Age of Water
- April 25, 2024
- Three Whales Studio
- 29h median play time
"Age of Water - Gold Edition" offers enhanced starting resources with 3000 Corks and 250,000 Medallions for purchasing in-game goods and decorations. The edition also includes upgraded boats and crew members. You'll start with a Pirate Boat, and have access to Alter Ego, Kitty Sark, and Jack Wiley, each with different early-level skills. Note that all currency and upgrades are earned through gameplay, with no microtransactions.
Reviews
- Chill game with fun gameplay and engaging naval combat.
- Excellent ship customization options and immersive world-building.
- Dynamic weather and water effects enhance the overall experience.
- Steep learning curve with overwhelming enemy spawns and resource scarcity.
- Repetitive missions and grindy gameplay can lead to frustration.
- Performance issues and bugs disrupt the overall experience.
- story249 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as engaging yet often absurd, featuring a mix of humorous characters and a simple narrative set in a post-apocalyptic, waterlogged world. However, many players find the quest design repetitive and grindy, with a heavy reliance on fetch quests and combat missions that can become frustrating, especially at higher levels. While the early game offers a fun introduction to the story and mechanics, the lack of depth and variety in later missions leads to a sense of stagnation and diminished incentive to continue playing.
“The storyline is both engaging and delightfully ridiculous, with characters that keep you entertained, even if some of their antics veer into 'hold my beer' levels of logic.”
“Crafting, fighting, exploring, and the story make it interesting!”
“As you follow the storyline quests, you meet new characters, face other factions, get quests aplenty, and start building an HQ in the starter town.”
“The quests are not interesting or engaging, and I opted to skip the dialog because it was AI-voiced, sometimes even switching accents, and took forever to get through the dialog.”
“Don't expect much from the quests in terms of story depth and character development, as that doesn't seem to really be the focus of the game.”
“The story is nothing special.”
- gameplay114 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is described as a mix of fun mechanics and frustrating elements, with a significant learning curve and occasional performance issues. Players appreciate the engaging ship-building and customization aspects, but many criticize the repetitive quest structure and poorly explained mechanics. While the core gameplay loop is enjoyable, it suffers from balance issues and bugs that detract from the overall experience.
“Balanced PvE and PvP elements: you can choose to engage in player-versus-environment missions or test your skills against other players in designated PvP zones, offering flexibility in gameplay.”
“The gameplay of the game is exciting and varied, and the graphics are made at a high level.”
“The core mechanic (improving your ship) is fun.”
“Just the wave mechanic in general is so irritating; it's not a fun or challenging part of the battle, it's just stupid and annoying.”
“The gameplay loop is just going from point A to point B doing very basic quests; you don't ever really get a sense that you are in any danger.”
“The UI is messy, mechanics are poorly explained (if at all), and elementary systems are bugged.”
- grinding80 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 99 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a significant focus, with many players noting that resource farming is essential but can become tedious and monotonous over time. While some enjoy the grind as part of the gameplay experience, others find it excessively repetitive, especially in the endgame where the lack of content leads to prolonged grinding for upgrades and resources. Overall, opinions vary, with some players appreciating the grind for its chill nature, while others express frustration over the time-consuming and often frustrating mechanics involved.
“Not grindy and easy to understand and get into.”
“The game is buggy and essentially a grinding simulator with no end game to speak of, so no incentive to grind other than the grind itself.”
“It's just a grind fest that makes the game monotonous, boring, and brain-numbingly tedious.”
“After spending hours farming for what I was told by the game would be a 'bigger boat', I was given a boat half the size of the one I had.”
- graphics57 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game are well-received, with many players praising the dynamic water effects, vibrant art style, and detailed environments that enhance immersion. While some reviews mention minor performance issues and a desire for a more serious art direction, the visuals are generally described as beautiful, cartoonish, and optimized for various systems. The game's graphics contribute positively to the overall experience, making it enjoyable for exploration and combat.
“The graphics in this game are very good.”
“This game has amazing graphics with detailed underwater and above-water locations.”
“The graphics are a great mix of beauty and almost cartoonish at times; the water and buildings look great, and the sharks look really ominous.”
“The few fun aspects of the game such as shooting things are quickly suppressed by the annoying mandatory busywork and the game running poorly regardless of lowered graphical details.”
“Cons: npc spawn camping you, progression locked behind disabling npc ships (which includes destroying every single weapon and the helm, but not killing the crew, or sinking the ship while using super janky controls, and a churning sea, that seems to only affect your accuracy but not the npcs), npc ships with blown helms outrunning you and training you through multiple enemy spawns, lack of any meaningful story, dialog that was written by a 3rd grader, and lackluster graphics.”
“Art style and characters seem a bit cringy.”
- monetization23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The game's monetization model has sparked mixed reactions among players, with concerns about potential microtransactions leading to fears of a pay-to-win scenario, despite it being a buy-to-play title. While some players report that current microtransactions are minimal and not overly intrusive, others express skepticism about the game's future monetization direction, suggesting it may lean towards a cash grab. Overall, the community remains divided, with some appreciating the current model while others caution against possible exploitative practices.
“I don’t think there are microtransactions, just the bundles you can buy in the Steam store, which is nice.”
“Game is fun, there are microtransactions but they are not too bad.”
“Its nothing of that sort at all, they do not have microtransactions; some of the packages give some currency but it's a small amount.”
“Monetization concerns: while the game is buy-to-play, there have been discussions about potential microtransactions, causing some players to worry about a pay-to-win scenario.”
“When you play this game, you realize really fast that the entire basis of the game is built around the idea of microtransactions.”
“Game has terrible monetization with more money allowing you to enter into this mainly single-player experience at a different point and need to grind.”
- stability22 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and performance issues that disrupt gameplay. While some users appreciate the graphics and overall fun factor, many express frustration over game-breaking bugs, laggy servers, and incomplete features, indicating that the game feels unfinished despite its early access status. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game requires substantial improvements to achieve a stable and enjoyable experience.
“Near bug-free and fun experience for everyone.”
“Overall, I really like the look of the game graphically, and it runs great on my 12-year-old system (GTX 1080, 32GB RAM, and old i4790K processor outputting to a 32" monitor).”
“This game is like a hollow shell of a good game; it looks great, feels great, then you get into the story and upgrade system, and you realize it's a buggy piece of online requirement garbage where you fight for scraps to try and get big enough to compete for resources.”
“The only non-predatory Gaijin game to ever be released, and it's a buggy mess that's reset my progress twice whilst being plagued with laggy and sometimes crash-happy servers (they get reset twice a day).”
“Completely ruined by game-breaking bugs and glitches, insanely unbalanced gameplay, and unexplained game mechanics.”
- optimization18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 28 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report stable performance and good graphical optimization, others experience significant issues such as server lag, stuttering, and occasional bugs. Despite these problems, many find the gameplay enjoyable and addictive, indicating that the optimization may improve with ongoing updates. However, the game's early access status is evident in the performance inconsistencies.
“The game is well optimized graphically and the equipping system is intuitive and unique.”
“This game has nice visuals and I have not had any performance issues.”
“You get to craft, loot, and plunder, and when you find two items you may want to pay attention to the stats because 9 out of 10 times the items are different in weight, health, shot dispersion, fire rate, engine power, and other various elements that make up your ship's performance.”
“The game design simply isn't good, and the game is not optimized; it runs poorly even on low detail and low resolutions.”
“Stuttering and not playable.”
“Everything was fine, but the optimization of the game is currently lacking.”
- atmosphere13 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visuals, particularly at night, and its immersive sound design that evokes mystery and danger. Players appreciate the vibrant maritime setting, which combines elements of adventure, trading, and role-playing, enhanced by engaging animations and a lively soundtrack. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the gameplay experience, making it enjoyable, especially when played with friends.
“The sound creates an atmosphere of mystery and danger.”
“The ocean and atmosphere are gorgeous and quite lifelike.”
“The game excels in atmosphere and freedom, allowing you to trade, hunt for treasures, or become a pirate yourself.”
“Despite all problems with servers and some bugs, I really liked this one because of its setting and atmosphere.”
“Took the plunge on purchasing the gold edition of Age of Water and found it to be a very enjoyable EA game, graphically stunning with that water world and Mad Max style atmosphere.”
“Great music and soundtrack will help you immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the post-apocalypse.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its humor, offering a mix of funny moments and entertaining gameplay, especially in multiplayer settings. Players enjoy the comedic aspects of combat and character builds, although some bugs can detract from the experience. Overall, it’s seen as a lighthearted and fun alternative to other titles, despite some unfinished elements in the storyline and balance.
“An exciting and fun game in the open ocean with a beautiful world, the game has a lot of action and funny moments. Playing with friends, the game quickly masters and you get more fun!”
“The guns have a great 'feel' to them; machine guns hammer away, cannons boom and actually affect the physics and travel of your ship. Shotguns are savage up close and the grenade launchers are hilarious.”
“This is the game for anyone disappointed with Skull and Bones. It does not pretend to be anything other than fantastic fun and hilarious PvP. Get a boat, get your crew, and get some fun!”
- music6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised for enhancing the immersive atmosphere, particularly in its unique post-apocalyptic and marine-themed settings. Reviewers highlight the pleasant soundtrack as a standout feature, complementing the game's graphics and gameplay mechanics, despite some concerns about optimization and pricing. Overall, the music contributes positively to the gaming experience, making it a notable aspect of the game.
“Great music and soundtrack will help you immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the post-apocalypse.”
“The game has a unique setting of marine themes with excellent visuals and music.”
“Nice graphics, interesting grind, ship upgrade system taken partially from Crossout, nice soundtrack.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through its various missions, primarily focused on delivery tasks. However, players express concerns about the lack of engaging content once they have fully upgraded their character and completed the research, leading to questions about long-term replay value.
“There is a lot of replayability to enjoy.”
“The missions offer a variety of tasks, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging.”
“Even after you've fully upgraded and researched, the game still provides plenty of opportunities for replayability.”
“The missions that are playable are largely just 'Hey, can you deliver this letter or message to this person at this place?'”
“But what happens after you've fully upgraded and researched? Where is the replayability?”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the game attempts to deliver an emotional journey, the voice acting often feels forced and lacks genuine impact. Moments intended to evoke sadness or reflection, such as farewells, are overshadowed by abrupt shifts in tone and action, which may detract from the overall emotional experience. However, players are encouraged to engage with the narrative to uncover the deeper emotional themes the game aims to present.
“Resolving these problems will bring about a successful and blessed experience for you, allowing you to fully enjoy the emotional journey that the game promises.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally lacking, with players noting that quests do not offer significant story depth or character growth. Additionally, the character design has been criticized for not aligning with the expected serious tone, detracting from the overall experience.
“Don't expect much from the quests in terms of story depth and character development, as that doesn't seem to really be the focus of the game.”
“The character design is disappointing; I was expecting a serious tone similar to Waterworld, but with a touch of quirkiness.”