When Sea of Remnants releases next year, it promises a free-to-play role playing experience where you’ll be able to both hit the open water on a variety of swashbuckling turn-based missions and explore land-based missions in the game’s fictional setting of Orbtopia. And now, after the release of a brand-new trailer during gamescom 2026’s Opening Night Live, IGN can exclusively reveal more than 10 minutes of gameplay, which you can see in the player above.
Sea of Remnants is being developed by Joker Studios and published by NetEase Games, who recently recently-announced a closed beta test coming this December. Ahead of Opening Night Live, I sat down with the game’s Creative Director, who goes by the name Alfie, to break down the new gameplay and dive into what secrets await for players when the game comes out in 2027.
IGN: What specific mechanics or moments in the exclusive gameplay should we be paying the most attention to?
Alfie: There are three elements that I believe are particularly distinctive. First is the game’s roguelike structure. By combining roguelike progression with turn-based combat and dice mechanics, battles become filled with unpredictability and possibility. We also hope players will pay attention to the music as they experience the game. We have put considerable thought into creating distinct musical atmospheres for voyages at sea, exploration across the islands, combat, and many other situations. Finally, each week, players may discover a new crew member within the world of Sea of Remnants. We want each reunion during a Forgotten Voyage to feel like finding one of your companions all over again. At the same time, every additional crew member introduces new team compositions and combinations, making the roguelike loop richer and opening up even more possibilities.
IGN: What is one mechanic or surprise in Sea of Remnants that you think will genuinely catch players off guard?
Alfie: Sea of Remnants is filled with small details and hidden interactions that we hope players will discover for themselves. For example, if you come across an unassuming lounge chair somewhere in the open world, try sitting down. For a moment, you may forget everything else and simply enjoy the peace and quiet. If I had to choose one genuine surprise, however, it would be the opportunity to discover a crew member each week. Sometimes I may be hoping to find Crew Member A, only to encounter Crew Member B instead. That may disrupt my original plan, but it can also open up entirely new possibilities.
IGN: What does the dual ocean and land settings mean for world-building?
Alfie: Creating an ocean-fantasy world has undoubtedly been one of our greatest challenges. The genre is inherently mysterious, and everyone has their own idea of what it might look like. We spent a long time considering how to distinguish our game and build an original, convincing world, which led us to develop an extensive history and mythology to give the setting depth and internal logic.
Our islands, for example, are designed to feel as authentic and believable as possible, supported by details such as a full 24-hour day-and-night cycle. As players explore the islands and towns, we want them to feel that these are real, lived-in places. Within that grounded world, they will also encounter many strange and imaginative elements; but everything exists naturally within the setting and follows its own consistent logic.
IGN: The game operates on a "set sail, explore, collect, return" rhythm. How does Orbtopia function as part of this loop?
Alfie: Orbtopia plays a central role in this loop. The game is divided into two interconnected layers: the ever-changing voyages at sea and Orbtopia, the safe haven of this ocean world. Players repeatedly set sail from the city and return with the spoils of their adventures. The bounty sent back during a voyage can be put to use in Orbtopia to develop your crew, upgrade your ship, and strengthen your overall capabilities. This progression allows you to venture farther, overcome more difficult challenges, and return with even greater rewards on future voyages.
IGN: With the game’s turn-based combat, how players will need to adapt from one run to the next?
Alfie: To support a wide variety of builds, our combat system needed to accommodate a large number of skills and a meaningful degree of randomness. After extensive testing and iteration, we ultimately chose turn-based combat because it allows us to fully express the freedom and variety of the game’s roguelike build system.
We have also integrated roguelike elements directly into the turn-based combat system, including a dice mechanic that can grant characters an additional action. This adds unpredictability to each encounter while creating more opportunities for strategic decision-making and interactions between different mechanics. Once players reach a certain level, some weaker enemies can be defeated through simplified real-time combat instead. This allows players to focus more of their attention on major boss encounters and exploring the wider world.
IGN: How do you strike a balance between roguelike elements and a longer progression system?
