Sea of Thieves stream shows off combat, pillaging, cannon-fired transport

Is it a bird, is it a pirate?

Last week, incoming pirate action-adventure game Sea of Thieves showed us how to become a pirate. This week, developer Rare puts its booty where its mouth is with a new hour-long developer gameplay trailer.   

Within, software engineer Jessica Baker, audio intern Katie Tarrant, retention designer Josh Mitchell, and social media intern Steven Dillon board a ship, embark on a treasure hunt, fight sharks, and fire themselves from cannons, among a host of other buccaneer-inspired activities. 

My favourite is the latter, which features below around the 7.20 mark.

As we've seen before, successfully managing the division of labour is key in Sea of Thieves—wherein specific players are assigned specific roles within each operation. With that, the idea that circumstance influences outcomes appeals to me, where each game's incidental moments have scope to generate stories. 

Despite the most obvious examples of action set pieces outlined above, it's these accidental moments I find most interesting—like when Mitchell is knocked into the sea mid-cannon fire by an enemy's projectile. Being forced to adapt on the spot as a unit should make for some interesting team play. Or, you know, at least ruin a few friendships.