Best Difficult Naval Games on PC

Naval Action

I have almost 6k hours and belong to a wonderful and very successful community in the game. I actively played and tested almost all content in the game. You can assume that I might know what I am talking about.

I am fan of historical simulation war games. Enjoying Totalwar series for years and particularly attracted to age of sail games thanks to Pirate of Burning Sea. Naval Action is the only successor in the market for this genre now. That is the main reason I had big hopes and enthusiasm toward the game and still playing till another come, mainly sticking with my friends.

– Real player with 6996.5 hrs in game

Read More: Best Difficult MMORPG Games.

As much as I would love to see a game like this succeed, I must recommend that you avoid spending money on this game right now. If you are interested, I suggest you wait till it releases and watch the reviews then. Let me explain why.

I have many more hours in this game then is posted in my steam information. I was a closed alpha, pre steam, tester. At the time their was a small group of Russian or Euro testers that numbered, less than 50 as far as I can tell. The second batch of testers, another 50ish, included many Americans. I was one of those testers. I believe that was in early 2014 or 2015. Either way, I have been involved in this game from closed alpha, to early access, to sea trials, to open world going on years now.

– Real player with 2762.1 hrs in game

Naval Action on Steam

Ultimate Admiral: Age of Sail

This review will focus on the management side of the game, rather than the actual combat.

Just be warned this is a management game first, and real time strategy game second.

But,

If you enjoy Empire: Total War’s combat gameplay, you’ll experience a more challenging iteration of that in this game. I have ‘sank’ over 300 hours into this during the closed alpha, and to simply put it, this game takes the officer, equipment, supplies, and manpower management systems of Ultimate General: Civil War and applies it to the combat of Empire: Total War.

– Real player with 114.5 hrs in game

Read More: Best Difficult Singleplayer Games.

The game has a neat concept. Moving battle ships while considering and accounting for the shifting wind adds a an enjoyable and novel complexity to the typical RTS game. BUT the BUGS are legion and game balance non-existent. For instance, your infantry disembarking for naval assault WILL spontaneously disappear from time to time. Ships in formation WILL get stuck for no apparent reason. Although the game seems to suggest multiple ways of completing missions, in reality, the game will frog march you down one way…and one way only to finish a mission. Any attempt at finishing a mission with anything less then the biggest boat you can buy will always end in failure. Failure to research mortars as early as possible will make all land battles impossible. The Game has no qualms about telling you to take down a 112 gun ship with fire ships, and leave you NO other options for succeeding in the mission. I could stomach the frog marching, but the BUGS…I cannot stand the BUGS…Jesus! This game has so many annoying BUGS.

– Real player with 100.4 hrs in game

Ultimate Admiral: Age of Sail on Steam

Tempest: Pirate Action RPG

Q: Why is being a pirate so addictive?

A: Because when ye lose yer hand, ye get hooked!

‘Tempest: Pirate Action’ takes us to a timescape where the tantalizing tall tales of tanalised tallship tars turn true! This is one of my favourite PC games to date, along with ‘The Pirate: Caribbean Hunt’ and ‘Naval Action’. That’s partly because I love square-rigger sailing ships and 1700s maritime history and lore. Of these three games, I consider Tempest the most imaginitive and atmospheric.

This open world game is much better than I expected, based on the YouTube reviews. Various aspects of the game have been much improved since those reviews were posted. The ship-capturing boarding action, for example, is now vastly better, with fully mobile, realistic fighting characters, one of which, you fully control, so you can take part in the melee, close and personal, from a 3rd-person perspecive. That’s something that neither ‘Naval Action’ nor ‘The Pirate: Caribbean Hunt’ can boast.

– Real player with 204.5 hrs in game

Read More: Best Difficult RPG Games.

Score : 55-60/100

Unfortunately it is ““NOT”” a full pirates game.

If you’re looking for a real pirates game this one will disappointed you.

Good points:

Graphic is acceptable

-Ship easy upgrade

-Some of the special items were good designed

-Ship fighting is ok ( Only to those who just enjoy firing cannon balls )

-Auto picking up design

-Time speed up design

Weak points :

***One of the greatest weak point is : this game have “NO” save and worst of all …….there’re traps that didn’t looks like a trap that we will lost 1/4 or even 1/2 of our most experience crews without warning !!!!! 0 . Though we can still play the game without a save file.

– Real player with 148.2 hrs in game

Tempest: Pirate Action RPG on Steam

Strategic Mind: The Pacific

I really wanted to like this game. I really liked the graphics initially and my initial impression on game play wasn’t that it wasn’t bad. But then I realized you get the same graphic if you bomb or torpedo a ship. I mean shouldn’t you use the time you spent making useless swimming sharks to make different graphics for each?

As far as game play goes, your planes die quickly and inflict the same or less damage as a destroyer. And Japanese planes seem to have nearly unlimited fuel. I destroyed all of the Japanese carriers in Midway and five turns later his planes are still attacking my ships and troops. But if I go more than three turns without landing I seem to run out of gas. Worst of all the AI turns take forever.

– Real player with 332.5 hrs in game

I have a rule of saying that if a game is fun, the other things are just the icing. Bad visuals? Corny sounds? Bad controls (note: non-real-time games only)? They can be overlooked.

I have found the game that is the exception to my own rule.

So, to get this out of the way first: This game is a turn-based-strategy game, with a point-buy system for your units, persistent-army mechanic, Hex-grid battlefield, and a basic system of “supply” for ammo, fuel, and repair to damaged units on a turn-by-turn basis.

– Real player with 104.9 hrs in game

Strategic Mind: The Pacific on Steam

Sub Command

Not so much a game as a second job: you can let the auto-crew do much for you but let’s face facts: the appeal of this game is how much it demands from you. Want to work out the firing solution for the 89cm ADCAP torpedo manually? Of course you do, this game was written for you.

The plotline (nasty Russians go to war with the USA for some reason) is not really developed - I’m halfway through the US campaign - BUT the opportunity to play the campaign from the Russians' perspective is a very welcome, plus you have to re-learn the entire control system, this time using the metric system.

– Real player with 36.1 hrs in game

This is the sequel to Jane’s 688(i) Hunter/Killer but now under the flag of Sonarlysts. Most features have already been mentioned in my review of 688(i) so I will try to tell only the difference between these two:

Higher resolution and better graphics
3 plattforms to operate (688(i), Seawolf, Akula)
Single missions and campaigns which can be played as US or russian.
Use your voice to command your ship completely (navigation, firing at a certain contact etc.)

The most important part feature, which came afterwards for Sub Command, is the big SCX mod:

– Real player with 31.8 hrs in game

Sub Command on Steam

Return of the Obra Dinn

In “Return of the Obra Dinn” you’re an insurance investigator who is tasked with determining the fates of all 60 crewmembers aboard the Obra Dinn, a merchant ship that went missing in the early 19th century. Among your possessions is a pocketwatch that, when opened while standing nearby (the remains of) a corpse, shows you a glimpse of the deceased’s surroundings – and what they heard – at the moment of their death.

Furthermore, you have a book in which you keep a record of every crewmate’s death and disappearance. It also contains an artist’s rendition of the face of every crewmember and a list of the crewmember’s names, their occupation and their nationality. Your task is to assign a fate to everyone aboard the ship by using the 3D stills the pocketwatch provides you with. Some people’s fates are easier to determine than others, and the game will rely heavily on your deductive reasoning skills, since you’ll have to draw conclusions by narrowing down possibilities. Although sometimes conclusions based on guesswork and incomplete information were required too.

– Real player with 15.7 hrs in game

TL;DR

People declaring Obra Dinn a prime example of games-as-art and a shining pinnacle of what games in general should strive to be, probably have little to no understanding of how games actually work and wouldn’t recognize a good game if it hit them in the forehead. The core puzzle is good, tho.

Longer version

It’s better to know one important thing before even considering buying The Return of Obra Dinn. This can make or break your experience with it.

The whole affair boils down to solving one big constraint satisfaction problem (think the famous Zebra, or Einstein’s, puzzle) uniquely presented as a series of “memories” (still 3d dioramas) accompanied by an interactive notebook instead of a usual cell table. There is nothing else to it, period.

– Real player with 15.6 hrs in game

Return of the Obra Dinn on Steam

Boat Crew

Boat Crew

Boat Crew is an action-packed singleplayer game that is all about leading your men to bring out the best in them in the field of battle. You’re given charge of a

PT boat, one of many, in the Pacific, and sent against the Imperial Japanese Navy in the forefront of the Pacific War.

Sometimes through bravery and sometimes through guile, you’ll take on ever stronger enemy forces and come out on top. Manage your people and your resources; beg, borrow, and steal, and equip yourself from a wide variety of tools available to bring your campaign to a victorious conclusion.

Prioritize your acquisitions, make connections, and customize your ship’s capabilities to your taste. Above all else, care for your crew; Experienced sailors are in short supply in the largest naval front in the history of mankind. Sometimes the best option is to live to fight another day.

Key Features

Crew Management: In Boat Crew, you are not the boat herself but her commander, with all the associated responsibilities and privileges. Most tasks will be delegated to your trusty crewmen, and it’s up to you to make sure they’re up to the task.

Jury-Rigged: With distances vast and ships spread thin, you’re afforded a substantial degree of autonomy. Anti-tank guns and light mortars are only some of the weapons you can add to your boat that would be considered unusual, and there is ample room for innovation. The only two rules are, make sure you are still floating, and get the job done!

Tested in Battle: Training teaches a man to keep his head down, but its experience that teaches him when he can start handing out the hurt. Crack troops are far more lethal than green recruits, and will be capable of abilities otherwise unavailable to less experienced crewmen.

Live and Teach: Beyond being good fighters, your veterans also have much to teach to their replacements. Experienced soldiers will set a baseline crew experience and will impart their lethality on any replacements given some time.

Fortunes of War: War has luck of its own, and industrialized total war is a different story entirely. Despite all caution and planning, some of your most trusted members will be lost at some point. It’s up to you and your skills as the commander to find appropriate replacements and train them in time for larger engagements.

Applied Science: Few things inspire innovation as much as war does, and sometimes you may find yourself pressed to be the first to employ a new technology in the field. Following the expansive tech tree will dramatically improve your crew’s combat prowess; just make sure to prioritize appropriately.

Grand Campaign: Fight numerous surface actions that range from night raids and coastal fire support to search and destroy. Your success in these battles will improve your clout and your crew’s experience, increasing the options available to you in future battles and providing more daring operations.

Trailer Music by Scott Buckley - ‘The Endurance’

Boat Crew on Steam

Warships On The Halloween Night

Actually the game is kind of fair for what it is , which is a rather poor version of Raptor/Tyrian 2000 -

That said then I think that the game needs better customization options for settings, including ability to turn off music without turning off other sound, custom keyboard settings option , and last but not least a sensitivity setting for the sideways movement , at least sensitivity for short time key press to allow to better position adjustment without banging into side walls or other stuff.

– Real player with 0.2 hrs in game

Warships on the Halloween Night is a 2D top down vertical scrolling retro pixel bullet hell shmup. Control a warship with 4 different weapon types (and limited ammo) and shoot warships and evil pumpkins, because I guess those were the only game assets the developers could rip off from wherever.

Gameplay here is on par with the graphics and delivery… extremely bad. They chose to use obsolete retro pixel “art” as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics. It’s unclear if this is due to lack of budget or talent, regardless, the overall visual quality of the game is extremely low as a result. Resolution and controls are locked. These flaws push this game far below minimum acceptable standards for PC.

– Real player with 0.1 hrs in game

Warships On The Halloween Night on Steam

Wargame: Red Dragon