Davy x Jones (Early Access) – Headless pirate adventure

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• DEVELOPER: PARASIGHT
• PUBLISHER: PARASIGHT
• PLATFORMS: PC
• GENRE: Action-Adventure
• RELEASE DATE: August 28, 2025
• STARTING PRICE: 9,75€
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

I first stumbled upon Davy x Jones during this year’s Steam Next Fest. There’s something about pirate adventures and tales of Blackbeard or Davy Jones that always grabs everyones attention, so I also had to take a closer look. Developed by Parasight, the studio behind BLACKTAIL, this is a first-person action-adventure game that throws you into a surreal pirate afterlife.

Davy x Jones stands out with its bizarre premise: you are the legendary pirate Davy Jones, betrayed and beheaded, who must now navigate the underworld as a headless body. You’re accompanied by your sarcastic, chattering skull, named Davy. This unusual partnership forms the core of the game’s humor, narrative, and combat mechanics.

The combat is a major letdown

I’m going to start off by saying that I’m conflicted about this game. While some aspects, like the art style and voice acting are quite good, the combat and optimization are extremely poor. The controls are incredibly unresponsive during combat, for example, you have to slam the SHIFT key just to dash and the counter/parry mechanic also doesn’t seem to work properly. And yes, the execution animations are also quite disappointing.

“A great art style and voice acting are wasted on this game’s unresponsive controls and sluggish, boring combat.”

Additionally, light and heavy attacks feel sluggish, and what’s supposed to be fast-paced combat ends up feeling genuinely boring. Plus enemies don’t stagger and can hit you whenever they want. The gun is also underwhelming; I mostly used its special attack to create a large bomb to hit multiple enemies at once, or you can use the gun to just shot everything around you, not just enemies.

The combat is meant to be fused with the grappling hook, allowing you to move around the map, pull yourself toward enemies, and stun them by throwing your skull. However, due to the unresponsive controls, screen being cluttered with so many things at once, these mechanics fail to feel as dynamic as they should. In fact, while there are various and different types of enemies, none of them really feel unique and different.

The world is beautifully designed

While the combat has that feel reminiscent of the new DOOM games, what truly stands out is the world itself. It looks phenomenal. Although slightly empty, the colors, diverse obstacles, and unique creatures make the world feel alive, as if you’re in a fantasy underwater dream. The world is actually composed of nine floating islands on a sea of clouds.

Each island has its own unique look and secrets, encouraging you to explore beyond the main path. Davy x Jones also introduces a clever “fusion” system: by defeating enemies and collecting their essence, you can open treasure chests. However, each chest could unleash an unpredictable enemy, creating a risk-reward dynamic.

“Davy x Jones stands out for its stunning and unique atmosphere.”

As mentioned, the grappling hook allows you to navigate the gaps, but you also have a powerful ally in Abby, a living vessel that is half-ship, half-whale. Abby serves as your mobile base, a source of artillery, and a way to travel between the islands. You can also recruit legendary officers to crew her, which further improve her abilities. There are arenas you fight in that are overwhelmed with enemies, which offer a change of pace from constant traveling.

Filled with humor and constant banter

Beneath the slapstick humor of a headless pirate and his talking skull, there is a darker story of revenge against the notorious Blackbeard. The narrative is pieced together through environmental storytelling, such as frozen shipwrecks and scattered journals. The constant banter between Jones and Davy provides consistent humor, balancing the grim setting with funny dialogue.

“The game’s amazing voice acting and fun boss fights make the darker revenge story an engaging and memorable experience.”

Voice acting is amazing; it’s so well done that each character brings something unique to the table. As a bonus, you can even play games with Jones, including a fun slapping match. In addition to the main quest, you will face increasingly difficult enemies, including a variety of demons and legendary behemoths like the Kraken. The boss fights are actually quite fun, as they force you to adapt and learn their patterns. However, the combat genuinely ruins this experience.

The Behemoths are more than just powerful enemies; they are integral to the game’s lore and your progression. They are presented as guardians of the underworld’s secrets, and defeating them is tied to advancing the main story and unlocking new areas.

The price is surprisingly low

You’ll likely die more than you expect, but you can return to the action quickly from a saved checkpoint. I do wish the game would save automatically. You can probably get 5-6 hours of gameplay out of the current Early Access version. I was surprised by how cheap it is, given the overall quality and decent narrative. The game just needs more polish, especially with some of its mechanics.

In the end, Davy x Jones is a promising and bold take on the pirate stories we all know. The developers plan to add the complete story, new islands, legendary “Behemoth” bosses, and new upgrades and mechanics. I would recommend grabbing it now while it’s cheap, but you could also wait a few months to see how it develops.

Review copy provided by the publisher