Developer: Martynas Cibulis
Publisher: Untold Tales
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
Ready, Steady, Ship! – Review
We all look back fondly on the times we were kids, sitting with our friends in front of the TV to play some video games together. Thanks to the internet and the rise in popularity of online games, there was a time when couch co-op games seemed like a thing of the past. But the cries of millions of gamers who wanted to relive these glory days with their friends were heard, leading to the release of many great games like Overcooked! and It Takes Two. Now a new player enters the battlefield in the form of a cooperative shipping simulator, so get ready for some chaotic fun in Ready, Steady, Ship!
Story
Like many other games of this genre, Ready, Steady, Ship! doesn’t feature that much of a narrative experience. An opening cutscene sets the stage for your new employment in a shipping facility and that’s pretty much it. You and a friend take on the role of laborers whose only purpose is ensuring that the packages are delivered from the machines to the trucks in the fastest time possible. Between levels, there are some more small cutscenes, but these are mostly there to introduce new locations you’ll be working in.
The lack of narrative is definitely not a problem, since the main focus of the game is chaotic fun gameplay. It would have been nice, however, to see a bit more dialogue or jokes during the experience to give the game a bit more personality, which would fit the atmosphere the game is going for.
Graphics
Ready, Steady, Ship! goes for a bright and colorful look to match the lighthearted feeling the game is going for. The warehouses and machines fit with the colorful boxes you need to sort and present a joyous visual experience. There is also a ton of variety in the locations you visit and the challenges you face to keep the game looking fresh. The visuals do tend to look simple aside from the colors, but that is to be expected from an indie game of this size.
Sound
There is no greater joy than bopping your head to some nice tunes when playing games with a friend, and this is where Ready, Steady, Ship! does a good job. The game features a handful of nice tracks that fit the game’s atmosphere, from elevator-like jazz music to nerve-inducing songs that accompany the more stressful levels. While these tracks are nice and fit the game well, it would have been nice to get a bit more variety throughout the 60 levels.
During the handful of cutscenes, there are some voice-acted dialogues. These performances are not very noteworthy but are also not that present to have any influence on the overall experience.
Gameplay
Ready, Steady, Ship! is a puzzle game that has a big focus on cooperative gameplay and creating a hectic experience for players to enjoy with a friend. Whereas other games of this genre often present no single-player option or give players an incompetent AI partner, Ready, Steady, Ship! features both a series of levels to enjoy with a friend or alone.
Taking control over your warehouse worker is pretty simple with a joystick to control him, a button to pick up stuff, and one to interact with objects. At the start of each level, players are dropped in a facility where they have to connect a box-delivering machine to a truck by utilizing conveyor belts and sorting boxes of different colors. On paper, this sounds like an easy task but the game keeps introducing new mechanics and hurdles to overcome. Completing these levels has to be done in a certain amount of time, giving players the incentive to try again to beat their score. Along with this timer are the stars, that can be earned by delivering all the right boxes, which need to be collected to unlock further levels.
The game offers a couch co-op mode that can be experienced with two players and offers a total of 30 levels. This is the main attraction of the game and it is clear the levels are optimized for working together. Taking on these challenges can be a lot of fun with a friend, trying to figure out how to solve the puzzles, and making a big mess in the process. The controls are good enough but can be a bit clunky when moving objects, which isn’t helped by the sometimes oddly designed levels where the challenge doesn’t come from solving the puzzle but the amount of ground you need to cover running between sections of the level. Where this often creates chaotic fun in other games, we could not help but experience more frustration than fun in this scenario. The same can be said for specific mechanics in levels, where some offer an entertaining challenge and others can be a chore. Especially the slippery vehicles can be difficult to control.
Along with this multiplayer mode is a single-player experience that offers another 30 levels. Some of these are the same as the two-player levels, but smaller so they can be completed alone. Other sections are completely redone to recontextualize mechanics in a way that a lonesome player can complete them. This is a fun addition and enhances the value of the game, but it is far less fun than playing the game with a friend. It is more of a bonus scenario to experience between co-op sessions and not worth the price of the game if you buy it solely for this mode.
Conclusion
Ready, Steady, Ship! is a fun game to experience with a friend or loved one, offering a ton of levels and chaotic fun. This fun, however, isn’t ever-present due to some clunky controls and certain frustrating gameplay mechanics. The game also offers a single-player mode which is more a bonus than a main reason to buy the game. It is worth picking up if you’re a big fan of this type of game, but there are definitely better options on the market.
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