Sail away with me
Originally released in 2006, The Ship has been given a budget release on the Focus MultiMedia Label.
You have been invited for a luxury cruise by the mysterious Mr X. Life on board the 1920s cruise liner would be sweet, but for the one spanner in the works. Mr X has told you that you must kill one passenger, without being caught. Refuse to do this little chore and Mr X will kill you and your family. Nice!
One of the most entertainingly original games I have played!
There is a slightly complicated story line attached to the single player mode, which revolves around killing people to get enough money to escape the hunt, but essentially this is Kill or be Killed. Starting from your cabin, you have nothing but the clothes on your back. Your first task is to find a weapon. At your disposal are a plethora of makeshift and real weapons, ranging from pool cues to blunderbus guns up to Tommy guns! Once you have got your weapon of choice, it is time to find your prey. All you know is their name and the last place they were seen.
Walking around the ship, you will see many other characters all going about their business. One of them could be your quarry. On the other hand one of them may be your hunter! You need to talk to people you meet in order to ascertain if they are the one you must kill. In fact talking to people is a necessity. You character has 8 things he or she needs to stay healthy.
You must eat, drink, sleep, use the toilet (for 1s ad 2s!!), stay clean, socialise and entertain your self. These are fairly easy to maintain, play pool or read a book to entertain yourself, have a shower, use the toilet. The problem is, in the excitement of the hunt you often forget to do any of these. Forget for too long and you may find yourself falling asleep where you stand. Not good if your hunter finds you!
All the while you have to keep an eye out on who is watching you. Try to kill your prey whilst you are being observed and you will find yourself in prison, with a hefty fine!
Although the single player game is fun, The Ship was meant to be played online. There are 2 main modes, Death match and Hunter. For me the most entertaining was Hunter. This is similar to the single player game, where you are assigned a victim and must go off and kill them!
Being based on Valves Source engine, the graphics are pretty good, even for a game nearly 2 years old. The ship and characters are all rendered well, with real sense of personality and atmosphere. Sonically The Ship is no slouch either. With 1920s tunes playing the background and the sounds of people going about their business, you really get drawn in to it all!
As a single player game, there is not a huge amount for you. But take this online and you are in for some of the most entertaining and original game play you are likely to find anywhere. Add to this it’s budget price and The Ship is a real winner!
The Bad: Single player is a bit short.
Silver Y Award