Ship of Fools – Review

Ship of Fools is a mashup that combines roguelikes and relationship-testing couch co-op games like Overcooked and Moving Out, developed by Canadian indie studio Fika Productions (perhaps unsurprisingly, all the games mentioned in the above paragraph are published by Team17).

The plan has a seaworthy ring to it, but it’s important to remember that “two good things” don’t necessarily make “something better” (or even as good). What’s the deal with Ship of Fools? Is it a raucous sea adventure, or do the rogue-like elements and the party-based co-op make for an uneasy mix? Put on your eyepatch and take a dose of dramamine; we’re setting sail!

In the opening scene of Ship of Fools, you and a friend have washed up on the shores near the Great Lighthouse. You have amnesia, as is typical for people who wash up on mysterious beaches, but you quickly learn that the Aquapocalypse has thrown the entire Archipelago into chaos. The Great Lighthouse needs to be restarted, and it’s up to the Fools (an ever-expanding band of hapless fishy and froggy creatures you can switch between freely) to do so by fighting their way through the various scaly creatures and bosses that inhabit the ocean.

The framework of Ship of Fools is typical of roguelike games. You won’t have to do any actual sailing in this game; instead, you’ll use a hex map to pick your way through each sector. Treasure chests, powerful cursed objects, shops, gold, shields to strengthen your hull, and other items are all represented by icons that make it clear what you can find in each hex. Hexes that promise boards you need to repair your boat, shields, or treasure may seem alluring, but they often come with particularly difficult waves of enemies, so it’s important to plan your course carefully. The Everlasting Storm is slowly enveloping the map and leading to the sector boss. When you decide to enter the storm can have a significant impact on the outcome of your run.

If you die (and you will), you lose everything except the magical tendrils you can use to permanently improve your ship and weapons and must return to the Great Lighthouse. When you return to the island where the Great Lighthouse is located, you’ll find it bustling with new Fools and merchants.

When you’re actually on your ship, the action is straightforward and reminiscent of Overcooked’s focus on cooperative task management. As the game progresses, your ship will remain horizontally centred on the screen while waves of enemies flood in from both the left and right sides. You have a melee attack and two cannons that can be moved to different mounts to deflect projectiles or pummelled enemies that get too close to your ship. The controls take some time to get used to, but they work fine once you do. While Ship of Fools has some similarities to Overcooked, it isn’t as easily accessible.

There is a limited number of pedestals on your ship that can hold consumable items like repair boards, buff items, and various types of ammo for the duration of your current run. There are more than a hundred different items in Ship of Fools, from the relatively ordinary (like a pirate hook that increases your damage) to the extremely bizarre (like a chicken that lays explosive eggs you can load into your cannon). Most of the time, you’ll find these supplies in chests or shops, but you also have a limited supply of harpoons at your disposal for snatching up valuable items that float by. The key to putting together a good run is usually finding the optimal combination of items and ammo.

The action in Ship of Fools is perfectly balanced, with waves of enemies cleverly designed to force you and your partner to take on different roles. Having one person shoot while another deflects shots or repairs cannons is a common tactic. In spite of the availability of online play, this is the kind of game that is best experienced with a teammate sitting directly across from you (so you can elbow them when they screw up). Adjustments have been made so that Ship of Fools can be played solo, as explained by Fika’s co-founder in our recent interview. To make up for the lack of a second player, the difficulty level of the waves of enemies is lowered and an auto-firing cannon is provided. It all works well enough, and I had about as much success playing on my own as with a partner, but was it as fun? Unquestionably not. Despite the options for playing solo, this is fundamentally a multiplayer experience.

When viewed independently, Ship of Fools’ roguelike mechanics and action are competent, if not particularly deep. The two are not complementary to one another, unfortunately. When you die in Ship of Fools, you’ll always be sent back to the Great Lighthouse, unlike in some roguelikes where you can restart from the last boss you defeated or use shortcuts. Even though many roguelikes force you to start over after each death, the best of the genre, including Hades and Dead Cells, do a lot to ensure that each playthrough is fresh and exciting. However, Ship of Fools does not. There is always the same tiny ship, the same enemies, and the same bosses; the only variable is the random distribution of items and ammunition. While the cartoony aesthetics of Ship of Fools can be endearing at times, the developers oddly decided to give the first sector you’ll be revisiting over and over again a swampy aesthetic. The monotony of your constant travel will set in before too long.

Even though I think Ship of Fools would benefit from a more lenient approach to levelling up, it’s not likely to happen. Only four sectors in total contain any content, so what little there is must be stretched to its limits. Ultimately, Ship of Fools never really feels like it goes anywhere deep.