You know a title has that something special about it when the Massively OP writers drop what we’re doing to crowd around it. That’s what happened this morning when we started to investigate Arcane Waters, a 2-D SNES-style pirate MMORPG that’s in development. If you’re a fan of pixel art, buccaneers, or cuteness in general, this might jump out at you, too.
Looking at the screenshots and descriptions of the game, Arcane Waters features turn-based party combat, naval encounters, treasure hunting, fishing, and even farming at your home. It’s been in development since 2018, and according to its progress tracker page, it’s now 96% complete.
As for the business model, the team recently said, “The game will most likely be a one-time purchase. We may experiment with an in-game cosmetic item shop during beta testing, to see if that’s an alternative worth exploring. The game will not be subscription based, and as Colt mentioned, definitely no pay-to-win.”
The lead developer said that the project is on track to start beta testing sometime in June. The beta may not involve a character wipe, according to the team, so that’s something to consider. If you want to sign up for it, head on over to the official site.
