Sea of Remnants unveils a new look at one of its core characters and launches closed alpha test

• Sea of Remnants has launched its closed alpha test today
• But those who aren't in on it can enjoy the newest character trailer instead!
• It offers us a look at RS, one of the upcoming puppet-pirates you'll be able to play as

For a short while, it seemed as if the pirate genre would be making a comeback in gaming, especially after the success of Sea of Thieves. But despite Ubisoft's best attempt with Skull & Bones, it doesn't seem to have held water. However, where they failed, Netease's Sea of Remnants may succeed.

If you're not already familiar, Sea of Remnants is a pirate RPG that's just hit its closed alpha, where you explore the ocean as an amnesiac puppetfolk. It's a mixture of the signature ship combat and travel pioneered by Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, with more traditional Genshin Impact-inspired ARPG combat.

The closed alpha test also arrives alongside a new character highlight trailer for RS. This damage-over-time dealer falls more into the wackier side of the setting with her high-energy antics and fondness for explosives. A trait I'm sure that'll either endear her to, or annoy, prospective players.

Adventure abounds

Sea of Remnants has definitely been one to watch for me. Since Marvel Rivals, I feel like NetEase has managed to really turn its reputation around, from being once maligned by Chinese players as a hyper-corporate entity, to putting out some genuinely interesting and enjoyable new releases.

Sea of Remnants is not yet confirmed for mobile, but if Once Human and other recent releases are any indication it should make its way to us at some point. Even so, Sea of Remnants feels like more of a risk than usual for NetEase.

The pirate sub-genre relies on a very specific kind of appeal. And involving ARPG, gacha and other such elements risks potentially diluting that same appeal. But, by that same token, the interesting art-style and NetEase's now proven track record could be enough to win over even sceptics such as myself!

Well, if all this positivity is tiring you, maybe it's time for an alternative perspective? OneOdio typically provide pretty compelling equipment, but as Jack found this week, the Focus A1 Pro Headphones proved to be slightly underwhelming.