You can say it's an open world RPG, but there are a lot of limits on what is profitable and how progress is made. For example, it often surprises me that after a fun naval battle that my victory is diminished by not being able to afford repairs and restocking supplies, basically forcing me to reload to before the battle. Captured ships don't sell for much... Another example is that crew payments can easily bankrupt you, or the crew can mutiny when it seemed like things were going well. It can feel like there is no reward for fun, and every bit of progress is a moment of relief. You'll probably be save-spamming to avoid losing your gains. Unfortunately, the most reliable way to make money is just get a Purser officer with the 3 trade skills so you can do boring, grindy trades from town to town.
In some ways its the best pirate RPG ever made. The naval combat simulation is great... But in many ways this game is a frustrating experience. The UI is clunky and doesn't support all screen resolutions well. FPS combat can also feel pretty arcade-y on the ships (not very "open world"). It's a strange game that some people will uninstall after 5 minutes, some will be patient and love it for years, and barely anyone but the Russian devs will ever master.

You can say it's an open world RPG, but there are a lot of limits on what is profitable and how progress is made. For example, it often surprises me that after a fun naval battle that my victory is diminished by not being able to afford repairs and restocking supplies, basically forcing me to reload to before the battle. Captured ships don't sell for much... Another example is that crew payments can easily bankrupt you, or the crew can mutiny when it seemed like things were going well. It can feel like there is no reward for fun, and every bit of progress is a moment of relief. You'll probably be save-spamming to avoid losing your gains. Unfortunately, the most reliable way to make money is just get a Purser officer with the 3 trade skills so you can do boring, grindy trades from town to town. In some ways its the best pirate RPG ever made. The naval combat simulation is great... But in many ways this game is a frustrating experience. The UI is clunky and doesn't support all screen resolutions well. FPS combat can also feel pretty arcade-y on the ships (not very "open world"). It's a strange game that some people will uninstall after 5 minutes, some will be patient and love it for years, and barely anyone but the Russian devs will ever master.