Maybe it’s that I kinda miss Sea of Thieves—despite enjoying it I haven’t made time to play since the first week of its release—but anything with ships, sails, cannons, and sea monsters will draw my eye these days. Maelstrom, now in Early Access, has all of those, plus it’s a battle royale game. Fifteen ships enter, one ship leaves. I can’t say Maelstrom takes place on the open sea: at times it feels like there’s precious little room to maneuver in this ocean filled with jagged rocks and towering islands that both provide cover and damage your ship if you collide with them. And naturally, more and more of the map is being closed off as you fight. As players are eliminated, dead seas encroach and push the remaining ships together in the center of the map. It’s not just a forcefield this time: the dead seas signal the approach of sea monsters who will rise from the blackening waters and smash your ship into splinters. This isn’t a battle royale game where you can hide outside the safe zone and apply bandages to win. There are three races in Maelstrom: human, dwarf, and orc, and each race has three different ships to choose from. Each ship has different perks and drawbacks: one might have better armor but slower speed and less maneuverability. A dwarven steamship I’m fond of doesn’t just have cannons along the side but also at bow and stern, allowing you to fire in every direction—though in… [Read full story]