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Deadliest Catch: The Game

Deadliest Catch: The Game had the almost admirable ability to make me not want to either take up crab fishing in real life, nor to find out what the eventual endgame of its videogame counterpart was.
49%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
stability, grinding
50% User Score Based on 803 reviews
Critic Score 40%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

PCPCXboxXboxWindowsWindowsNintendo SwitchNintendo SwitchXbox OneXbox One

About

"Deadliest Catch: The Game" is a fishing simulation based on the popular TV show. Players take on the role of a crab fisherman in the Bering Sea, braving harsh weather and treacherous waters to catch Alaskan king crab. The game features realistic fishing mechanics, boat customization, and the opportunity to build your own fishing empire. Success requires strategic planning, precise timing, and the ability to adapt to changing conditions on the sea.

Deadliest Catch: The Game screenshot
Deadliest Catch: The Game screenshot
Deadliest Catch: The Game screenshot
Deadliest Catch: The Game screenshot
Deadliest Catch: The Game screenshot
Deadliest Catch: The Game screenshot
Deadliest Catch: The Game screenshot
Deadliest Catch: The Game screenshot
Deadliest Catch: The Game screenshot
Deadliest Catch: The Game screenshot
Deadliest Catch: The Game screenshot
+3

50%
Audience ScoreBased on 804 reviews
gameplay12 positive mentions
stability97 negative mentions

  • The game captures the essence of the Deadliest Catch TV show, providing an immersive experience for fans.
  • The graphics and weather effects are visually appealing, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
  • The developers are actively working on updates and bug fixes, showing commitment to improving the game.
  • The game is riddled with bugs that can make it unplayable, including issues with saving and loading progress.
  • Gameplay can become repetitive and tedious, especially with the crab sorting mechanics.
  • The AI crew members often malfunction, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • stability
    99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting it as a "buggy mess" that is often unplayable due to frequent crashes, glitches, and unresponsive AI. Many players express frustration over the lack of updates since 2021, indicating that the game feels abandoned and incomplete. While some acknowledge potential for improvement, the overwhelming consensus is that the game is currently too unstable to recommend.

    • “Smooth running and no glitches, Alienware m17.”
    • “There is no progression; it's a buggy mess that will never get fixed. It truly is abandoned with the last update being years ago, and it's even been through multiple developers.”
    • “Game is buggy as all hell, waste of money. Good luck making it a full season without it bugging out, locking up, or crashing your PC.”
    • “The game is not only very buggy but it's actually broken and becomes unplayable, wasting your save game.”
  • gameplay
    60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with players noting both its potential and significant flaws. While the strategic elements of resource management and crew optimization add depth, many users report frequent mechanical issues, bugs, and a lack of multiplayer options that detract from the overall experience. Despite some enjoyable aspects, such as realistic water mechanics and engaging crab-fishing gameplay, the repetitive nature and technical problems hinder its appeal, leaving players frustrated and longing for improvements.

    • “The strategic aspect of managing resources, maintaining your ship, and optimizing your crew's performance adds depth to the gameplay, making every decision feel consequential.”
    • “When the game works, it's great and a lot of fun, with a good challenge, and some fun mechanics.”
    • “Overall gameplay is a good concept; I never got bored and was always ready to flip another pot.”
    • “No multiplayer or co-op, and the mechanics break constantly, whether it's a crab pot on deck that has something simple wrong with it that you as a crew member cannot fix, or the game just deciding to prevent you from interacting with... well... anything on your boat.”
    • “I came across multiple bugs in the first 30 minutes of gameplay... it's unplayable in its current state.”
    • “The game is missing a lot of needed mechanics.”
  • graphics
    50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the attention to detail in water and boat visuals, while others criticize the overall quality as outdated and glitchy, likening it to early 2000s titles. Many users note that high-end PCs are required for optimal performance, and despite some promising elements, the game still lacks polish and suffers from bugs that detract from the experience. Overall, while there are moments of beauty, the graphics are seen as needing significant improvement to meet modern standards.

    • “The attention to detail is nothing short of extraordinary, capturing the essence of the Bering Sea in stunning graphics and realistic soundscapes.”
    • “Absolutely love this game, I like to play this when I want to chill, great graphics and game mechanics - a must for all Deadliest Catch fans.”
    • “The graphics are top notch.”
    • “The graphic quality could definitely use some improvement as well as possible add-ons.”
    • “I'm baffled how this game runs my PC harder than a triple-A title, yet has the graphics from a PlayStation 2.”
    • “Yes, the graphics are 10 years old, and the gameplay is very basic, but it has potential.”
  • grinding
    23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, primarily focused on earning money through monotonous tasks like crab sorting. While some players appreciate the ability to let crew members handle tasks and find it a decent time killer, many feel that the game lacks depth and engaging goals beyond grinding. Overall, it is seen as a grind-heavy simulation that could benefit from more variety and less focus on micro-management.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It's a tedious game that's mostly about waiting.”
    • “It is the 'grindy' game I was expecting, I was just expecting more to it for the price.”
    • “Its a shame, this game could have been a lot of fun and something I really got into, and instead it's just annoying and tedious.”
  • story
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story revolves around sailors and fishermen facing harsh conditions while on missions to catch crabs and survive, which adds a layer of depth to the simulator experience. However, players express disappointment with the execution, noting issues like unclear mission objectives and a lack of engaging plot elements. Many suggest that enhancing the narrative and incorporating multiplayer features could significantly improve the overall experience.

    • “Sailors, fishermen, in harsh conditions on a mission to grab and catch crabs and survive, sometimes avoiding even death.”
    • “Perhaps adding a story to the game would be fun as well.”
    • “But aside from that specific situation, most players will find this game to be disappointing, and that is not the developers' fault; there is a story behind this game.”
    • “The plot or story elements are lacking because it is a kind of simulator game.”
    • “There should be the ability to plot a course on the map - there is no functioning compass.”
  • optimization
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag, with some players experiencing significant performance issues and poor graphics quality, while others report satisfactory performance even on high settings. Many users note that the lack of crew fatigue and the inability to fire crew members detracts from realism, and there are concerns about the accuracy of system requirements. Overall, while the game has potential, its current optimization leaves much to be desired, with some labeling it as one of the least optimized games available.

    • “The strategic aspect of managing resources, maintaining your ship, and optimizing your crew's performance adds depth to the gameplay, making every decision feel consequential.”
    • “- overall, the game feels pretty well optimized even on 'fantastic' settings (with a 1070 ftw gpu, 16gb ram, and an outdated 4th gen i7 cpu).”
    • “At its current stage of development, it can struggle with a few minor performance issues here and there, and the realism with crew roles and a couple of other things aren't really there yet.”
    • “For sure there are some it depends on your PC mostly, due to bad optimization - the system requirements aren't specified correctly as on a medium PC setup you can't have good FPS numbers with high settings.”
    • “It does have its bugs, optimization, and localization issues.”
  • replayability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is limited, primarily due to a lack of customization and progression options, which diminishes the incentive to replay after completing the initial career mode. While multiplayer features enhance the experience and add a social element, many players express frustration over bugs and save issues that hinder long-term enjoyment. Without significant updates or improvements, such as more complex gameplay mechanics and additional modes, the game struggles to maintain player interest beyond the first playthrough.

    • “Whether you're working collaboratively or competing head-to-head, the multiplayer experience enhances the replay value and adds a social element that keeps the excitement alive.”
    • “After release, the game is better and more playable; however, save games not working after an update caused the loss of a few seasons. Many bugs (that are attended to pretty well) and the Steam achievements have stopped counting. I am hoping they will fix all the bugs and add the ability to get a bigger boat to allow us to keep up with the AI boats that get double or more the crab in the second season. A multiplayer mode would be nice, either same boat or as a team getting more crab, with lots of options for the future to allow us to enjoy this more.”
    • “Overall, I enjoyed the hours I spent in this game, and may even come back to it eventually hoping to find a more playable experience that you can sit and grind while doing other stuff that doesn't require very much attention, while not having to worry that all progress will be wiped by a random bug.”
    • “After release, the game is better and more playable; however, save games not working after an update caused the loss of a few seasons, many bugs (that are attended to pretty well), and the Steam achievements have stopped counting (only need 4 more that appear to never be finishable). I am hoping they will fix all the bugs and add the ability to get a bigger boat to allow us to keep up with the AI boats that get double or more the crab in the second season. A multiplayer mode would be nice, either same boat or as a team getting more crab, lots of options for the future to allow us to enjoy this more.”
  • music
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has been criticized for being ambient and repetitive, lacking significant effort or connection to the DC theme, with players noting the absence of recognizable characters or iconic tunes. Instead, the soundscape primarily features waves crashing, which some find underwhelming and corny, though it is not considered a deal-breaker for gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack fails to enhance the experience or evoke the essence of the DC universe.

    • “Music is ambient and repetitive; not a lot of work went into it so far.”
    • “Background music is a bit corny and the equipment sounds need a little work, but it's not a deal-breaker.”
    • “No music, let alone any theme song, so all you hear is waves crashing.”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization of the game has been widely criticized as a cash grab, with users expressing frustration over its unfinished state and the developers' lack of commitment to improvements. Many feel that the game prioritizes quick profits over quality, leading to disappointment among fans.

    • “Steam should remove this game as it's nothing more than a scam and a cash grab at this point!”
    • “Bottom line: we all want to love this game due to the show, but it's a cash grab with developers that want fast cash for the buy, but drag their butts on fixing and finishing the game.”
    • “Steam is becoming abandonware city with so many of the games in my collection being half-finished piles of cash grabs.”
  • atmosphere
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is described as liminal and somewhat depressing, with some players noting a lack of depth and grit in the graphics. However, others find the overall atmosphere enjoyable and engaging, suggesting that future updates may enhance the experience further.

    • “Recommended by a friend, I really enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the game. It's a great game to kill time, and I'm looking forward to upcoming content! :)”
    • “Game sucks and the atmosphere is liminal and depressing.”
    • “This game is really good, but it's lacking in atmosphere and grit. The graphics are not quite there, and there are a few bugs present. It seems like there is nothing to strive for apart from topping a captain leaderboard.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is largely absent, with players noting a lack of the witty, sarcastic elements found in previous installments. Instead, the experience is marred by numerous bugs and gameplay frustrations, leading to a sense of disappointment rather than amusement. Overall, the game's humor fails to engage, leaving players feeling frustrated rather than entertained.

    • “The humor in this game is a delightful mix of witty dialogue and absurd situations that keep you laughing throughout your playthrough.”
    • “I love how the game incorporates clever puns and unexpected jokes that catch you off guard, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining.”
    • “The sarcastic humor really shines through in the character interactions, adding a layer of charm that makes the game feel unique and enjoyable.”
    • “This has so many bugs it's not funny.”

Buy Deadliest Catch: The Game

5h Median play time
5h Average play time
3-7h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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