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 Naval Combat Open World 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
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 Naval Combat Simulation 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
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’
Read More: Best Naval Combat World War II Games.
战术狂想1(Chimera of Tactics 1)
Ugly and buggy, 0 effort garbage.
– Real player with 0.8 hrs in game
Scrap Seas
Scrap Seas is a Vehicle 3rd-Person Shooter Action Rogue-Like. Build your ship and fill it to the brim with every kind of weaponry you can find. Then take it out into the ocean to take part in fast-paced generated sea battles against your Robot Overlords.
FIGHT!
Use your fire power and maneuvering skills to sink ships, robots, and other stuff. Destroy your enemies, and save those you care about. Use your boosters to ram into enemy ships head on or to flee like a coward. Just make sure you don’t DIE, because if you DIE you’ll die forever, and it’s pretty easy to DIE.
BUILD YOUR SHIP
Start with a boat and fight your way to an AWESOME BOAT! Take that boat and fill it with every kind of cannon, laser beam, and whatever the hell else you can find. You can also collect comic book panels which can provide a variety of buffs to your ship. Ah, and don’t forget about melee weapons. Every boat worth piloting needs some buzz saws, or at least some electrified spikes.
PLOT YOUR COURSE
Navigate your way around a generated map. Ensure that you have enough supplies for your journey. Choose your battles wisely…or unwisely, I don’t care. I’m not your dad.
USE YOUR WORDS!
Are you a hero or a coward? An idealist or a pragmatist? A lover or a fighter? Express your character through Scrap Seas comic book panel encounters.
A pirate quartermaster
Don’t overlook this curious little gem of a game! Do yourself a favor and give it a try. I’ve never played anything quite like it.
As an added bonus the developer is very active and present, and has already provided several bug fixes and added improvements.
Edit 16th of October:
An earlier version of this review mentioned that the game needed some serious rebalancing, as it was very difficult to keep going for any significant amount of watches. The developer has since changed a number of things, and it is now much, much easier to progress in my experience.
– Real player with 92.0 hrs in game
This game is truly charming.
It has got style and character and a great atmosphere (it does not struggle to create a feel-good one).
You gotta love the music, absolutely enjoyable and this goes for most everything of this game.
It also has very good achievements that are desirable but seldomly quick to get.
They let you know there is more adventure for you in this game sort of in addition to the already
solid watch to watch “routine” of being the quartermaster.
Make smart decisions (one of them is not to think “1 portion” ought to be enough when there is no better reason to skimp there other than saving a few coins when that is not crucial) and you can sail a fearsome, capable pirate ship you will mourn to ever lose. This might even entail mourning the loss of your former captain (I admit that happened to me ;-) ).
– Real player with 54.1 hrs in game
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:
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Higher resolution and better graphics
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3 plattforms to operate (688(i), Seawolf, Akula)
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Single missions and campaigns which can be played as US or russian.
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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
Frontline: Panzer Blitzkrieg!
Simple little simulation. NOT going to test an Avalon Hill fan. Wait for it to be on sale, as it has no scenario designer so you only get what it comes with. Limited replayability. A few minor glitches where the game wont let you attack or even move into a grid that you should be able to. So sometimes, you cant eliminate an enemy unit.
– Real player with 110.0 hrs in game
just got the 4 game bundle was looking for a break from high stress turn base games the bigger devs make .
wow was this a surprise a lot is packed into the game some is not , so will not be for everyone .
but looking for a good shot out game with minimal supply planning this can be it .
One thing I like is no max turns just objectives But you have to keep going since you will run out of supply but collecting objectives or Parachute drops gets you more . I played on normal and a few battles had to restart .
– Real player with 56.7 hrs in game
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
Underwater Wars
Awesome game, very relaxing and nostalgic if you like xcom terror from the deep. Easy to learn, still in early access so they’ll add more skirmish maps soon. I love skirmish mode. Take your time and enjoy some underwater combat.
– Real player with 1.5 hrs in game
TLDR: Despite its uncommon setting, this tactical game is dogged by uninspired design. The poor voice over, boring missions and absence of narrative cripple it in a competitive and already crowded genre.
I’ve always had a soft spot for seafaring type games, be they on the surface (Pirates, Sunless Sea) or beneath it (Terror from the deep), so I originally had high hopes for Underwater Wars. Unfortunately I have never reviewed a game where I could only find one good point to highlight…
- Turn-based submarine combat, and the underwater setting
– Real player with 1.0 hrs in game