In the last few weeks I’ve been playing Ship of Fools with my oldest child, who happens to be 13-years-old at the time of writing. I had tried to play it by myself prior to that, but this isn’t a game designed for solo sailors. Rather, Fika’s nautical roguelite is a co-op game intended for two.
All being thus, upon returning to the game, this time joined by an eager teen, Ship of Fools revealed itself to be a ton of fun while boasting a surprising amount of depth.
All aboard, captain!
So yes, you can play Ship of Fools on your own, and it’s perfectly fine to do so, but you’re going to have a better time if you bring a friend along for the voyage. There’s an Overcooked-inspired flavour to the action where you’re furiously running about, always trying to stave off disaster. Chaotic co-op energy is very much present here.
You start on your home island with all of the characters that you have unlocked, as well as vendors on hand to sell you upgrades for your ship. Unless you’ve got business to attend to, it’s time to jump aboard and head to the wheel, which directs you to the world map. It is here that you pick your path through troubled waters, with the goal being to sail from left to right and to the boss at the end.
Moving from map to action feels nice and fluid, creating a more cohesive experience that feels more joined up than most games that adopt a similar approach to progression. The map is filled with different objectives that you choose between, and upon arrival you’re greeted by an encounter that you must deal with, one way or another. Most are action-packed battles with sea monsters, but some tiles represent the little islands that are dotted about the place, where you can stop off to buy new gear.
Enemies to starboard!
The beating heart of Ship of Fools is the chaotic combat encounters that it throws at you in quick succession. Your starter ship has four hard points, two on each side. The ones on the side of the ship are for your cannons, and there are more hardpoints on the deck where you can put your ammunition and any other items you find. Different ships have different layouts, but the basics are the same: keep the guns firing and your enemies at bay.
Keeping the cannons loaded and firing requires focus. You’ll quickly unlock the ability to equip auto-firing guns, but these also require re-arming and even repositioning on the ship. Enemies attack from all sides, although they’ll often concentrate on one, so you’re always adjusting your weapons. It’s worth it because if you can keep the bads at bay you’ll avoid taking melee damage. Finding and equipping more powerful weapons and ammo only makes this easier.
Enemies will also arrive on the deck of your ship, at which point it’s time to get whacking with your paddle. Each playable character has its own ability and early on it pays to have a more combat focused sailor. If you are boarded and the enemy spends too long on deck, you’ll take damage. Take too much damage and, well, I think you know what happens next…
Déjà voyage
If and when your ship is sunk, it’s back to the starting area with you. As you meet new playable characters, they’ll appear on your island, available for future runs. As you get further into the game, you’ll unlock new NPCs who’ll sell you improved items and even new ship blueprints. The meta-progression isn’t super complicated and my son was quickly taking control of the situation and buying up the upgrades he wanted.
My favourite new items were always the new ammunition types, because I thought they were extra useful when dealing with the bosses. These extended combat encounters require proper cooperation and a bit of learning, as they mix up ranged and close-quarters combat. However, in keeping with the cartoony vibe, they’re not too hard to learn and attacks are clearly signposted.
The seas you explore in Ship of Fools are filled with quirky characters, dangerous battles, and interesting upgrades, and the whole thing is brought to life thanks to really strong art direction and intuitive controls and UI design. The recent addition of an Endless Mode is the replayable cherry on the cake. If you’re looking for a two-player roguelike experience that’s accessible to the whole family, keep your telescope firmly fixed on this one!
Ship of Fools is currently out now on PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox. I played the game via access provided by publisher Team17.
