Ahoy mateys, welcome Below Deck!
One year ago we started the Below Deck newsletter, alongside the official start of production. Time has flown by and Davy Jones’ Deckhand has come a long way in a year. Check out this before and after comparison.
It has been a wild, epic adventure so far. In a year we’ve taken an idea and built it into an extremely fun demo that has been played by nearly 100 players, with an impressive median playtime of over 2 hours, we’ve travelled to Germany to pitch at Gamescom, and now just returned from PAX, Australia’s largest gaming event. We haven’t had a lot of time to stop and reflect or celebrate, but it’s been a very successful year! The team at Cass Bay Games are so grateful to everyone who has followed our newsletter, joined our playtests, and been cheering us on.
In this edition of Below Deck I’m going to share about our PAX Australia exploits and give you a sneaky little insight into what’s next for the game.
Yours piratically,
Ben
The pirate and the crab
As an unknown studio with an unknown game, Tepene and I knew we’d have to get creative to make the most out of our time in Australia. Our mantra was ‘commit to the bit’, and we certainly turned a few heads with our costumes and booth design. Tepene once again brought an exceptional eye for detail to give players an immersive sense of stepping into the swashbuckling world of the game. We had an exhausting, exhilarating time sharing our game with media and players, many of whom really clicked with what we were doing and absolutely loved our unique take on card combat at sea!
Booty!
We came well stocked with extra special VIP packs (recipients were horrified to discover their very own black spot inside), 5kgs of chocolate coins, and coloring-in-sheets!
Articles and media about Davy Jones’ Deckhand
While promoting the game at PAX we also had our first opportunity to talk to gaming media outlets about Davy Jones’ Deckhand. Check out this selection of articles that have been released so far.
Checkpoint Gaming Highlight
“Davy Jones’ Deckhand uses a simple yet fascinating two-stance system that utilises parries as its main driving force.”
Kelly Byrne, DezDoes.com Top 5 Indies of PAX
"This one surprised me. I’m not always into deck builders, but the combat here feels sharp and rewarding. Pulling off a perfect parry and chaining counter-attacks is ridiculously satisfying. The art style pops, the UI is clean, and the fonts are easy to read, small detail, but it matters when you’re juggling cards mid-battle. It’s approachable too; you don’t need to be a card game veteran to enjoy it. I found myself thinking, “Just one more run,” which is always a good sign. One of my favourite indie at PAX, and honestly, it deserves way more attention."
Explosion Network Preview
“The card-game genre can feel over-saturated at the moment and a bit harder to stand out in, which is why I was so pleased with Davy Jones’ Deckhand, which had me locked in as I did battle on the deck.”
Indieformer PAX Aus 2025 Indie Picks
“A deckbuilder where defense isn’t optional - it’s everything.”
Hooked Gamers Highlight
"With a narrative, mechanical and artistic design dripping over from the likes of Monkey Island, Captain Pugwash and Muppet Treasure Island; Davy Jones' Deckhand has you engaging in a deckbuilding swashbuckling adventure to duel pirates, knaves and ne'er-do-wells in counter-based combat."
And finally, here’s a short video we made ourselves for a laugh at PAX:
Charting our next course
It’s actually quite an exciting time at Cass Bay Games. We’ve officially started to transition into the second phase of development, which means moving away from the core combat loop that has been the focus of the past year, and onto the outer loop of the game that includes exploration, narrative and progression. While we’re proud of our unique combat mechanics, it’s this second phase that is going to bring genre-bending elements to our game that deckbuilder fans and adventure fans alike will be very excited about. We may be a little slower on the playtest updates front, but we’re working hard behind the scenes and can’t wait to share the next evolution of Davy Jones’ Deckhand with you when the time is right. Here’s a little sneak peek…
Join the crew!
Don’t forget to wishlist the game on Steam, blackmail your friends and family to do the same, and help us market our pirate game!
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Until next time me hearties, yo ho!
