Sometimes the game’s core concept is solid and engaging, like cooperating to survive and thrive in increasingly chaotic conditions. The theoretical concept worked, and services such as Overcooked, Moving Out, and Unreliable Delivery Service were tried and successful. The fun of working together and the things that go wrong make these great games playable together. However, it can also fall into the trap of being too difficult or too broken and not fun enough to stand out in a crowded genre. Trash Sailors unfortunately falls into this latter category. Trash Sailors has some fun, but it’s too difficult and too broken to recommend. Especially when Nintendo Switch offers a better co-op experience.
The story of Trash Sailors is very simple. The world has been swept away by a huge tsunami of trash, with trash floating around just waiting to be picked up and used. You must drift across a sea of trash in a makeshift boat. Trash is now your main resource and ultimately the key to your survival.It can be recycled into fuel, spare parts and even weapons for your upcoming journey. Survive swamp crocodiles, poisonous sharks, arctic pirates and other dangers that can sink your boat.
Trash Sailors immediately stands out for its unique art style. You wouldn’t think a game looking at a pile of trash would be beautiful. However, details on the Trash Sailor, such as patch marks on the boat, add a fun charm. The variety of stage designs and how they differentiate themselves from previous stages is also quite impressive. The unique artwork, coupled with the chaotic look that the developers put into the game, creates a certain charm right from the start.
There’s also the gameplay itself, which is a bit complicated. When multiple people work together to build a boat, the cooperative nature makes for a very enjoyable experience. It was a lot of fun yelling at each other when things went terribly wrong or we nearly crashed into a building. Dividing the tasks between friends and family makes the experience much more manageable and enjoyable. I don’t know if you thought it was me.It wasn’t me every time…). There is even a role for someone to fight off the bad guys who come to kill you. Unfortunately this is where the gameplay falls apart is.
Combat in Trash Sailors is frankly terrible. It doesn’t work at all, and is the worst part of the game. Combat is as much a part of the game as resource gathering and ship repairing, so this is a pretty big problem for Trash Sailor. is crazy. It’s not fun, it’s not satisfying, it’s just broken.
I must say that Trash Sailors is a game that needs to be played cooperatively to find fun for two reasons. Secondly, there are so many things you have to do all the time that it’s practically impossible to play alone. This last point has been a real disappointing and infuriating area for me. Yes, titles in this genre (Overcooked, Moving Out, etc.) are designed to work best when played with others. Still, Trash Sailors is completely unplayable on its own. There is always a lot going on to get any kind of control or fun. Your ship is under attack from all sides from all sorts of things, the ship is falling apart, you are trying to avoid encountering something, don’t die, etc. I’m not trying to balance this issue. The game maintains exactly the same amount of tasks, difficulty and objectives when played with one or four players. Plain and simple: Trash Sailors is not playable in single player mode.
Is Trash Sailors worth your time? Sadly, in its current state, No. Trash Sailors stands out visually for its fun moments and a very unique art style. Plus, like all co-op games in the genre, the chaos ensues and everyone is yelling at each other to perform tasks, so it’s pretty hilarious to play with friends. The sides of the are completely broken. Combat is non-functional and uninteresting, even though it’s integral to the gameplay. Add in the fact that it’s not playable in single player mode, and it’s a very complex experience that may not be worth your time. It might be garbage, especially when there is a much better co-op experience on the Nintendo Switch.
