Diving into DAVY x JONES

With its dual wielding action, subaquatic exploration, and pulpy plotline, DAVY x JONES is an Early Access title with some audacious ambitions. Kraków-based developer The Parasight’s (Blacktail) draws on the myth of Davy Jones’ Locker to tell a story of a captain hellbent on seeking revenge against Blackbeard. The game’s animated cinematics tell the story of Jones’ beheading, with his skull and body tossed to the bottom of the sea. An indeterminate time later, your corpse (JONES) is woken by a bloodthirsty head (DAVY), setting course on a decapitated tale of retribution.

From spectral processions that lead the way to the next battle, a comedic slapping contest between head and body, and at least one sequence where you’re shooting stars from the sky, there’s no shortage of madcap exposition. Remarkably, DAVY x JONES is just as visually haunting, as you tread through forests of colossal fishhooks while you’re your homebase in a half ship-half whale hybrid. Yet, at this stage, the narrative feels more like a collage of quirky ideas rather than a cohesive narrative.

Dead Men Tell Disjointed Tales

The game’s multitude of mechanics demonstrates just how many directions the developers are trying to pursue. Scavenging wrecks and slingshotting across an open-world map resemble a treasure-hunting adventure. Combat against bands of enemy pirates and aggressive sea life push it toward action territory, while the inclusion of environmental puzzles hints at a more cerebral side.

In theory, it’s an appealing mix, drawing on at least a half dozen different games. But in practice, DAVY x JONES systems don’t work in harmony. The game’s pacing is notably uneven, with item collection slowing exploration or combat clashing against the game’s expositional elements. However, if you’re the type of person who favors ambition over mechanical polish, JONES isn’t a complete plank-walker.

Shiver Me Timbres

Pleasingly, DAVY x JONES delivers some truly noteworthy visuals. From bioluminescent plants, drifting schools of fish, and the looming silhouettes of decomposing wrecks, the game’s environment can feel like an otherworldly trip on The Pirates of the Caribbean. While its fantastical, JONES’ atmosphere is captivating, capturing the exoticness of the deep sea better than subaquatic games. Best of all, the game’s world feels alive, with plenty of marine movement across the game’s oceanic environments.

JONES’ sound design also deserves a bit of praise, delivering automorphic elements like distant groans, creaking hulls, and the clank of a rusty blade breaking through barrels. When coupled with the game’s tendency to mix things up, there’s feeling of trepidation as you make your way around. But this atmosphere can be disrupted when a succession of survival chores or combat encounters invoke tedium. It’s clear the developers want DAVY x JONES to evoke wonder and tension, but the game’s balance isn’t there yet. As evocative as the drowning sound on the game over screen in, the moment loses impact when its trigger by a single missed jump.

Pieces of Eight, Systems of Many

Like other Early Access titles, DAVY x JONES feels like a game that hasn’t quite figured out what it wants to be. Undoubtedly, there are flashes of brilliance to be found when visuals, sound, and play align, providing a glimpse into a subaquatic adventure that feels otherworldly. But at present, the game’s mixture of concepts, moods, and mechanics fight with one another, much like the game’s disconnected protagonists. Yet, if Parasight can refine and unify DAVY x JONES, this could be a memorable adventure across the ocean’s nightmarish depths.