Man O' War: Corsair - Warhammer Naval Battles
- April 18, 2017
- Evil Twin Artworks
- 4h median play time
"Man O' War: Corsair - Warhammer Naval Battles" is a single-player open world fantasy game with a great soundtrack, but it is poorly optimized and buggy. Players engage in epic naval combat, explore the oceans of the Warhammer world, and battle enemies on deck in boarding actions. The game offers a variety of unique ships, races, and allies to command, with the goal of dominating everything in your path.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and engaging naval combat experience, reminiscent of Sid Meier's Pirates and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.
- The variety of ships, upgrades, and crew management adds depth to the gameplay, allowing for different playstyles.
- The Warhammer Fantasy setting is well-integrated, providing a unique atmosphere with interesting factions and sea monsters.
- The melee combat is clunky and unresponsive, making boarding actions frustrating.
- The game suffers from performance issues, including frame rate drops and bugs that can disrupt gameplay.
- Many players feel the game is unfinished, with limited content and repetitive quests, leading to a lack of long-term engagement.
- graphics115 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players describing them as outdated and lacking polish, often comparing them to early 2000s titles. While some appreciate the charm and atmosphere, particularly in the context of the Warhammer universe, others criticize the clunky animations and poor optimization, leading to performance issues even on high-end systems. Despite these shortcomings, a few players find the visuals acceptable, especially for fans of the genre who prioritize gameplay over graphical fidelity.
“The graphics are above average and the cities/shorelines really give you a feel you are in the old world.”
“The visuals are pleasing, and you do get plenty of atmosphere from the day and night and weather cycles.”
“The graphics of this game are actually pretty nice.”
“Graphics and sound are average.”
“The graphics would have been considered bad on a Nintendo 64; on a modern PC they're unforgivable.”
“The graphics, animations, and engine are all overall one word - clunky.”
- story111 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of a cohesive narrative, with many players noting that it feels more like a sandbox experience than a structured campaign. While there are quests and missions available, they often lack depth and variety, leading to repetitive gameplay and numerous bugs that can disrupt progress. Players are encouraged to create their own stories through exploration and interactions, but the absence of a significant overarching plot leaves many feeling unsatisfied and disappointed.
“The game is more of a sandbox type of adventure than a story-driven one, and this fits a pirate game very well.”
“It's a colorful world that encourages you to be as imaginative as the ship's weapons, taking on a variety of missions that could send you down to Davy Jones' locker or have you soaring as high as your mythical fire-breathing pet.”
“You can approach the game in different ways and build your relationships with different factions by attacking their enemies or completing delivery, assassination, or escort missions for them.”
“There is no story or plot quest line.”
“Then there's zero story whatsoever and nothing worthwhile to do.”
“I will be much wearier of this studio in the future as the game feels and looks unfinished, currently there are only basic missions which are super repetitive and offer little development both gameplay-wise and story-wise.”
- gameplay100 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the core mechanics, particularly the sailing and naval combat, which evoke nostalgia for classic titles like Sid Meier's Pirates and Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. However, numerous criticisms highlight issues such as repetitive gameplay, clunky mechanics, and a lack of polish, leading to frustration with combat and overall game design. While some players find enjoyment in the experience, many feel the game is unfinished and plagued by bugs, ultimately limiting its potential despite its engaging premise.
“The gameplay is quite simple but very strong: you sail through the sea with your ship in a third-person view. You can shoot and aim at different ranges with different ships, each with their own mechanics, and use different cannonballs depending on the situation!”
“The core gameplay loop is very satisfying, as is watching your enemies slowly grow from the horizon.”
“This game is the Warhammer setting with gameplay stemming from a combination of the olden and golden 'Pirates!' franchise with the naval mechanics of 'AC: Black Flag', minus being coerced into marrying an orc duke's daughter.”
“It is amazing the developer(s) managed to finish such a complex product while getting the basics of the gameplay loop so wrong.”
“The gameplay is so clunky and awkward that I could not force myself to get into the game, and as soon as I have to actually force myself to play something in the hopes that it will get better instead of enjoying what I'm already doing, then you've lost me.”
“I will be much warier of this studio in the future as the game feels and looks unfinished; currently, there are only basic missions which are super repetitive and offer little development both gameplay-wise and story-wise.”
- stability41 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous stability issues, including frequent bugs, visual glitches, and AI problems, leading many players to describe it as unfinished and reminiscent of early access titles. While some find enjoyment in the gameplay despite these flaws, the overall consensus is that the game requires significant optimization and bug fixes before it can be fully recommended. Players suggest waiting for patches or sales, as the current state is characterized by instability and clunky mechanics.
“While the sea combat is slightly less buggy, the boarding in 'Mount and Blade' style is amazingly bad and hilariously unbalanced.”
“There are also tons of visual glitches and AI issues.”
“However, in its current state, this game is buggy, poorly optimized, and frankly unfinished.”
- optimization33 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 42 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting poor performance even on high-end systems, frequent frame rate drops, and stuttering during gameplay. Many reviewers feel that the game feels unfinished and clunky, lacking polish and depth, which detracts from the overall experience. While some updates have shown improvement, significant optimization issues remain, leaving players hopeful for future fixes.
“It's horribly un-optimized, but getting better with each update, and the dev team actually seem to care. They reply to a lot of questions and suggestions, and so far seem to be implementing them, or seeing if they can fit them in for the future.”
“To my shock, the next update improved the performance and now it runs absolutely fine on my system.”
“The optimization leaves a lot to be desired, but has come a long way in a short time!”
“Mediocre performance even on minimum graphic settings.”
“The bugs and inexplicable stuttering the game does quickly break down the experience.”
“Unfortunately, I think they would have benefited from another year in the program to construct their planned campaigns, fix the continued optimization problems, and add reworked textures.”
- music17 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising it as excellent and integral to the naval battles, while others find it average or lacking, particularly outside of combat. Many players appreciate the pirate-themed soundtrack and its ability to enhance the gaming experience, but there are calls for more variety and consistency in the music. Overall, while some aspects of the soundtrack are celebrated, there are notable criticisms regarding its presence and execution throughout the game.
“The best parts of this game are the incredible music, the naval battles, as well as the advanced trading system.”
“What adds to the exciting naval battles is the music.”
“Soundtrack is amazing as well, hopefully it can get a release on iTunes.”
“Nothing really stands out in the soundtrack; it is utterly average.”
“Combats are horrible, optimization is horrible, and the music comes in and out very poorly; everything feels clunky.”
“They could really use more music as well, which only seems to start playing when the player engages an enemy.”
- humor11 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely unintentional, with many players finding the poor graphics, buggy mechanics, and absurd animations to be hilariously bad, reminiscent of Ed Wood films. While some aspects, like ship combat, are enjoyable, the boarding mechanics and NPC behaviors often lead to laughable situations that contribute to a memorable experience. Overall, the game's cringeworthy elements and tongue-in-cheek dialogue provide a unique, albeit flawed, comedic charm.
“However, some parts of the game are so atrocious it becomes kind of unintentionally funny, like an Ed Wood film.”
“It's not a mediocre game, it's many times hilariously worse and that kind of makes it memorable.”
“Ship combat is a blast, but boarding is a hilarious and silly affair where you swing wildly and hope you can murder 56 Skaven before they murder your crew of 18.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its immersive qualities and engaging writing, effectively capturing the essence of its setting, particularly in terms of weather and day-night cycles. However, some users note that the visuals can be inconsistent, with certain elements feeling too dark or lacking polish, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these graphical shortcomings, the game's atmospheric elements, such as dynamic weather and thematic quests, contribute significantly to its appeal.
“Great writing, fun quests, immersive atmosphere.”
“The visuals are pleasing, and you do get plenty of atmosphere from the day and night and weather cycles.”
“A battle against an empire fleet in the dead of night with booms of thunder and lightning crackling across the sky certainly adds to the atmosphere, although the rolling mist can get in the way of targeting enemy ships.”
“Yeah, it is rough around the edges graphically, but the sailing, tacking with the wind, atmosphere, and freedom make up for it.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly in the slow navigation of ports and the initial money grind. While the ship combat and random events during travel add enjoyment, the overall pace can feel slow and may deter more serious gamers.
“The ship combat is pretty good, but the way the ports work is very tedious, having to walk around slowly to each shop, and the boarding actions have a similar problem.”
“Regardless, it is a good game as is, though more serious gamers might find the combat a bit tedious (which it can be).”
“Slow and grindy in the beginning: I'd prefer if the game didn't have such a steep money grind early on.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is highly replayable due to its multiple chaos factions and diverse independent styles, offering players a variety of gameplay experiences. Additionally, the developers are considering adding more playable races, which could further enhance replayability in the future. Overall, players find it to be a fun and engaging game with significant replay value.
“Very replayable with multiple chaos factions and different independent styles.”
“Having fun, different kind of game with heaps of replayability.”
“Luckily, the developers made clear in the forums that they are in talks about including more playable races, so these gripes could change in the foreseeable future.”
“Unfortunately, the game lacks significant replayability, as the story and gameplay mechanics feel repetitive after the first playthrough.”
“The limited choices and linear progression make it hard to find reasons to replay the game.”
“While the initial experience is enjoyable, there isn't much incentive to go back once you've completed it.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is generally viewed positively, as players appreciate that it avoids the pitfalls of being a cash grab or a quick mobile port.
“The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
“I feel like I'm constantly being pushed to buy in-game currency just to keep up with the content.”
“It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, making it feel like a pay-to-win scenario.”
