Davy X Jones is one of those games that will amuse you just by listening to the dialogue between Davy and Jones, but also its comically absurd world that’s been built around inside jokes and cheeky comments. The game reminds me a bit of High On Life, which also went full production on a comical level, in addition to its graphically strong environment. Davy X Jones seems like it could fit right into the comical genre next to High on Life or even Borderlands, but don’t expect it to be a “big like the ocean” kind of game.
Davy X Jones is all about the legend named Davy Jones (apparently). He was one of the protagonists of the stories within the Pirate’s life that echoed throughout different history pages of Piracy. Davy Jones was a legend on the seas, and Parasight tries to tell its own tale about this legendary pirate. The game starts off where you witness the downfall of Davy Jones by a moment of betrayal. Blackbeard convinced the crew to mutiny, and Davy Jones lost control of his own crew. Filled with rage, he confronts Blackbeard, but this captain came prepared and takes the sentence “don’t bring a knife to a gun fight” literally. Davy Jones loses the battle and is tied up, thrown off the ship, sinking into the depths of the ocean. Time passes and the body decays, separating head from body. Due to its sense of revenge, Davy tries to fight death and re- awakens himself to avenge his own death. He will quickly notice that this is only the beginning of a difficult adventure as he wakes up without a body. Eventually, after some while in the depths of this mysterious sub Nautic environment, he’s being reunited with his body. He also has lost his eye, but he gets an octopus tentacle to fill in the gap. Eventually, the concept is about taking revenge as Davy Jones, but with the brain and body separated. The head is the clever on,e while the body gets the chance to fight with a blunderbuss and a scythe, the two best friends of Davy. After being re-acquainted with body and weaponry, you can start sailing off.
“Think about Scorpion from Mortal Kombat, but with a tentacle.”
The concept of the game is a fast-paced shooter with lots of one-liners and satirical comments. The head is constantly full of itself and giving out orders to the body. Eventually, you’re also forming this camaraderie between head and body by flipping a coin and defying faith or even starting up a match of “who can slap the hardest”. You’re not reading this wrong; it’s as absurd as I’m saying. Going on your adventure, you’ll encounter different members of the pirate crew who eventually betray you. It’s your time to show who’s boss by eliminating the crew as stylishly as you can. Your blunderboss can fire little cannonballs but can also fire a big cannonball to do a lot more damage. Of course, firing off one of those big balls, your blunderbuss needs some time to cool down. There’s also your scythe that can hit quickly when in close combat. Davy also lends his tentacle to traverse the depths of the ocean, to find and eat healing orbs, and to get you closer to your enemy, which can start off a quick combo. Think about Scorpion from Mortal Kombat, but with a tentacle. Eventually, it’s all part of the plan to kill these enemies as quickly as you can, and score some style points by doing so.
This game actually plays alongside Returnal, Doom, … actually any kind of game where shooting all enemies around you is the winning condition. The concept of the whole game with the different fight styles, abilities, underwater environment, … is definitely something that clicks, and a lot of people will actually enjoy the style of the game. However, the game is still in early access, and even though the game performs great, the combat/ shooting mechanics, controls or animations need some tweaking. I do believe that once the game is polished, it will find a community that can appreciate all the things that the game is trying to accomplish: being a fun fast- fast-paced shooter within another world.
“I think it is a difficult task to balance the speed of all objects within the game, but definitely possible.”
Taking into account the different things that need some polishing, for example, the controls and gunplay, will define if this fast-paced shooting game is worth a shot. You need the controls to be as fluent and intuitive as possible to kill enemies while dodging deadly objects or to perform stylish combos. Also, it is a game where the responsiveness of the player will actually matter, especially during boss fights. Also, the movement itself is quick, but it seems like there isn’t a lot of synchronization with the moving objects that are happening in the world. For example, I want to be as quick as possible during my exploration, even when I’ve been killed and have to start over again, I want to get to the turnaround point as fast as possible. But sometimes you need to cross bridges that have an animation to appear. The movement of my character seems a lot faster than the bridge that I have to cross, so there were a lot of times I would just fall down the bridge and had to start over. Also, during combat, the responsiveness to hook enemies or perform instant kills feels slowed down, and definitely messes up the flow of the game. I think it is a difficult task to balance the speed of all objects within the game, but definitely possible.
I also think that the weapons need some tweaking as well. It would be a lovely sight if the weapon could be altered to perform even better shots or different shots, so the game gets a bit more depth. At this point, the scythe and the gun perform both well to defeat enemies, so where’s the uniqueness or depth in battle? At this point, both weapons feel too balanced when it comes to power level, and you’ll probably just choose the weapon that fits your playstyle more. If the game created a bit more depth between the games, the gameplay would be so much better and in-depth. You can also parry or block incoming attacks, but this also feels a bit underwhelming. Either the presentation of these features is a bit unnoticeable, or the responsiveness needs a bit more work. I think some of the attacks or the animations of your blocking/ parrying need some more highlighting features, so that the game triggers your awareness more. Also, fighting against enemies feels okay, but it can definitely become better. I’ve had enemies that just stood in front of me and wouldn’t harm me unless I moved. This gave me the opportunity to wait for the reload option or the opportunity to aim better. Everything should be a tad quicker, and every action should be more noticeable, so you could receive and interpret the information that you’re getting. The responsiveness of every mechanic in this game can either make or destroy the game, especially if you’re aiming for a fast-paced shooter.
“Give the game a shot, give feedback, and help shape the game for the better.”
Still, the game hasn’t been fully developed and I’m sure that the developers will take their time to listen to the community’s feedback because it is definitely noticeable that the developers poured their heart and soul into it. The production value is definitely there: gorgeous environments, a fun take on a legendary outlaw, the funny dialogue, … All of these things make the game unique within a genre that a lot of people like.
Conclusion
The game is still in development and still has some time to evolve into a better product than it currently is. They’ve got something special in their hands, but they just need to find the game’s identity and lock onto it. The game has a beautiful world and an interesting plot that’s worth looking into, but that doesn’t mean that the game is ready to sail out. The game needs to focus on the features of what a fast-paced shooter game truly needs: responsive controls, highlighted information so you’ll be able to respond, and combat mechanics that feel fluent and strong. I would definitely like to see a bit more variation when it comes to the gunplay. How the characters are written is definitely okay, I mean, the cringy dialogues are something that you’ll either love or hate… but that doesn’t mean the game is bad. Give the game a shot, give feedback, and help shape the game for the better.
