Any game that describes itself as "FTL-meets-Sunless Sea in the golden age of sea" is likely to turn heads, and, having watched Abandon Ship's first public demo at this year's PC Gamer Weekender, it'd seem Fireblade Software's debut venture is on track to live up to its billing. 

And if the combat and weather trailer that aired back in April teased the challenges of life at sea in Abandon Ship, then the latest 'Sea Monsters and Doomsday Cults' short drives that home hook line and sinker.  

Cue some dogged extremists, hostile sea beasts and monstrous kraken:

"The odds are stacked against you," explains Fireblade's Gary Burchell above in what seems like a gross understatement. "But there are ways to strike back. Throughout your journey you'll acquire the knowledge and power to prevail."

Before you get comfortable, though, Burchell signs off by saying: "However, there may be more to the cult than it initially appears." 

Great.

Abandon Ship is without a hard launch date for now, however is expected at some point this year. Good luck when the time comes. 

Announced last November, Fireblade's Abandon Ship instantly caught my interest with its self-proclaimed "FTL-meets-Sunless Sea in the golden age of sea" billing. It's since impressed with its first public showing at the PC Gamer Weekender and has now teased how combat will play out in its interpretation of the high seas. 

The following short demos pre-alpha footage, however offers a convincing glimpse at some of the game's combat features. Abandon Ship's world is said to be "filled with conflict" which means while shuttling to and from quests and events you and your crew will lock horns with hostile ships on a regular basis. 

Because the crew is class based, aligning them in their best possible positions on-deck grants players bonuses—assuming you outlive your enemies. Besides the obvious human threat, the game's weather system plays an interesting part in battle and, crucially, survival which is outlined around the two-minute mark below.

Between fires, flooded ships, lightning storms and tidal waves—not to mention opposing ships packed with bloodthirsty pirates—it seems we'll have our work cut out for us while surviving everything Abandon Ship throws at us. 

No concrete release date just yet, but Abandon Ship is due at some stage later this year. More information can be found via the game's official site.  

When Abandon Ship was first announced late last year it came with a special billing. "FTL-meets-Sunless Sea in the golden age of sail" so said developer Fireblade Software which, alongside its high-fantasy themes, procedurally-generated world, and oil painting-like art style, sounded impressive. 

So impressive that we invited Fireblade's Gary Burchell and Adam Thacker to the PC Gamer Weekender to talk us through how development is going, and how we'll aim to conquer the high seas when Abandon Ship lands later this year. 

Live from the Gamer Stage, Burchell and Thacker dive deep (sorry) into the game's exploration, combat, and inventory and trading systems—all of which looks to be shaping up nicely.