Sea of Remnants Could Be The Year’s Strongest Free RPG

Sea of Remnants has completely and utterly caught me off guard and may be the game to finally do away with my tenuous relationship with MMORPGs.

If you hadn’t guessed, I’m not typically a frequent visitor, nor fan, of the genre. I’m not exactly one for microstransactions - with the exception of Fortnite, oops. If you don’t purchase in-game currency, MMMORPGs can feel a tad too grindy and that, in turn, starts to make the gameplay loop feel repetitive and formulaic. I can’t say I feel that way about Sea of Remnants though, an upcoming free “ocean adventure RPG” from Joker Studio and Net Ease Games. Lured in by the game’s stylistic visuals, I sampled a recent playtest that most definitely left me craving the game’s full release.

Sea of Remnants Boasts a Strong Central Story

Players step into the shoes of a puppet-like character who washes up on the shores of Orbtopia having been left to drift in the titular Sea of Remnants. Our main character has lost their memories, but soon uncovers a suitcase full of clues, several of which connect to new friend RK. Together, the duo set out to get to the bottom of this intriguing mystery.

Hopefully it’s clear that Sea of Remnants boasts an engaging story for players, and it’s one that’ll see you journey across the game’s semi open-world. Orbtopia is, as I alluded to above, the main pirate port you’ll be based in, but players will also set sail to a wide array of islands, so the game is essentially made up of quite a number of maps. Even after a few hours with the beta test though, the breadth of the region you’ll get to explore in Sea of Remnants already felt very expansive - and I’m sure developers probably have long-term plans to add more.

NetEase Games

Enjoy Both Naval and Turn-Based Land Combat

Throughout your journey, you’ll engage in your fair share of combat which is split into two categories. On land, you’ll participate in turn-based fights against enemies, both human and creature. Adding to my usual dislike of MMORPGs, I’m not exactly a big fan of turn-based combat either but Sea of Remnants boasts a slick and fluid system that’s well-explained and easy to master. With the various prologue missions, you’re steadily introduced to the system’s mechanics and I rapidly found it quite satisfying to see off anyone who dared threaten me.

The other category of combat is naval. You can’t have a pirate game without pirate ships. You’ll need to sail to the various islands I mentioned, which you can do so manually or select auto sail. On one occasion, I did press the latter though and we were definitely not heading towards where X marks the spot. Anyway, if you’re under threat during sailing, you’ll be able to use the right trigger to fire a cannon which is hugely satisfying. Having both systems present kept the system feeling fresh.

NetEase Games

The turn-based combat is party-based with players apparently able to select from over 300 companions. Clearly, I didn’t get time to meet quite that many in my brief tenure with the playtest but I did enjoy the variety I sampled. Given that each character boasts unique and cool attacks tailored to their personalities, it was fun to experiment.

Outside of combat, Sea of Remnants is very supportive of players simply exploring the open-world. I will say that I found it very, very difficult to stray away from the main story given how engaging it actually was. I’m desperately craving answers regarding our main character’s origins. I did eventually take to aimlessly roaming though, stumbling across plenty of side content and minigames from Mahjong to rhythm challenges.

The Most Stylish Game I’ve Played In a Long Time

Over on the game’s Steam listing, Joker Studio state that Sea of Remnants is “built on real ocean physics, creature behaviours, and environmental systems”, adding, “Sea of Remnants blends stylised animated visuals with sharp-edged comic book flair, vibrant graffiti energy, and absurdist glitch aesthetics—a sensory feast.” I can attest that is completely true. Sea of Remnants is mesmerising to look at and I’m really struggling to draw any kind of comparison. It has the comic book slickness of, say, the Persona franchise, but its wooden puppetry look really sets it apart.

The game’s unique sense of style is showcased in the cutscenes. The stylistic choices combined with the music and excellent animation make for some real showstopping moments that I simply just didn’t expect.

I do have to touch on microtransactions as while they didn’t factor into my playtest, they will feature in the full release. I have discovered though that players have been assured that anything you can buy within Sea of Remnants, you will be able to earn for free so there’s no pay-to-win items. That doesn’t rid the game of grind, but it’s the best I suppose we can hope for when it comes to the topic.

NetEase Games

I’ll also add that even after a few hours, it’s clear that there’s so much life in the game. NPCs react if you knock into them, for example, or there’s everchanging weather conditions. Players can unearth hidden treasures or ruins, or even challenge any in-game NPC to a duel to the death. This is a really thorough playground designed for you to be able to have the fun you yearn to be possible.

I can’t say whether Sea of Remnants is a certified hit having only played several hours, but I am of the opinion that it’s very capable of being one. Sea of Remnants doesn’t feel predictable or as if it's retreading old ground. It’s adding something new to the genre, with its Assassin’s Creed Black Flag appeal. Sea of Remnants is stylish, packed with content, and most of all fun.

Sea of Remnants launches on PC (version tested), PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android in 2026.