approach. One user described the game as 'painfully slow and boring' while another complained that it was 'worse than it looks'.
Accuracy
The 12 professional reviews on Metacritic at the time of writing this article are more favorable, with an average score of 64 which is classified as mixed.
Skull and Bones had a notoriously problematic development and received multiple delays since its announcement in 2017. The game has undergone numerous changes to its setting, branding, and scope of gameplay mechanics.
The pirate and navigation game is currently available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC through the Ubisoft store.
Deception
(35%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author makes a false comparison between Skull and Bones and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag by stating that Skull and Bones focuses more on naval battles while Black Flag involved melee combat. This statement is misleading as both games have elements of both sword fighting and naval battles. Secondly, the author uses sensationalism when they describe negative reviews as
Painfully slow and boring
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the average score of Skull and Bones on Metacritic as evidence that it is a failure. However, this does not take into account other factors such as user preferences or game mechanics that may contribute to its low rating. Additionally, the article contains inflammatory rhetoric when describing negative reviews from users as
Painfully slow and boring
It's worse than it looks. There's no ship boarding, no swimming, naval battles are all the same. It has no ending.
Bias
(75%)
The author has a clear bias towards the negative reviews of Skull and Bones. The author uses quotes from users to make unfavorable comparisons with Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, which is not relevant to the current article. Additionally, the author seems to have an agenda against Skull and Bones as they mention its problematic development multiple times.
Many of these comments make unfavorable comparisons with Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
Negative reviews focus on pacing issues and a limited game design approach.
“Painfully slow and boring,” explains one user, while another complained, “It’s worse than it looks.
Skull and Bones had a notoriously problematic development
The pirate and navigation game is currently available on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC through the Ubisoft store.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Chema Carvajal Sarabia has a conflict of interest with Ubisoft as he is reporting on Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and naval battles. He also has a personal relationship with Edward Kenway who was the main character in Assassin's Creed 3.
Chema Carvajal Sarabia describes Edward Kenway as one of his favorite characters from previous games, indicating that he has a personal relationship with him.
Chema Carvajal Sarabia mentions Ubisoft multiple times throughout his article, including when discussing the gameplay mechanics of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. He also discusses naval battles in detail and praises them as a key aspect of the game.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Chema Carvajal Sarabia has a conflict of interest with Skull and Bones as he is an author for Ubisoft. He also has a personal relationship with Edward Kenway who was the main character in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, which is related to naval battles.
Chema Carvajal Sarabia wrote about Skull and Bones for Ubisoft. He also mentioned his personal relationship with Edward Kenway who was the main character in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, which is related to naval battles.
The article mentions that Chema Carvajal Sarabia has a conflict of interest with Skull and Bones as he is an author for Ubisoft.
, the game is set in the Indian Ocean, which works well as an open world to be explored and plundered.
, Skull and Bones features RPG mechanics with opportunities for buildcrafting alongside friends.
, naval combat is tactical and consistently entertaining.
Deception
(70%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Skull and Bones has finally found its way to launch after six separate delays and several different concepts that were forced to walk the plank. However, this statement is misleading as it implies that these previous attempts were failures when in fact they may have been successful but not released for various reasons such as budget constraints or creative differences. Secondly, the author uses hyperbole by comparing Skull and Bones to Man-of-War Ubisoft was hoping for just yet, which is an exaggeration of what the game actually is. Thirdly, the article claims that there are only a small list of endgame activities that become monotonous and grindy in short oar-der. However, this statement contradicts itself as it implies that these activities are not enjoyable but then goes on to say they can be fun with friends. Lastly, the author uses sensationalism by stating that Skull and Bones is a pirate game where you pillage ports and send enemy vessels to Davy Jones' locker in search of loot and infamy.
The article claims that Skull and Bones has finally found its way to launch after six separate delays. However, this statement implies that these previous attempts were failures when in fact they may have been successful but not released for various reasons such as budget constraints or creative differences.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Skull and Bones is a pirate game with the potential for greatness, without providing any evidence or reasoning behind this claim. Additionally, the author makes use of inflammatory rhetoric when describing some aspects of the game as
The article contains several fallacies.
<br> The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Skull and Bones is a pirate game with the potential for greatness, without providing any evidence or reasoning behind this claim. Additionally, the author makes use of inflammatory rhetoric when describing some aspects of the game as 'a yo-ho-whole lot of co-op fun'.
Bias
(75%)
The article contains a few examples of bias. Firstly, the author uses language that dehumanizes white supremacists by referring to them as 'dog-whistling' and celebrating their support for extremist far-right ideologies and wild conspiracy theories like QAnon. Secondly, the author implies that Ubisoft is not capable of creating a successful pirate game due to multiple delays and concepts being forced to walk the plank. This statement could be seen as an attack on Ubisoft's reputation or ability, which may reflect political bias.
dog-whistling
extremist far-right ideologies and wild conspiracy theories like QAnon
Ubisoft is not capable of creating a successful pirate game
Skull And Bones was originally conceived as a spin-off of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
The game lacks imagination compared to Black Flag in terms of naval battles and sailing
Skull And Bones is full-priced at $70, despite having hallmarks of a free-to-play game like a battle pass and an in-game store where you can buy things for real money.
The pirate and navigation game is currently available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC through the Ubisoft store.
Accuracy
The game is out of date due to technology advancements
Skull And Bones focuses more on naval battles as players send their sailors to board enemy ships in a short cinematic instead of engaging in melee combat.
Negative reviews focus on pacing issues and limited game design approach. One user described the game as 'painfully slow and boring' while another complained that it was 'worse than it looks'.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when it mentions that Skull and Bones is a quadruple-A game. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating that the game is full-priced but has all the hallmarks of a free-to-play game, which implies that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot's statement about Skull and Bones being worth $70 is false. The article also contains an example of a dichotomous depiction when it compares Skull and Bones to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, stating that the former has a general lack of imagination while the latter had peak-era Assassin's Creed imagination.
Skull and Bones is full-priced but has all the hallmarks of a free-to-play game.
Bias
(70%)
The author has a clear bias towards the idea that video games are outdated when new technology is developed. The article mentions several examples of this phenomenon and presents Skull And Bones as an example of it. Additionally, the author seems to have a negative view of Ubisoft's decision to make Skull And Bones full-priced despite its similarities with free-to-play games.
Skull And Bones is a fresher and more timely example of the phenomenon. Originally conceived as a spin-off of 2013's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (arguably one of the best ones, if only because of the hilarious framing device)
Skull And Bones is full-priced and that's 2024 full-priced, so $70 and yet it's going to have all the hallmarks of a free-to-play game
The game seems to have a general lack of imagination when compared to Black Flag
The most famous example of this is the definitive doomed video game, Duke Nukem Forever
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Sam Barsanti has a financial tie to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot as he is an employee of the company. He also has personal relationships with Matthew Morrison and Cory Monteith who are featured in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag which may affect his objectivity.
Sam Barsanti mentions Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot as a source of information about Skull and Bones. He also talks about Matthew Morrison and Cory Monteith in relation to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag which may affect his objectivity.
The article discusses the financial cost of $70 for a full-priced game, but does not disclose that Sam Barsanti is an employee of Ubisoft.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has multiple conflicts of interest on the topics provided. The article discusses a game that was released in 2019 and is now outdated, which could be seen as promoting Ubisoft's product despite its age. Additionally, the article mentions Matthew Morrison and Cory Monteith who are both deceased, which may not be relevant to the topic at hand.
The author discusses a game that was released in 2019 and is now outdated.
, Skull and Bones achieved legendary status before its release, but not many people want to play it.
Skull and Bones focuses more on naval battles as players send their sailors to board enemy ships in a short cinematic instead of engaging in melee combat.
Accuracy
Skull and Bones achieved legendary status before its release, but not many people want to play it.
Many users have unfavorable comparisons with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag which was released in 2013 and involved a lot of sword fighting, naval battles, and stealth.
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author makes a statement that Skull and Bones achieved 'somewhat legendary status even before it was released', which implies that it had already gained popularity among gamers. However, this is not true as there are no sources cited to support this claim.
The article states that Skull and Bones achieved 'somewhat legendary status even before it was released'. This statement is false.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author commits the appeal to authority fallacy by stating that Skull and Bones is not many things Ubisoft itself said it would be at various points in its storied history without providing any evidence or context for this claim.
Bias
(75%)
The author has a clear bias towards Assassin's Creed Black Flag and its successor Skull and Bones. The author compares the two games extensively throughout the article, with Black Flag being praised while Skull and Bones is criticized for not living up to expectations. This comparison creates an implicit contrast between the two games that may influence readers' perceptions of them.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag is easily one of the franchise’s best instalments.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Kate Harrold has a financial interest in Ubisoft as she is an employee of Gaming Bible which is owned by Future plc. This could compromise her ability to report on the topic objectively.
.
$69.99 of their hard earned cash.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Assassin's Creed Black Flag as Ubisoft is the publisher and they are also promoting Skull and Bones. The article mentions that Helldivers 2 was released for $30 which may be seen as an attempt to promote their own product.
Skull and Bones is a pirate ship game developed by Ubisoft. It has been in development for 11 years and has undergone multiple reworks over time.
The core debate of the game was whether to allow players to play as a pirate or make combat almost entirely on ships. The decision was made to have combat solely on ships, which is now what it looks like when you win a battle in Skull and Bones.
Assassin's Creed IV being turned into a full pirate game was an easy win but the final product ended up being boat-based battles with little else. The decision-making process behind Skull and Bones should be studied in a lab as it is unclear how all this time and energy went into the game.
Sea of Thieves has become a long-term success despite having a cartoony art style and none of the brutality of more realistic pirates. Ubisoft could have made Skull and Bones with literal pirates instead of ships, but they chose this ship/multiplayer/live service route.
Skull and Bones is not going to be for everyone as it focuses solely on naval combat. It may also be a disaster like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Accuracy
Skull and Bones was released on February 16, 2023.
The game has an average score of 31 on Metacritic based on over 300 user reviews at the time of writing this article.
Many users have unfavorable comparisons with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag which was released in 2013 and involved a lot of sword fighting, naval battles, and stealth.
Deception
(80%)
The article is deceptive in its portrayal of Skull and Bones as a game that has undergone many revisions over time. The author presents the decision to make combat almost entirely on ships as a mistake when it was actually part of the core debates from the beginning. Additionally, while Assassin's Creed IV being turned into a full pirate game is presented as an easy win, this ignores other successful pirate games like Sea of Thieves that have been around for years and are not based on existing franchises. The author also presents Skull and Bones as a failure without providing any evidence to support this claim.
The decision-making process behind Skull and Bones should be studied in a lab, as I have no idea how all this time and energy went into a game that ended up being boat-based battles and little else.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Skull and Bones is a Quadruple A game without providing any evidence or context for what this means. They also use inflammatory rhetoric when they describe the game as a 'boat-based battles and little else' which is subjective and not based on objective criteria. The author uses an informal fallacy by stating that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot described Skull and Bones as Quadruple A, without providing any evidence or context for this statement. They also use a dichotomous depiction when they describe the game's combat as either all in the ship or not at all, which oversimplifies a complex issue. The author uses an appeal to authority again by stating that Sea of Thieves has been successful despite having a cartoony art style and no brutality, without providing any evidence or context for this statement.
The game is described as Quadruple A
Skull and Bones is being compared to Assassin's Creed IV which was turned into a full pirate game
Sea of Thieves has been successful despite having a cartoony art style and no brutality
Bias
(85%)
The author has a clear bias towards the idea that Skull and Bones is not a good game. The author uses language such as 'negates', 'not great for the game' and 'boat-based battles'. They also use examples of poor reception to support their argument.
<br>
> The decision-making process behind Skull and Bones should be studied in a lab
> This is it
> This video sums up the issue with Skull and Bones, which has undergone many, many reworks over time. One of the core debates was whether to let players play as a pirate, full Assassin's Creed IV style, or to make combat almost entirely just in the ship.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Paul Tassi has a conflict of interest with Skull and Bones as he is an employee of Ubisoft which owns the game. He also has a personal relationship with Yves Guillemot who is CEO of Ubisoft.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Paul Tassi has a conflict of interest on the topic of Skull and Bones as he is an employee of Ubisoft which developed the game.
