Developed by Brazilian studio Mandinga, Black Sailors: Bay of All Saints is a naval strategy RPG played in turns and set in colonial Brazil during the 18th century. You lead formerly enslaved people who take a ship and become pirates, then battle Portuguese vessels throughout the Baía de Todos os Santos. Revealed in a trailer at the Game Devs of Color Expo 2026, the game shows illustrated story sequences alongside top-down tactical fights and is scheduled to launch in 2027.
Quick answer: It is a turn-based tactical naval RPG about a rebel pirate crew in colonial Bahia, launching on PC, Mac, and Xbox Series X/S in 2027.
The trailer opens on the Mandinga logo before cutting between dialogue portraits, ship battles, and an animated cutscene. It sets the tone quickly, mixing tactical gameplay with a story of resistance, identity, and freedom that reworks a piece of Brazilian history from the perspective of the people usually remembered only as victims.
Setting: colonial Bahia and the Bay of All Saints
Set in a stylized 18th-century colonial Brazil, the game draws on a time when millions of Africans were transported to the Bay of All Saints. Its story looks beyond a settled historical account, imagining an insurgent crew that takes up the fight. You can raid Portuguese caravels, seize slave ships and liberate those aboard, or aid quilombos concealed among the islands; every decision brings another front into the resistance.
The narrative leans on Afro-Brazilian and West African spirituality. The trailer’s animated finale shows a ship battle turning catastrophic before a character channels the wind and the vessel is pulled into a vast cosmic whirlpool, framed by a reference to the Orisha Exu opening the ways. It signals that the campaign blends historical revolt with supernatural elements.
Tactical naval combat and navigation
Battles play out from a top-down view with turn-based, inertia-based movement. Because ships carry momentum, timing, positioning, and planning ahead matter more than raw firepower, especially when you face stronger enemies. You plot maneuvering lines, pick attack angles and escape routes, and line up cannon broadsides against enemy hulls.
The combat interface shown in the trailer includes navigation paths, directional wake arrows, dotted circular firing ranges and targeting reticles, red warning markers above enemy targets, and overhead health and armor bars. A crew wheel lets you assign stations and special actions, alongside a manual control toggle and buttons for equipment and ship management.
Crew management and characters
The rebellion relies on its crew: assigning people to posts alters how the ship operates, while different arrangements let one vessel serve as distinct weapons. Its multinational ranks include a fighter from Dahomey, a blacksmith from Oyo, and a hunter native to Ife. Each brings personal beliefs and abilities, and colonialism has forced them into the same struggle.
Several named characters appear in the trailer through illustrated dialogue scenes and profile sheets that list a bio, skill slots, and stats.
| Character | Role and background |
|---|---|
| Zacimba | A leader figure who speaks about courage and surviving among the Portuguese |
| Iyayun | A skilled blacksmith from Oyo searching for his lost family; keeps the ship running |
| João | Secretly educated son of an enslaved woman; a frail but intelligent cook and cleaner |
| Cândido Neves | Featured in an early dialogue scene set over a parchment map |
Progression covers crew management, character growth, and narrative choices, so the story branches based on how you build and deploy the people aboard.
Platforms, release window, and languages
Black Sailors: Bay of All Saints is planned for PC, Mac, and Xbox Series X/S in 2027. The trailer’s title card narrows that to a Q2 2027 target. The game is developed and published by Mandinga, and its Steam listing is a single-player experience with Family Sharing support.
Interface, full audio, and subtitles are listed in English and Brazilian Portuguese. On PC, the stated minimum specifications are modest, calling for an i3 2GHz processor, 4 GB of RAM, 1 GB of graphics memory, and 1 GB of storage.
You can follow development and get a launch notification through the game’s Steam store page, where wishlisting the title flags you when it becomes available. Until an exact date is confirmed, 2027 remains the only official window, with Q2 2027 as the target shown in the reveal.
