Indie game development studio Fireblade Software has delayed its upcoming tactical sea combat game Abandon Ship. The game is now scheduled to make its way to Steam Early Access in 2018.

In Abandon Ship players take control of a ship and its crew as they explore a procedurally generated world, take on quests and deal with random, and sometimes life-threatening, events.

The Early Access release date for the game has been pushed to 2018 because the development team behind the game needs more time to deliver "an extremely high-quality experience".

Players will end up engaging other ships in combat and they will have to employ their best tactics in order to outmaneuver and out-gun the enemy. The game focuses on bringing “Age of Sail” ships in a fantasy setting, framed in an art style inspired by classic Naval Oil Paintings.

The game offers more than just typical sea warfare as it contains tons of details that make for a unique gameplay experience.

Part of this is due to the game's procedurally generated worlds, but also due to the game's dynamic weather and water physics systems as well as various customization abilities that allow players to upgrade their captain, ship and crew.

Abandon Ship is also said to contain a unique twist on the typical "game over" scene as ship destruction is not the end of gameplay.

Players play as the captain, and as long as the captain is alive, their game will continue. By escaping to a lifeboat, or even being stranded, alone in the water, there is still a chance to survive and fight your way back to the top.