Carrier Battles 4 Guadalcanal: Pacific War Naval Warfare
- June 5, 2020
- Avalon Digital
- 39h median play time
Get on Steam"Carrier Battles 4 Guadalcanal" is a turn-based strategy game that simulates Pacific War naval-air battles in 1942-1943. It offers 11 historical scenarios, cross-platform multiplayer, and a range of features such as advanced damage system, naval-air search, and radar. Players can command 80 types of warplanes and historical ships in battles with a scale of 30 miles per hex.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game captures the tension and strategy of WWII Pacific carrier battles, providing a rewarding experience for players who enjoy tactical decision-making.
- It offers a variety of scenarios with historical accuracy, allowing for replayability and exploration of different 'what if' situations.
- The developer is responsive to feedback and consistently updates the game, improving gameplay and fixing bugs, which enhances the overall experience.
- The game suffers from balance issues, particularly favoring Japanese forces, making it difficult for allied players to achieve victory without significant skill.
- The tutorial is lacking in detail, making it hard for new players to understand the mechanics and fully enjoy the game.
- There are several bugs and performance issues, including crashes and unresponsive controls, which detract from the gameplay experience.
- gameplay20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a moderate learning curve, with well-designed mechanics that emphasize realistic carrier operations and strategic decision-making. Players appreciate the depth of the gameplay, including aircraft management and the effective use of weather and search patterns, although some find the play-by-email feature cumbersome. Overall, the game offers a rich experience with diverse scenarios and a focus on realism, making it enjoyable once players become familiar with its mechanics.
“The game mechanics work very well and the results of the simulation are quite realistic.”
“I absolutely love the simplicity of the mechanics as your major decisions are moving your task forces, setting search patterns, readying aircraft for missions, and assigning cap and strike targets.”
“The gameplay is deeper than you would think, and using the weather, search patterns, and time management to your advantage really makes the difference between victory and defeat.”
“My only criticism revolves around the play-by-email feature - it's quite cumbersome and reminiscent of early, dated PBEM mechanics.”
“The auto-pilot which would make gameplay a lot easier (and more realistic) is not working faultlessly.”
“Overall good carriers-centric strategy game with okay mechanics; if it's your thing, check it out.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as basic and reminiscent of 1990s titles, with a focus on functionality over visual flair. While the map is detailed and beautiful, the overall presentation is simple, featuring minimal combat graphics and a clunky interface that may detract from the experience. Despite these limitations, the graphics effectively convey necessary information and contribute to the game's strategic depth.
“The flow of the game within the artwork is very smooth.”
“Apparently the simplicity of its graphics may make you think that it is not a title that attracts attention, but as you scratch the surface you discover the great potential that lies behind its apparent simplicity.”
“Very smooth play and clear graphics.”
“The original game was a DOS game, so it had very limited graphics and almost no sound.”
“But the presentation is awful--the interface is inelegant, the game is opaque with info and almost all of the graphics aside from the map are in black and white.”
“The graphics are representative of a cardboard-and-hexgrid wargame, including silhouettes of your ships on the counters with numbers and other information.”
- story14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's story is centered around strategic naval warfare, where players engage in missions that require careful planning and execution, such as troop supply and seek-and-destroy operations. Players appreciate the balance of historical accuracy and gameplay mechanics, which emphasize decision-making in aircraft management and mission planning, reflecting the challenges faced during pivotal moments of World War II. The narrative unfolds through increasingly complex scenarios, encouraging players to adapt their strategies based on the evolving dynamics of the battlefield.
“In '42 and early '43 it was a very different story, and even at the USN's best, the war was balanced on a knife's edge.”
“Trying to prepare planes on the flight deck for scouting, attacks, or other missions, while also accounting for sorties that are taking off or coming back, while also ensuring you don't leave yourself defenseless, is quite the thoughtful task.”
“Good aircraft management system for a carrier game - enough detail to make it possible to set up different mission profiles without bogging down the gameplay.”
“Maybe the mission editor should be the standard and in the future some level of campaign.”
“I do miss having total control on recon missions in the base game and often use a few planes of my own to scout particular areas with focused sectors and hex ranges.”
“Ai is very good and I have lost my carriers on the Wake Island mission.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits some stability issues, including bugs and glitches, but the developers are actively addressing these problems through regular updates. While most glitches are minor and do not significantly impact gameplay, some players have experienced freezing and crashing, indicating that further improvements are needed before full recommendations can be made. Overall, the responsiveness of the developers is noted positively, suggesting a commitment to enhancing stability over time.
“Part of me wants to recommend this game, for I love the genre, but another part wants to warn prospective players of what is lacking. If each game freezes and crashes before one can play to the end, it shows the game still needs some work before it can be recommended. It's also painfully obvious that the game has numerous English errors throughout.”
“Buggy, but the developers are slowly addressing the issues with every update, so I can see they are actively listening and taking note on the forum.”
“A few glitches here and there at times, but I expect those to be cleaned up in future updates.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including unresponsive left mouse clicks, freezing, and stuttering, indicating a need for extensive bug fixes and performance improvements. Users emphasize that addressing these optimization problems is crucial for enhancing the overall experience.
“What would make this game great: optimization, lots of optimization.”
“The optimization in this game is impressive, making for a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
“I appreciate the attention to detail in optimization; it really enhances gameplay.”
“It is a mobile port, with a terrible problem of not accepting left mouse clicks, freezing, and stuttering.”
“[b]Cons:[/b] needs heavy optimization and bug fixes.”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The background music in the game is frequently noted to be inconsistent, with users reporting that it often disappears during gameplay.
“The background music often disappears, leaving the game feeling empty.”
“The soundtrack is repetitive and lacks variety, making it tedious to listen to.”
“The music doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express significant emotional frustration and disappointment with the game's mechanics, feeling unfairly treated and emotionally drained by perceived biases and unbalanced gameplay experiences.
