Sea of Remnants Preview
Sea of Remnants looks to be building on a really interesting, offbeat RPG that infuses roguelike elements into both turn-based combat and open-world exploration, all with an underlying, bubbling amnesic mystery.
Ahead of its release next year, publisher NetEase and developer Joker Studios revealed more information about free-to-play, ocean adventure RPG Sea of Remnants. Ahead of a trailer due to be shown at Gamescom Opening Night Live, RPGamer was given an early look at the game to learn more about its gameplay loops, open world, combat system, and more. Sea of Remnants is set for an unspecified 2027 release for PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and iOS and Android.
Sea of Remnants is an open-world ocean-fantasy RPG and sees players taking on the role of a memoryless puppetfolk sailor who awakens on a ship. They must set sail across a wide, boundless ocean that contains strange islands, perilous fiends, and plenty of other sailors who also have forgotten stories or troubled pasts. By repeatedly setting sail across the ocean, players set out to recover their lost memories, find people important to them, and uncover the mysteries that will guide them back home.
The preview event demonstrated the game’s open-world format, which aims to be a highly replayable roguelike in which every voyage is completely different: bosses, equipment, crewmates, and even skills can change across expeditions. The core gameplay loop was described as “Set Sail, Explore, Collect, and Return,” with players initially setting sail into the ocean, exploring the environment and fighting through turn-based combat, collecting various spoils and booty, and then returning to the hub world, Orbtopia, to upgrade and build up their ships and repeat. Along the way, new mysteries and information will be uncovered through each journey. The event heavily noted that the game aimed to de-emphasize gacha mechanics, with optional in-app purchases relegated to cosmetics or battle passes.
Sea of Remnants features strategic turn-based combat, but here it also fuses the roguelike nature into the mix, with the preview deeming this “rogueluck.” Various elements of the combat system, including enhancement dice, shanties, skills, and gear, are all randomized to various degrees during each voyage, as are enemies and boss encounters, with the intent that players change their strategy, crew composition, and loadouts to adapt to each new scenario presented on a given voyage. A few examples were shown of various luck-based enhancement dice rolls.
The last element the preview emphasized was Orbtopia itself, which changes after each return voyage. Plundered resources allow players to permanently increase the power and abilities of their party members, allowing further odysseys out into the sea’s far reaches. By finding important characters or completing other objectives, various inhabitants of Orbtopia may also regain their memories, which appear to be one of the richer, newer story elements shown in the preview. While little was revealed about the core premise behind the puppetfolk’s missing memories, there was a strong, intriguing sense of mystery.
Sea of Remnants looks to be building on a really interesting, offbeat RPG that infuses roguelike elements into both turn-based combat and open-world exploration, all with an underlying, bubbling amnesic mystery. It carries the same charming, flamboyant pirate-punk art style with aplomb, with a wide variety of detailed and stylish characters. Those interested in learning more about Sea of Remnants can read RPGamer’s impression of its demo at this year’s Summer Game Fest. The game is set to release next year, with a specific release date yet to be announced.
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