Rise of Venice

About

"Rise of Venice" is a historical strategy game that can be played in single-player or multiplayer mode. Set in Renaissance-era Venice, you start as a young man seeking wealth and power, building a trading empire across various cities and creating your own fleet. As you progress, you'll establish production facilities, engage in sea battles, and navigate the city's political intrigues.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

58%

Audience ScoreBased on 207 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

story4 negative mentions

The game offers a beautiful and immersive setting in the historical Mediterranean, enhancing the trading experience.
Players can enjoy a variety of gameplay options, including trade route management, family dynamics, and naval combat.
The game runs smoothly on modern systems and provides a relaxing experience for fans of trading simulations.

The user interface is confusing and lacks sufficient information, making it difficult for players to manage trade routes effectively.
The game suffers from repetitive gameplay and a lack of depth, leading to a feeling of monotony after a few hours.
Technical issues, such as crashes and poor support for modern resolutions, significantly detract from the overall experience.

story
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
81%
11%
The game's story is primarily centered around trading and resource management, with players starting as a small merchant and gradually expanding their operations through various missions and challenges. While the campaign offers a structured narrative with historical elements, many players find the quests repetitive and lacking depth, often leading to frustration with difficult missions and a lack of clear guidance. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop for the trading mechanics rather than a driving force, appealing to those who enjoy economic simulation over dramatic storytelling.
- “Just like with Port Royale 3, there's a story-driven campaign, which I believe is the best way to start the game.”
- “I've actually found myself enjoying the plot and the missions presented to me, and was disappointed to finish it.”
- “The graphics are a lot better, trade routes are vastly improved and the campaign is an actual storyline with steady progression of game options.”
- “The campaign quests are repetitive and not impressive in storyline.”
- “This is not a story-driven game like RPGs, so don't expect a lot of drama.”
- “The series of missions that are meant to teach the game are very hard to follow, and the game seems to just consist of going from port to port buying and selling, doing very little else.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
64%
8%
The gameplay in "Rise of Venice" is characterized by its addictive trading mechanics and a blend of naval combat, city-building, and political intrigue, appealing to fans of similar titles like "Patrician IV" and "Sid Meier's Pirates." While the core mechanics are relatively simple, players may find the interface overwhelming, and the gameplay can feel repetitive at times. Overall, the game offers a deep and tactical experience, though some players express disappointment with its execution and lack of originality.
- “The mechanics of the game are relatively simple; however, I would advise playing through the campaign to get a good understanding of the rules.”
- “It's a maritime trading game with city-building elements and a nice politics/intrigue game mechanic that fits the setting along with a nice sense of progression that's a welcome addition to the series.”
- “Addictive gameplay, stunning visual qualities, and a terrific sense of life within its gameplay.”
- “It is undoubtedly repetitive, but for the most part I don't find repetitive trading mechanics boring, especially when there's a bit of naval combat, some missions, and such thrown in the mix.”
- “This is a game that should have taken tried-and-true mechanics into a new setting to make something new and interesting, but instead, it's just a Frankenstein's monster with no identity of its own since these pieces of existing games were cobbled together with no rhyme or reason.”
- “Overall gameplay is easy and too simple.”
graphics
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
52%
9%
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many players noting their appeal, brightness, and smooth performance even on lower-end machines. However, some users have reported technical issues, such as glitches and compatibility problems with certain graphics cards, which detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals are considered nice and contribute positively to the game's aesthetic, some players feel that they lack depth and can distract from gameplay.
- “The art style, the very setting of the game are like oxygen to me on top of the management element.”
- “The graphics are nice and run well at 60fps even on low-end machines, which is a plus for my Nvidia 360m.”
- “The game offers some nice graphics and a good aesthetic that really brightens and makes the game stand out and unique.”
- “The graphics are okay for its age, but honestly that's about all this sim has going for it.”
- “While there are some graphics and resolution settings, mucking around with them doesn't seem to achieve any result where the game displays properly.”
- “There is pretty much no purpose to the 'detailed 3D graphics' since they convey no information and in fact only distract from trying to click the right thing or view production details.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some campaign goals can feel tedious and lengthy, particularly due to the wait times for ship movements, others appreciate the profitability that comes from this grind. Overall, the micro-management involved can be seen as both tedious and enjoyable at times.
- “The campaign goals are definitely very grindy at times.”
- “Waiting for your ship to come about again to take another run at your enemy does get very tedious after a while and makes battles lengthy.”
- “It's the most tedious, but most profitable part of the game.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game initially suffered from significant stability issues, including major graphics glitches and buggy camera controls, leading to a rough startup experience. However, it has since received numerous patches that have improved its stability.
- “The game looks okay, but occasionally I had major graphics glitches.”
- “Camera controls were buggy, the game's startup was rough, and it was just a rather unpleasant experience overall.”
- “Buggy at first, but heavily patched since.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game impactful, as the campaign touches on historical themes that evoke a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for past challenges. However, the overwhelming number of problem messages can create a contrasting feeling of frustration, despite an understanding of the overall positive management outcomes.
- “If you play the campaign, it touches on some historical aspects and gives you a good feeling for how difficult and exciting times were in the past.”
- “Even though I could logically grasp the numbers that were telling me that not everything is bad about my management, the countless problem messages made me feel differently.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive depiction of a medieval Mediterranean setting, emphasizing trade and politics over complex ship combat. Players appreciate the well-balanced sandbox experience that allows them to fully enjoy the rich ambiance.
- “The ship fighting action is a bit simplified, but it really didn't bother me too much as the whole game is all about trade, politics, and simply enjoying the whole atmosphere of the Middle Ages Mediterranean.”
- “It's a well-balanced, atmospheric sandbox.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with users highlighting its quality and positive impact on the overall experience.
- “The music in this game is absolutely fantastic!”
- “I love the soundtrack; it really enhances the overall experience.”
- “The game's music perfectly complements the gameplay and sets the right mood.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express strong dissatisfaction with the game's monetization, labeling it a waste of money regardless of the price. They urge Steam to reconsider its promotion of the game.
- “Steam, you need to stop advertising this game; it is a total waste of money at any price.”