"Jump Ship Preview: Sea of Thieves Meets Left 4 Dead, Enhanced and More Fun"

It was nearly a year ago at the Game Developers Conference that I first encountered Jump Ship, a captivating four-player sci-fi PvE shooter that ingeniously merges elements from Sea of Thieves, Left 4 Dead, and FTL. The unique blend of mechanics struck me as truly exceptional. Recently, I had the opportunity to dive into the latest build alongside some of the developers, and I'm convinced that if any indie game is poised to make a big splash in an already packed year of releases, Jump Ship is my top pick. As it gears up for an Early Access launch this summer, it's more polished and enjoyable than ever before.

For those unfamiliar with Jump Ship, it's a non-grindy space adventure designed for up to four players. Importantly, it's not strictly a multiplayer game; Keepsake Games has been responsive to feedback and is crafting a method for solo players to enjoy the experience. If you prefer single-player mode, you'll have narratively crafted AI assistants to help manage the ship. You'll get a glimpse of this in the Prologue, which acts as both a tutorial, introducing you to core gameplay elements like shooting, space suit flying, ship operations, and combat, and a lore-building experience.

Jump Ship - Closed Beta Screenshots

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Jump Ship now boasts a much-appreciated narrative that complements its core PvE gameplay. The story revolves around a malevolent virus that has infected machines across the galaxy, and it's your mission as an Atiran to reach the galaxy's core and halt its spread. You'll navigate through procedurally generated mission chains in each sector to achieve this. Missions can last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, and you'll have a clear idea of the risk involved thanks to the color-coded Jump Map, which indicates the level of danger for each branching path. Naturally, higher risks come with greater rewards.

Aiding you in this endeavor is Iris, a non-infected AI you meet in the Prologue, who serves as a narrator for your missions. This adds a welcome layer of structure to the already solid gameplay foundation of Jump Ship. The Hangar acts as your base of operations, where you can spend in-game currency on customizing your outfits, explore the Galaxy Map, and even enjoy a game of soccer during downtime.

Returning to the heart of the four-player gameplay, it's exhilarating. Missions rarely go as planned. You might find your ship under attack en route to your destination, necessitating one player to pilot and use the limited pilot's chair weapons while another operates the ship's main weapon station, wielding a 360-degree pivoting cannon against adversaries. Meanwhile, the other two players could be outside, mag-booted to the ship's hull, taking shots at passing enemies. If your ship gets damaged, someone must rush inside, grab a fire extinguisher, crawl through vents, and douse the flames—keeping that essential pineapple pizza-maker operational!

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Upon reaching your destination, all four players disembark and navigate on foot to secure the coveted loot within the structure. You'll face relentless waves of hostile, infected robots, making teamwork crucial at every turn. Your grappling hook accelerates movement through both terrestrial and space environments, and once you've secured the valuable loot, one player must transport it back to the ship while the others provide cover, ensuring their vulnerable teammate's safe return.

Both my initial demo last year and the recent one were brief. While this demonstrates that Jump Ship excels in short bursts—meaning you don't need to quit your job to keep up—it also means I haven't fully explored the broader mission structure and the variety offered by procedural generation to determine if it can fulfill its promise of endless replayability. However, everything I've experienced so far points to Jump Ship having immense potential to become a standout hit. It possesses all the essential elements to achieve something extraordinary, and I eagerly anticipate playing much more.