S
ometimes life gives
you lemons. And by
‘life’ I mean ‘Early
Access pirate MMO
Atlas’, and by ‘lemons’
I mean ‘a spawn point at the bottom
of a vast and unforgiving ocean
populated by sharks’. I guess I must
now try to make some lemonade.
And by ‘lemonade’ I mean ‘bloody-
mindedly commit to this stupid
spawn point and spend over two
hours swimming west to find land
instead of starting over’.It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I
was supposed to be in one of Atlas’s
freeports – safe island zones where
players can feel out the game’s
systems and start levelling up before
heading out on their first craft. Thetutorial backs me up on this. “Walk
out of the town you start in, and find
some bushes,” it says.
Looking around me, there are
some fronds of seaweed and a couple
of shiny rocks. Also I am making a
gurgling noise. I swim for the surface
and finally stop suffocating. Perhaps
my map and compass will help? My
map and compass do not help. There
is blue in all directions. While I’m
treading water a jellyfish stings me,PHILIPPA WARR
THIS MONTH
Tookthe‘vE’partof‘PvE’
very seriously.ALSO PLAYED
My Time At Portiataking off half my health bar with a
solitary zap.
“The first things you’ll want to
craft are the Stone Pick, the Stone
Hatchet, and all of the Cloth Armor,”
says the game. “Consider a torch and
campfire for staying warm and seeing
once night time comes around.”
I swim in the direction of ‘away
from the jellyfish’ and consult the
latest advice from the tutorial. “Find
the sign near the town you started in
that says ‘WATER’,” it says. “Follow
the arrow, and you’ll find fresh waterATLAS: a tale of woman versus shark.
“I swim face-first into a dolphin
(famously a mammal)”
THE TUTORIAL SEEMS KEEN
TO LEAVE BEFORE I ASK
ANYTHING AWKWARDCONTINUED ADVENTURES IN GAMING
EXTRA LIFE
Best not to ask where my
character stores her map.