Neither the simplistic and grindy gameplay elements, nor the perma-death mechanics does many favours for this game. The stories and islands you'll discover might seem interesting and mysterious during your first run, but when my first captain died, and I discovered I had to go through the exact same events I had already done only to get back to the point in the story I was at on my first captain, It soured me a lot on the game.
It also does not help that the game is a grind extraordinaré, and exploration is often punishing if you are not properly prepared(which you usually need to grind supplies for). In addition, the combat is extremely simplistic, repetitive, and the AI can be easily exploited.

Seriously, this is a game that would have worked better as a Choose Your Own Adventure-game, as the gameplay elements add almost nothing of value.

Neither the simplistic and grindy gameplay elements, nor the perma-death mechanics does many favours for this game. The stories and islands you'll discover might seem interesting and mysterious during your first run, but when my first captain died, and I discovered I had to go through the exact same events I had already done only to get back to the point in the story I was at on my first captain, It soured me a lot on the game. It also does not help that the game is a grind extraordinaré, and exploration is often punishing if you are not properly prepared(which you usually need to grind supplies for). In addition, the combat is extremely simplistic, repetitive, and the AI can be easily exploited. Seriously, this is a game that would have worked better as a Choose Your Own Adventure-game, as the gameplay elements add almost nothing of value.