Nantucket

66%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,063 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Nantucket Game Cover
A surprisingly compelling roguelike about the pleasures and perils of hunting whales.
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"Nantucket" is a single-player historical role playing game set in the Golden Age of American whaling. Chase after Moby Dick, hunt whales, and manage your ship and crew while experiencing over a thousand unique events. Develop your character and upgrade your ship as you live Ishmael's story and face the consequences of your actions, all accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack and spectral visuals.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

66%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,063 reviews
story85 positive mentions
grinding79 negative mentions
  • Unique setting and theme based on Moby Dick, providing an interesting narrative experience.
  • Beautiful art style and engaging soundtrack, particularly the sea shanties that enhance the atmosphere.
  • Fun and addictive gameplay with a mix of resource management, crew development, and turn-based combat.
  • Combat heavily relies on RNG, leading to frustrating moments where players can feel powerless against random events and enemy actions.
  • The game can become repetitive and grindy, especially after the initial hours, with limited replayability once the main quest is completed.
  • Some mechanics, such as the ship upgrade system and crew management, can feel clunky and unintuitive, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story394 mentions

    The story of the game serves as a sequel to Melville's "Moby Dick," following Ishmael's quest for redemption and revenge against the white whale. While the premise is intriguing and the narrative is enhanced by beautiful artwork and sea shanties, many players find the plot execution to be somewhat basic and repetitive, with a main storyline that can be completed in about 10-12 hours. Overall, the game offers a mix of engaging storytelling and gameplay, but it may not satisfy those seeking a deeply complex narrative.

    • “The story premise is very well considered and makes for a very interesting premise to kick off a game about whaling and captaining your own ship.”
    • “The story continues from the end of Moby Dick and is a nice continuation especially for those who have read the book.”
    • “You get Ishmael's narrative, the obsessive quest of Ahab, you get the revenge on Moby Dick, you get that feeling that the game provides with beautiful scenery, the music - oh the chants!”
    • “Setting the game up as a direct sequel to one of English literature’s towering works was always going to be a tall order, but the plot and prose here are both merely serviceable.”
    • “Its a fun game for a bit but quickly becomes stale with little to do aside for plunging onward with the main story which is in and of itself rather disappointing and unfulfilling.”
    • “Quest are repetitive, the story is told in a boring way and throws lots of names at you before you even really know what's going on and the entire combat system is heavily rng dependent.”
  • gameplay274 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the unique blend of exploration, crew management, and turn-based combat, while others criticize the combat mechanics as inconsistent and overly reliant on luck. Many appreciate the immersive atmosphere and art design, but find the gameplay loop repetitive and lacking depth, particularly in the early stages. Overall, while the game offers engaging elements, it suffers from execution issues that detract from the overall experience.

    • “Nails the feel of a whaling ship with easy and intuitive gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is a unique blend of exploration, crew management, and turn-based dice combat against sea creatures and pirates.”
    • “The actual gameplay is a lot more fun and varied than I had expected.”
    • “But the fighting mechanics are a bit wonky.”
    • “The game mechanics have to be just as solid and so I could not recommend this game due to the poor execution of combat game mechanics which makes up the bulk of the gameplay.”
    • “However, some of the gameplay mechanics are seriously wanting.”
  • music211 mentions

    The music in "Nantucket" has received widespread praise for its atmospheric sea shanties and engaging soundtrack, which effectively captures the essence of the 19th-century whaling era. While many players find the music delightful and immersive, some have noted that it is often interrupted by generic battle music and loading screens, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these interruptions, the soundtrack remains a standout feature, enhancing the game's charm and appeal.

    • “The soundtrack has some great shanties and songs of the sea, and the system for resolving combat with the whales is really easy to understand and strategize with, once you've seen it in action a couple of times.”
    • “The music is great and really sets the mood for an awesome immersive gameplay experience.”
    • “The play environment is another aspect of the game's charm, with the music and sound effects being incredibly fitting to the environment, and with beautiful sea shanties sung with much care to accuracy, and endears the player to listen in.”
    • “One weakness of the game is its music - or rather the lack of it.”
    • “But you'll only hear the first ten to thirty seconds before the game switches from the main map to a port or a combat map and changes the music to something generic and forgettable, and then you go back to the main map and a new song is chosen - repeat ad infinitum.”
    • “I like the graphics, and the singing of sailor songs are really a great addition - sadly they stop abruptly if you go on a hunt (which you do every time), and the music of the hunt is bad.”
  • graphics164 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming, wood engraving-style art that effectively captures the historical maritime theme, creating an immersive atmosphere complemented by sea shanties. While some reviews note the graphics as simple or basic, they are generally appreciated for their aesthetic appeal and ability to enhance the game's ambiance. Overall, the artwork and sound design are highlighted as standout features, contributing significantly to the game's engaging experience despite the lack of high-end graphical fidelity.

    • “Nantucket is a fine, slightly limited strategy game with gorgeous wood engraving-style graphics, charming sea shanties, and an infectious enthusiasm for an underserved period of history.”
    • “Game has got beautiful graphics - the map of the world (presented in the form of a board for the game), cards of your shipmates and opponents, drawings of ships, scenography of harbors are made with talent and create an atmosphere of 19th-century maritime world.”
    • “The art style is absolutely gorgeous, it’s absurdly clear that not a small amount of effort went into giving this game a truly endearing aesthetic, reminiscent of 19th century scrimshaw; its UI is easy to navigate and intuitive.”
    • “The graphics are very spartan, but the sound design is excellent.”
    • “While the game does a great job setting the atmosphere with its art style and the sea shanties, it fails to deliver the same quality in the gameplay department.”
    • “The art style and soundtrack are the only thing this game has going for it.”
  • grinding79 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with many players finding it excessively tedious and repetitive, particularly in the early stages where combat and resource management feel like a slog. While some enjoy the initial novelty of the whaling mechanics, the overall consensus is that the game suffers from a lack of diversity in encounters and an over-reliance on random number generation, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences. Despite these issues, a few players noted that the game can become more enjoyable after overcoming the initial grind, suggesting potential for deeper engagement once the early barriers are surpassed.

    • “No amount of planning, strategy, or grinding can change that which makes the combat boring and repetitive.”
    • “The enemy sea demons from hell would throw my crew overboard or stun them constantly, making each fight a giant slog and incredibly tedious. It's a matter of complete luck to get the rolls you need; no thought process is required.”
    • “It's a beautiful, interesting mess, and there's fun to be had in it, but overall it's grindy, repetitive, frustrating, and very, very slow.”
  • atmosphere67 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, featuring beautifully hand-drawn art, engaging sea shanties, and a strong historical theme that transports players to the 19th-century maritime world. Reviewers highlight the attention to detail in the game's design and sound, creating a captivating experience that enhances gameplay, despite some criticisms regarding repetitiveness and clunky mechanics. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, making the game enjoyable and unique.

    • “The art style perfectly captures its historical period and its music (especially the sea shanties sung by the roaring trowmen) establish an atmosphere that one would not expect from a 2D strategy game.”
    • “The hand-drawn art is wonderful, the sea shanties are immersive, and the atmosphere takes you to another age.”
    • “The game has a lot of fun aspects and a great premise and atmosphere, but is brought down by some clunky systems and some of the worst difficulty scaling I've ever seen.”
    • “The atmosphere is what you'd expect; the animated cutscenes are great, and it's pretty hard to miss the attention to detail that went into this - the whale migration routes, the feeding areas up north that are active during summer, and the mating areas at the equator that are active during winter, the navigation mechanics, the dynamic economy, character interactions...”
    • “With a great visual design and some songs made just for the game, alongside the in-game newspaper that sticks true to the in-game date, Nantucket has buckets of atmosphere.”
  • replayability58 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is largely criticized, with many players noting a lack of content and variety after completing the main campaign. While some find enjoyment in the mechanics and are hopeful for future DLC to enhance replay value, the consensus leans towards limited or non-existent replayability due to predetermined elements and a short playtime. Players express a desire for more features or modes to encourage repeated play.

    • “Really fun, cards and dice determine encounters, etc. Love the little sea shanties and cutscenes... surprisingly replayable.”
    • “After having finished the main campaign, I am looking forward to the DLC that should release in a few months that will add some replayability.”
    • “I was hoping it to be a bit longer or have some replayability features, but I'm sure I will come back to playing it shortly at least to get some more of the achievements.”
    • “Replayability is zero.”
    • “It's a great game in many aspects, but has no replayability at all.”
    • “Game lacks replayability due to no random whale spawn locations as they're pre-determined.”
  • humor24 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as joyfully funny, with moments that are both profound and absurdly entertaining. Players appreciate the comedic interactions with crew members, the amusingly named whales, and the unexpected hilarity in mission scenarios, which contribute to a lighthearted yet engaging experience. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with gameplay mechanics, leading to numerous laugh-out-loud moments.

    • “Absolutely hilarious and caught me unprepared.”
    • “Missions include discovering new hunting grounds, ferrying cargo, searching for artifacts, helping your crew with personal problems, tracking down lost ships, and killing notorious whales with hilarious names.”
    • “Definitely had some laugh out loud funny moments watching and playing the game.”
  • stability8 mentions

    The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some users report significant bugs and issues, particularly on Linux, others find it mostly stable aside from minor glitches that can be resolved with restarts. Overall, the lack of developer support for troubleshooting and persistent bugs detract from the experience, despite the game's enjoyable atmosphere.

    • “Graphics are simple but not badly done, and other than one scrolling glitch resolved by restarting the game, the game seems bug-free.”
    • “Does not work in Linux and the devs don't seem to care about troubleshooting forums at all.”
    • “Buggy as hell and frustrating to play.”
    • “The fog of war is kind of buggy, which detracts from the overall experience.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    Overall, the game runs smoothly with no major crashes or bugs reported, but some users experience significant lag (up to 5 seconds) when transitioning from port to map, which detracts from the experience. Despite having capable hardware, this specific issue persists across different resolutions and windowed modes, leading to frustration among players.

    • “Good performance at 4K... check.”
    • “I have a full widescreen but I tried different resolutions and windowed mode, same problem. I have an i5-6600, 16GB RAM, GeForce GTX 960, and 2 SSDs (240GB each). There are no excuses for poor performance in such a simple game.”
  • emotional7 mentions

    The game evokes strong emotions through its heartfelt storytelling and character development, particularly as players form attachments to their crew members, leading to poignant moments when they face loss or difficult decisions. The inclusion of stirring shanties further enhances the emotional experience, making it a deeply inspiring journey reminiscent of "Moby Dick."

    • “This is a truly inspiring and emotional trip into the story of Moby Dick.”
    • “You even get caught up liking your crew members and feel emotional when one is killed during a hunt or you face the need to 'fire' them at the tavern in order to hire a better character... and I have not even mentioned the interspersed awesome shanties!”
    • “It was heartbreaking.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for misleading advertising, particularly regarding its support for the Linux platform, which many users find unusable. While the game's promotional materials are praised for their appeal, the lack of genuine support for certain systems has led to feelings of being defrauded among affected customers.

  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is highlighted as a strong aspect of the game, with players appreciating the depth and uniqueness it brings to the overall experience. The integration of a turn-based combat system further enhances character growth, allowing for strategic choices that impact development throughout various challenges.

    • “Character development, unique turn-based combat system, and a great set of challenges for each level.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

79% average critic score

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Play time

20hMedian play time
20hAverage play time
10-30hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 40 analyzed playthroughs

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