Sea of Thieves hasn't, it's fair to say, been the most welcoming of experiences for fledgling pirates, what with the online-only game's proliferation of bloodthirsty player ships, marauding AI monstrosities, and an almost complete lack of initial instruction. It's taken nearly two years, but finally, as part of its new Christmas-themed update, Rare has given its nautical multiplayer sandbox a proper tutorial - and, quite unexpectedly, it's an absolute delight.
In fact, I'd say it's the highlight of Sea of Thieves' latest update, known as the Festival of Giving, which focusses the remainder of its seasonal activities around a series of (somewhat uninspired) voyages to find presents and cart them to a tree in the middle of the map. There's a bit of a neat twist in that players can forfeit their presents in the spirit of giving for additional rewards, but it's certainly nowhere near as exciting as November's fire/new Tall Tale double whammy.
Luckily, Sea of Thieves' new tutorial makes up for it, essentially taking the form of another brand-new Tall Tale, which means that it features all the bells and whistles of the game's other story-based episodes. There's a fully animated and voiced NPC, dynamic music (and one track in particular, a Monkey-Island-esque refrain of the main theme, is a delight), alongside various optional diversions, challenges, secrets, and unlockables.
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