After 40 hours in Sea of Thieves, the pirate battles on the screen were as tense as my own internal battle over whether I was enjoying Sea of Thieves as a game or as the prettiest online chat room ever. What’s here is an amazing foundation for a social experience that’s beautifully realized , and that makes it frustrating that its gameplay loop is so repetitive and its progression is so stagnant. Sea of Thieves’ opening hours are a magical recipe of wonder and mystery.