Video Game Review: Under The Jolly Roger

Rob Lake reviews Under the Jolly Roger on Xbox One...

Under the Jolly Roger is an open-world action-adventure RPG where you play as a fearless pirate captain. Developed by HeroCraft and published by Lion's Shade, you roam the seas ploting mischief and mayhem as you live the pirate life. It's very much "a pirates life for ye" as you contend with rival pirate captains, various factions and the nefarious Royal Navy, who have their own agenda for the vast seas. 

Under the Jolly Roger doesn't feature a story per-say. Much like Sea of Thieves, your left to make your own way in the dangerous seas. The only semblance of an story arc is that your Captain had their boat destroyed by the Kraken which results in the crew being scattered and a plan of revenge unfolding. Other than this you can pretty much do as you please. There's plenty of tasks to complete such as destroying other pirates or collecting supplies, but you're never tied into doing any of these. Most of my time was spent attacking and capturing other ships to then sell at the nearest port. While this is a pretty good way of getting gold and even a better ship it does come with it's own risks. 

Everything in Under the Jolly Roger is effected by reputation. Annoy a certain faction too much and you become an enemy. What this means is that you'll be no longer welcome at any ports that they own, and their allied ships and forts will attack at will. This can make the seas both deadly and lonesome. Whilst performing tasks for these factions can effect your standing with them, you'll most certainly lower your reputation with another. One thing I did like is that you can attract unwanted attention based on past deeds with factions hiring mercenaries to hunt you, to other pirates chasing you for that precious gold and cargo. 

Like any traditional RPG, Under the Jolly Roger features both a crew management option as well as your own. This is all done via a couple of menus which can feel very confusing. It's not very 'user friendly' and can result in a lot of miss clicking to eventually get to the required option. Each time you preform an action your crew gains experience. Once a certain level has been reached you can then upgrade their rank. This then allows you to measure how well your performing as a crew. The downside to this is that a high performing crew requires more gold to keep them with you - can't pay your crew? Then you do run the risk of your higher rated crewmembers leaving you. Thankfully this isn't too much of a problem as gold does come in plentiful supply. 

Under the Jolly Roger plays at its best when you're on the open seas. Ship combat is highly enjoyable and you have a vast array of combat options to choose from. Battles are all based on maneuvering the enemies vessel into your line of fire whilst avoiding theirs. You have plenty of variation in cannon balls to with ones that aid you more in capturing a ship and others that work towards destroying it. Capturing other ships is where I had the most fun. You have to damage the ship just enough to then sail next to it for your crew to board. Once on board you have to defeat the rival crew to claim the vessel. Hand to hand combat can feel incredibly clunky, but once your in the rhythm of how it works it's actually quite fun! 

What also makes Under the Jolly Roger fun is the inclusion of a fast travel option. While your free to control your ship at all times, the fast travel naturally speeds this travel up. During fast travel your also alerted to any nearby threats (or opportunities) if you wish to intervene. If however you want to pick a direction and travel then you can do this too. Controlling your vessel is fairly simple and all revolves around sail length and wind direction. While the fast travel option is great, just setting sail does open you up to seeing some pretty decent sights such as mythical creatures and some fairly decent weather effects. 

I've so far spent about 12 hours with Under the Jolly Roger and I'm nowhere near seeing everything. With a vast amount of tasks to contend with and an incredibly large open word to explore there is always something to see and do. There's also an online multiplayer option if you wish to plunder the seas with a friend or two. 

When it comes to graphics and sound, Under the Jolly Roger doesn't really stand out from the crowd. It's not particularly goulish to look at, nor is it a stunning work of art. The ships themselves look pretty decent and particularly on your own you can see your crew working as your sailing about. The sea is arguably the games strongest asset and it looks great on the Xbox Series X (bare in mind that the game isn't XSX optimised). Much like the graphics, the soundtrack is so-so. It serves its purpose but isn't something to particularly praise or moan about. 

Under the Jolly Roger is definitely a game I would recommend. For those of you who want a pirate offering that's different from Sea of Thieves then Under the Jolly Roger has a lot to offer. While the sailing and ship combat is the games strongest point. The sea looks great and the inclement weather is a nice touch. Sadly this is let down by some awkward menus and disappointing melee combat. Hopefully HeroCraft continues to support Under the Jolly Roger as there's definitely a diamond hidden there just under the rough. 

Rating 7/10

Under the Jolly Roger is available now from the Microsoft store. 

A review code was kindly provided for this review. 

Game played on an Xbox Series X 

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev