There's something a little off about Sea of Remnants, but in the best way. It's a free-to-play ocean adventure RPG where strange things just sort of happen, and the world is more curious than it is concerned with explaining itself. You're dropped into the middle of it as a puppetfolk sailor with no memory, free to explore, fight, cook, recruit crewmates, and piece together whatever this whole journey is really about. The art style is wooden and surreal, almost like the whole thing was handcrafted in someone's garage, and that only adds to its charm.
Getting hands-on with Sea of Remnants felt like a dream that doesn't bother making all its pieces fit. Some parts instantly clicked, while others left me wondering if I was missing something or if the game wanted me to figure it out later. It's not always in a hurry to get where it's going, but that's part of what makes it interesting. Sea of Remnants feels like it's happy to let you sit with the weirdness, and I found myself wanting to see where that would lead.
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The Setup
My preview of Sea of Remnants began with my character — a nameless, almost faceless hooded individual — lying asleep in a canoe, with "wake" as my only option for progress. The canoe itself rested on clear ocean water filled with sea creatures beneath a starry night sky, with the water below turning a luminescent green as it touched the canoe. Upon waking my character, I was given the mission "Explore Tranquility," which simply saw me rowing towards a bright glow in the distance.
The journey to the glow was a very meditative experience, with calming a cappella and the soothing songs of a distant whale accompanying me. About halfway there, the whale leaped out of the water as if to greet me, leaving a bright green starry trail behind it. The music continued, and I kept rowing toward the glow until a brief cinematic bade me toward the helm of a ship that had just risen out of the water behind me. Upon reaching the helm, another cinematic plays that showed just how bizarre this game is going to be, and I wake up on a hospital bed of sorts to Bart the Parrot screaming about how I should be tossed back to sea.
A mysterious figure named "Sigmund" then begins shining a light in my eyes and asking me a bunch of questions where I'm certain my choices held weight, but I'm not exactly sure what any of them actually meant. What gradually became clear, however, is that my character has amnesia, and it's possible they might have even come back from the grave. Going with my gut moved me forward to the next strange sequence, until I was finally able to get up and speak with Sigmund about what was really going on.
Speaking with Sigmund another time triggered the character creation screen, which actually offers a decent number of customization options to ensure you're able to create the character you want. After creating my pirate, I spoke with Sigmund one last time to obtain a compass and a map of Orbtopia, after which he directed me to the tavern to retrieve the rest of my valuables from a lockbox. According to him, pirates like mine would sometimes get "paranoid" and stash all of their stuff in a lockbox before sailing. So, with that, I finally ventured out into Orbtopia and made for the tavern.
Exploring Orbtopia
Getting out into Sea of Remnants' Orbtopia is where the real fun began, as it largely set me loose with almost no hand-holding apart from a simple objective marker guiding the main quest. Later on in the preview, I would acquire a Firefly Lamp that I could even use to show the optimal route to my objective, similarly to Assassin's Creed Shadows' Pathfinder system. But for now, I could either follow my explorer instincts or the clear objective marker on the game's hud.
At first glance, Orbtopia seems quaint and unassuming, albeit beautiful, but there's actually a lot more to it than meets the eye. Just venturing a little off course took me to a beautiful open area I could explore for some treasure, so it was far from fruitless. Exploring also gave Sea of Remnants' dynamic soundtrack a chance to shine, as it regularly shifted motifs depending on the context of the world around me.
If there's one thing that's certain about Orbtopia, it's that there is no shortage of residents. Of course, this is one of the main features that has been at the forefront of Sea of Remnants' marketing, with the game boasting a whopping 300 recruitable NPCs, each aligned to factions. What's most special about Orbtopia's inhabitants, though, is their uniqueness across the board. There are a vast number of NPCs occupying the streets and squares on the island, but I'm fairly certain I didn't see two lookalikes anywhere in the mix. Chatting with them only increased their uniqueness all the more, as they each had their own stories to tell and seemed to be living their own lives.
Apart from merely speaking to Sea of Remnants' NPCs, I could choose to participate in various activities with them as well, like mahjong and even combat. Moving deeper into the city made the soundtrack change once more, indicating that I had just entered a busier part of town. Then, out of nowhere, a chicken named "Cupang" stole my compass and attempted a fast getaway. I chased it down, all while the nearby Orbtopians took bets on whether the chicken would survive. I finally caught it, however, retrieved my compass, and continued making my way to the tavern.
The tavern itself was a hopping place, backed by a track that sounded like something straight out of Persona's J-Rock and jazz library. Speaking with the bartender netted me my lockbox, after which I was shooed away and instructed to get a drink. Shortly thereafter, a cutscene plays that introduces the enigmatic character R.S., whose name is still just as mysterious as her role in the narrative. Even so, the cinematic itself was a great introduction to Sea of Remnants, with the game's credits laid over an intense fight scene that properly showed off R.S.'s skills and ended with my first real battle.
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Sea of Remnants' Turn-Based Combat
Turn-based combat has proven in modern gaming that it isn't for everyone anymore, and Sea of Remnants already looks like a good example of why. To put it plainly, Sea of Remnants' combat feels very slow. While that could be from me trying to shake off parry and dodge muscle memory I acquired from my time with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, as a turn-based veteran, I still feel comfortable saying things move rather slowly here. More or less, there's a lot of waiting involved that some players might not prefer in their combat.
Still, while it's less than exciting early on, it does what it can to shake up the formula most turn-based enthusiasts are likely familiar with not much later, with plenty of different systems at play to keep things interesting. As per usual in games like these, each character in Sea of Remnants has normal action skills they can perform every turn and then unique "crew" combat skills that have a cooldown, forming a healthy blend of support and attack skills that all feature a variety of effects. However, this isn't really even half of what the game does to reinvent the turn-based combat space.
Firstly, while out exploring, players can utilize Sea of Remnants' Take the Initiative system, which functions similarly to Metaphor: ReFantazio's Fast mode in that enemies can be attacked before a battle even begins. If players manage to strike an enemy three times before being hit, they will trigger an Advance Advantage and deal damage to every enemy on the field at the start of battle. When Advance Advantage is triggered, a power dice check is then performed, and if the dice roll value is equal to or greater than the monster's target number (which is displayed above the enemy when it is targeted), the damage dealt at the start of battle will be higher. If the dice roll value is lower, only normal damage is dealt.
Like with Metaphor: ReFantazio's Fast mode, players can automatically defeat weaker enemies in Sea of Remnants without entering into battle with them by using Take the Initiative.
Then there are Reinforcement (Boost) Points, which players can use to strengthen the power of their normal skills. Essentially, Reinforcement Points can be spent per character's turn to roll three dice and make a normal action skill more powerful, but just how much more powerful depends on the sum of the numbers rolled. This is especially useful when trying to deplete enemy Posture (Stance) bars, which are essentially a stagger gauge that, when depleted, causes enemy actions to be delayed and the damage they take to be increased.
The dice play into monster weaknesses as well, which adds yet another layer to Sea of Remnants' combat. Occasionally, monsters will exhibit a weakness indicated by a symbol above their health bar and a number shown when targeting them. Then, when players use Reinforcement Points to roll the dice, if the sum of the dice is greater than the number on the targeted monster, they will trigger the One More mechanic. When triggering One More, players will immediately receive an extra turn with that character, as well as one Reinforcement Point.
As for the symbol above their health bar, it indicates what type of attack a monster is weak to. If a character's attack type matches that of the targeted enemy's weakness, then the number players are required to exceed when using Reinforcement Points against that enemy will be reduced, making it easier to trigger One More. This ultimately adds more strategy to each combat scenario, as players can judge how many Reinforcement Points they actually need to use according to a monster's weakness.
Each crew member also has their own unique Finisher, which is akin to any "ultimate" skill seen in many other RPGs. By dealing damage, taking damage, and using Reinforcement Points, the Finisher gauge is filled. Once the gauge is full, a Finisher can be used to deal devastating direct damage and Posture damage to enemies. Finally, emerging victorious in battle can award players things like EXP, currency, items, and gear, making them more than worth the effort. Players can also unlock new class skills as they progress to make fights even more interesting.
Heading Out to Sea
Of course, Sea of Remnants would be nothing without a major part of its namesake — the sea — which it fortunately gets players out to rather quickly. Shortly after meeting R.S., I was tasked with sailing out to her secret base, a hidden island that was an asylum for weird pirates. None of this happened before I got to experiment with Sea of Remnants' cooking mechanics, however, which saw me roasting food over an open fire in an active cooking mini-game. Not long after that, though, I was on the water.
While I wasn't let loose just yet, the brief voyage to R.S.'s secret base gave me a good feel for Sea of Remnants' naval controls, which are very fluid and responsive. I personally found the responsiveness of the ship's controls to be a bit unrealistic, but it was simultaneously refreshing knowing I wouldn't have to fight against the long, wide, and slow turns of a giant seafaring vessel.
Arriving on the island introduced me to the more advanced combat mechanic s I previously mentioned, but more than that, a more extensive look at what Sea of Remnants' exploration is going to be like. There are chests and collectibles to be found just about anywhere, and even unique ways to find them, like following an owl all the way to a hidden treasure chest that you wouldn't be able to see otherwise. Once again, the game's gorgeous visuals, unique art style, and attention to detail all shined here as I made my way around the island.
Leaving that island led me to another, as well as a somewhat challenging boss fight that continued on the sea as I departed. Here, I was finally introduced to Sea of Remnants' naval combat, which happens in real-time, unlike ground battles. It's quite simplistic though, and relies more on accuracy and speed than pulling off strategic maneuvers. Nevertheless, it was exciting, and I was still pleased with how responsive the controls were.
Once the battle was over, R.S. And I made our way back to Orbtopia, where we got a room in the tavern and were then introduced to our permanent ship, as the one we were previously on was destroyed by a volcano's eruption after the naval boss battle. From here, our preview ended, showing us just a glimpse of what's to come for the seemingly massive open world ahead. It's clear that the open seas will be the main draw for Sea of Remnants, but that part of the game remains a mystery for now.
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Sea of Remnants Hands-On Preview: Final Thoughts
Sea of Remnants is shaping up to be a refreshingly strange and layered adventure with just enough charm to distinguish itself. The moments I spent in Orbtopia, from chasing a rogue chicken to wandering the streets packed with unique NPCs, felt alive and worth exploring. There's a clear love for worldbuilding here, and the blend of story-driven sequences, player choices, and hands-off exploration really makes the game stand out. While it's easy to get caught up in the beauty and strangeness of it all, it's the small interactions, like impromptu cooking sessions and spontaneous treasure hunts, that build excitement for what this world can offer.
The turn-based combat, however, might be where the pace noticeably slows down. While Sea of Remnants introduces interesting mechanics to its combat, the fights themselves still feel a bit sluggish in the early stages. That said, the naval combat is fast, responsive, and immediately enjoyable, albeit simple in its current state, offering a much-needed contrast to the slower ground battles. There's still plenty we haven't seen, especially when it comes to the open sea and long-term progression, but Sea of Remnants has already made a strong first impression. Its oddball charm, responsive sailing, and dense world suggest there's something genuinely special waiting on the horizon.
- Released
- 2026
- Developer(s)
- Joker Studio
- Publisher(s)
- NetEase Games
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
