Hey everyone! We’ve been heads‑down on a pretty chunky update to the demo, and I wanted to give you a proper look at what’s coming. A ton of this work is directly based on your feedback. So thank you for playing, breaking things, and telling us exactly what confused you, frustrated you, or made you laugh.
This update is all about making the demo feel closer to the real game: clearer, more strategic, more readable, and honestly… just more fun.
Let’s get into it.
The current demo is really hard. Like “how am I supposed to defeat a single Pirate Ace?” hard. Steven Seagull is a world breaker, and that’s not the intention for the final game. The full game has a difficulty curve that ramps across nine Pirate Aces, not one. So we’re fixing that.
The upcoming update makes sure the demo actually represents the game’s real difficulty arc. You’ll still get cannonballs to the face, but not immediately in the teeth.
We’re also making weapon types matter way more. Every cannon now has a specific trajectory that determines what part of an enemy ship it can hit.
Lob Cannons can arc shots onto the top deck.
Broadsides hit harder but mostly strike the sides.
Every weapon type now has a real tactical identity.
Cannons also deal different damage based on range. A Lob Cannon might hit for 3 damage at long range but only 1 up close. This adds a ton of depth to positioning and timing, and yes, the targeting reticle now shows the exact damage you’ll deal. It feels GOOD!
Another big improvement is better targeting & readability.
One of the biggest pieces of feedback we got was: “I don’t always know what I’m aiming at.”
Fair.
So now, as you drag your targeting reticle across an enemy ship, every station or crew member you’re about to hit lights up. No more guessing. No more “wait, why didn’t I hit that treasure chest?” The game clearly communicates what’s targetable and what your shot or Siren Song will actually affect.
Here you can see how the damage of your weapons change depending on the distance between you and the enemy ship. Some weapons like the Broadside Cannon have a limited trajectory, so you can only target the side of the ship you're facing and can't hit the entire deck.
In the GIFs, you can see how Impact is playing a much bigger role. As you drag your cannon’s target around, any items within your Impact area that will be hit are highlighted in green.
Time to talk HAZARDS! You’ve all seen FIRE, which demands the attention of your Scallywags before it gets out of control, damages your ship, or—worse, kills your crew. Now we’re developing a few more hazards and adding them to the game.
In our opinions (and likely yours as well) encounters needed more mid‑fight decision‑making, so we’re adding more hazards that force you to think on your feet.
ICE!
Ice can brick your Ship Stations, leaving you with a choice...
Do you chisel it off?
Or move your Scallywag to a different station?
TAR!
Tar slows things down and messes with your rhythm in other ways.
On the surface, Tar is just irritating. It only slows your Scallywags down a bit. But once Fire enters the picture, all that Tar becomes a lot more terrifying if you ignore it.
GOO!
Unlike Tar, Goo cannot be walked through by your crew, it’s basically a wall.
Goo will knock your crew off any Ship Station they’re working on.
It has a cute little wiggle when it spawns, making you love it and hate it at the same time.
These hazards are all about crew management under pressure. Every second counts, and every decision has a cost.
Back when we launched the demo trailer, we wanted to show off Siren Song + cannon synergies… but the tech wasn’t ready. Painful, but temporary.
Now the fun begins.
Scallywags have always had flashy magical abilities. Meteors crashing down, cyclones yeeting crew members into the air, shields saving your ship. However they never interacted with each other.
The DEMO 2.0 update introduces Siren Song combos.
Rain + Ice!
Cast Rain and then follow up with Ice to crystalize every station under the storm
Rain + Lightning
Or unleash Lightning to instantly electrocute Scallywags caught beneath it
And trust us, this is only the first wave. More combos are brewing.
Players have made it loud and clear: you want more control over which side of your ship faces the enemy. Many of you enjoy building ships that heavily favor one side, making it extremely powerful while mostly ignoring the other. We want to support that playstyle, but there should also be meaningful risk when committing to a lopsided setup.
So we’ve introduced a new way to switch sides during combat. The Dive mechanic. Right now, time spent up Close builds Board, time spent at Far distance builds Flee, and now time spent in the Mid field builds Dive. It’s a great addition and opens up a ton of tactical flexibility.
We’ve been refining the combat “personality” of each faction so encounters feel more varied and way more memorable. The demo already shows some of this, but here are the core identities we’re locking in:
Faction Combat Love Languages
Humans: Fire fanatics. If you fight them, something’s getting scorched.
Gullywags: Crew hunters. If they wipe your Scallywags, your ship becomes their building materials.
Jellys: Water‑weapon specialists who try to sink you outright.
Shellfolk: Boarding experts who want to fight you hand-to-hand.
Our goal is for players to think about an encounter before they set sail knowing what kind of puzzle they’re going to be up against. Pick your targets wisely.
We fixed a bunch of stuff.
Some of it was hilarious.
Some of it was horrifying.
All of it is gone now.
(Mostly. 😐)
Thanks again for all your feedback and support. This update is a big step toward the full experience, and we can’t wait for you to try it. If you're interested in giving it a go early let us know.