DAVY x JONES
Preview
Now there are two of them!
EA SCOUT the last line of defense for buying on Steam's Early Access
by Quinn Levandoski
previewed on PC
A Pirate's Life For Me
There simply aren't enough pirate games out there. Despite having a long-running, rich, and beloved pop-culture mythology, they just don't get their time to shine nearly as often as one would think. Fortunately, Davy x Jones is here to put its own twist on the pirate's life. But will this quirky first-person shooter have you saying "Yo ho ho!," or is it destined to sink to the depths of Davy Jones' Locker?
Well, it's a little too early to tell, as Davy X Jones has just recently entered Early Access on Steam. However, the current build offers a solid chunk of content and definitely feels closer to done than not. How does it feel so far? Mostly good, but there's definitely still room for improvement.
A Good Head, Just Not On His Shoulders
The main gimmick of Davy x Jones is that players don't just play the mythical, titular pirate; they get to control his headless body that fights with the help of his independently conscious severed head. This obviously has narrative implications, but it's much more important in that it opens up some interesting combinations and is the flavor with which some of the environmental exploration is possible.
Story-wise, the opening is a bit of a mess, bouncing between Davy Jones down in The Locker (dead), Davy alive, and Davy re-living his last moments. When Davy is "killed" and decapitated, his head apparently reaches the afterlife first and spends some time there until his body arrives. I'm not really sure why the head has been there so much longer - I guess some kind of time dilation, but that isn't really explained - but he is, and the two reunite to escape death and enact vengeance on Blackbeard for what he's done.
The issue is that the pirates are, for reasons I'm not clear on, designed like living department store mannequins. It's fine enough, and I can accept that they're just creepy beings in a world full of monsters, but it does make it a little confusing when Jones' and Blackbeard's crews look almost identical. According to the voiceovers, Davy is betrayed by his crew, but I had no idea that was happening as I played through the intro.
Opening Things Up
After a brief period of gameplay that takes place on a linear map, the game expands into an open world. Now, "open world" is a dangerous phrase for most games. They're an attractive element to include in the marketing copy, but actually creating and implementing an open world in a way that feels engaging, fresh, and fun is quite rare. Unfortunately, having spent time navigating The Locker, I'm left with the impression that Davy x Jones would be a better experience overall if it were presented as separate "levels" or as a series of smaller open-ish hubs.
While the overall open world is well done from an artistic perspective, the benefits of exploring are minimal, and it rarely feels worth deviating from the direct path to my next marked objective. Making the situation a bit worse is that the map is pretty useless. There's no fine detail, and more than once, I found myself turned around and unclear of how exactly I could get where I needed to go. That can be fun if environmental discovery is an intentional and well-crafted part of the game, but here it just feels frustrating as I'd walk back and forth, re-encountering enemies in areas I'd already cleared as I pass through.
That being said, the environmental design is well done. Giant sunken ships form the backdrop to coral reefs and massive anemones, and enemies are a fun mix of skeletons, wooden abominations, living ship parts, and more. I'm excited to see where else the game goes visually, and those into the more mystical, fantastical side of pop-culture pirates will find a ton to love.
Slicing and Blasting
Combat in Davey x Jones is centered on the player combining Davy's sword, which he wields in one hand, and his pistol, which he wields in the other. So, is this more of a melee game or a shooter? Well, it rides the line pretty evenly. Jones begins with a basic attack using each weapon and a long-press attack that features a slightly different effect. As players progress, they can buy into additional moves that favor one or the other, but the main combat loop in its most basic form is to attack enemies, hit a button to fly over to them in a grappling-hook-like maneuver to unleash a flurry of strikes, and perform a finisher when the prompt appears.
It's all quite fast-paced, and I don't think the whole thing comes together quite as smoothly as it should. The individual strikes - both melee and long-range - sometimes feel awkward in terms of timing and hit-boxes, and I sometimes had difficulty getting the game to give me the grapple prompt on the right character or environmental item. That being said, things do improve after a few unlocks, and attacks and special moves start chaining together a bit more smoothly. As the game continues through Early Access, I'd like to see a few more interesting combat options made available even earlier than they currently are.
Davy X Jones is already a fun game with a neat narrative hook and some fun gameplay elements, but I don't quite feel comfortable giving it an all-out recommendation yet. I'd like to see some of the combat controls and loops tightened up a bit, the map needs improvement, and the open world needs to do more to justify its existence. However, with a bit of polish, this is set up to be a worthy entry in the pirate genre that's so desperate for more love.
As always, follow Hooked Gamers on Instagram for news updates, reviews, competitions and more.
Watch
The game has potential, but we're not ready to jump in with both feet. If the game interests you, look, but don't touch - yet.
