Abandon Ship is a sort of Sid Meier's Pirates meets FTL, and it's a game I've had my eye on for some time. Now, the developers have released a new gameplay video that focuses on exploration - and it makes Abandon Ship look even more promising.

In the video we see how players navigate around the map, which is bordered by a picture frame inspired by the classic naval oil painting style the game's art is based upon.

You remove the fog of war on a canvas, find events and ports and move to new areas via locked gates that can be opened by completing a set number of events. Fireblade Software said procedural generation determines the placement and routes of exploration maps within a region, as well as the islands, ports, events and environmental modifiers. The main story encourages the player to certain locations, but you're free to explore.

Each region has a theme. Uncharted regions have fewer ports and so are more dangerous to explore. Some regions have live volcanoes, which affect combat.

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Abandon Ship first caught the eye for its FTL-style combat, and this new video once again touches on how you fight. If your ship is destroyed, the Captain is stranded with deteriorating health. If the Captain makes it to a lifeboat, you have to contend with dwindling supplies and morale. Survive long enough and you'll be picked up by another ship and you can continue.

Abandon Ship is due out later this year on PC. It's still on my one to watch list.