Rogue Waters
- September 30, 2024
- Ice Code Games
- 25h median play time
In "Rogue Waters" , set sail as Captain Cutter, a pirate seeking revenge and legendary treasure. Each run offers new encounters, requiring careful navigation and strategic ship upgrades. Assemble your crew from six unique classes, and lead them into battle as you unravel a story of loyalty, betrayal, and immortal enemies across three acts.
Reviews
- Engaging and fun tactical combat with a unique push mechanic that adds depth to battles.
- Variety in crew members and abilities keeps gameplay fresh, with a solid progression system.
- Well-designed visuals and voice acting enhance the immersive pirate experience.
- Ship combat can feel overly reliant on RNG, leading to frustrating encounters.
- Limited variety in enemy types and ship modules can make gameplay feel repetitive over time.
- The story and dialogue can be overly verbose, detracting from the overall pacing of the game.
- story104 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as simple and somewhat mundane, yet engaging enough to keep players invested throughout the experience. While many appreciate the intriguing characters and world-building, they note that the narrative feels short and lacks depth, with some expressing a desire for a more satisfying conclusion. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the addictive gameplay, allowing for endless replayability even after the main storyline is completed.
“The story was compelling, and the game did a good job of introducing new mechanics and characters at a decent pace.”
“What's here is well done, with a great execution of a theme and a light, fun pirate story running through it.”
“Thanks to an interesting story and engaging meta-progression, you will easily play through all three acts.”
“The story is okay; you feel invested in it even though it's not the most deep, and the end falls a little flat.”
“My only real complaint would be that the story, which seems surprisingly nuanced for a roguelike, ends quite quickly in order to allow the status quo of infinite replays with the same boss.”
“Other than that glaring issue, the story is very weak, and when you get over the intrinsic fun of the system mechanics, there's not much to keep you playing.”
- gameplay86 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by smooth mechanics and engaging combat that emphasizes strategic positioning and environmental interactions, making battles feel dynamic and tactical. While the game introduces fresh and unique mechanics, some players find the overall experience can become repetitive over time, particularly due to its grind-heavy nature and limited depth in certain areas. Despite these concerns, the core gameplay loop remains addictive, with a solid balance of upgrades, ship combat, and crew interactions that keeps players invested.
“The combat mechanics are incredibly engaging, allowing for strategic planning and exciting encounters with each battle.”
“The gameplay loop has 3 parts: 1) upgrades, 2) ship to ship combat, 3) crew combat.”
“The tutorial/prologue does an incredible job illustrating the uniqueness of the mechanics and combat.”
“This game is super repetitive and the gameplay loop, in my opinion, is just boring. I have Netflix on my second monitor just to keep myself entertained, and it got to the point where I had to ask myself, 'Why am I playing?'”
“Once you've figured out the mechanics, there doesn't seem to be much different from game to game.”
“The main gameplay loop is too simple for my taste.”
- graphics26 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received largely positive feedback, with many users praising the beautiful visuals, smooth animations, and effective execution of the pirate theme. While some noted that the graphics are not groundbreaking, they are described as visually pleasing and well-crafted, contributing to an immersive experience. Overall, the combination of appealing artwork and sound design enhances the game's charm, despite some criticism regarding voice acting quality.
“The visuals are great and the pirate theme is executed perfectly.”
“I loved the stunning visuals—the scenes are beautifully crafted—and the sound design really pulls you in.”
“The graphics are great, the music very pirate-y, and the whole game feels polished.”
“The graphics are alright and easy to comprehend but nothing to write home about.”
“Other than that, there's the art style: it's a matter of taste, but I don't like it.”
“Great voice acting, good graphics...severe lack of content though.”
- grinding17 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding in the game to be tedious and repetitive, often leading to a sense of monotony as they quickly reach max power and exhaust the content within a few hours. While some appreciate the core gameplay and acknowledge that grinding is a common aspect of many games, many feel that the lack of variety and meaningful upgrades diminishes the experience. Despite these criticisms, a few players note that the grinding isn't excessive compared to similar titles, suggesting a mixed reception on this aspect.
“Upgrades help, but you get them through grinding, and even then half the time the upgrades are more harmful than helpful.”
“There is a great core game here, but it unfortunately gets too grindy and monotonous rather quickly.”
“Feels stupidly grindy even at first glance, and I just cannot force myself to put in some long hours to farm and build up the passives/upgrades to be able to enjoy the game.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it addictive and enjoyable with various levels and difficulties, others criticize it for lacking content and variety, which are essential for a rogue-like experience. Many users express hope for future updates or sequels to enhance replay value, indicating that the foundation is solid but requires further development to fully realize its potential.
“As an old-school XCOM fan, there are so many ideas I find really fresh, very replayable. Here's hoping for a sequel with a bigger budget; great game!”
“Best replayable pirate game since Sid Meier's.”
“Very addictive, loads of replayability.”
“This game lacks content, it lacks variety, it lacks replayability; for a rogue-like, that last point is a cardinal sin.”
“Has the core of something great, and is currently extremely fun for 8-12 hours, but requires more balance patches to extend replayability.”
“A lot of things are random, and this is annoying for turn-based games, but after proper development of your team, ship, etc., the game becomes much more playable.”
- music10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, particularly during naval battles. While some players find the soundtrack solid and fitting, others note that it may not be particularly memorable. Overall, the combination of music, sound effects, and voice acting contributes to a polished and immersive environment.
“Solid soundtrack.”
“It truly captures some pretty cool vibes with the setting and music in the background; I actually enjoy the storyline and voice lines of the characters in the game.”
“The sound effects during naval battles, the ambient music, and even the voices of crew members all added to the immersive experience.”
“Like the voice acting, some of the animations, not that much in the way of music or map diversity.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive pirate theme, vibrant characters, and engaging voice work, creating a lively and adventurous experience. While the music is atmospheric, it may not be memorable, but the overall ambiance, enhanced by great animations and a touch of campiness, contributes significantly to the enjoyment of being a pirate. Players appreciate the depth of progression and innovative mechanics that further enrich the game's captivating atmosphere.
“The best part is the atmosphere; the pirate theme is immersive, and you really feel like a swearing, rum-swilling, plundering rogue of the sea.”
“The gritty pirate atmosphere really came to life, and I found the voice work to be top-notch.”
“I like the setting a lot, and the atmosphere is 10/10.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever and subtle dialogue, often eliciting genuine laughter from players. The combination of engaging character designs, strong voice acting, and a whimsical narrative reminiscent of "Pirates of the Caribbean" enhances the overall comedic experience, making it a standout feature that contributes to the game's fun and enjoyable atmosphere.
“The script appears to be very good; obviously, I played little to give my opinion on it, but the pacing was good, and the dialogues have a subtle and pleasant humor. The character designs are good.”
“So often I find myself laughing at the various lines they spew out.”
“As long as you know what you're going into, I think you'll have fun with the humor and theme.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its impressive graphics and smooth performance, particularly on the Steam Deck, where it features intuitive control bindings that enhance the overall experience.
“It runs smoothly on the Steam Deck, with great, intuitive control bindings, making it a perfect fit for the platform.”
“Very cool graphics; the ending animations make a cool difference and contribute to very good performance.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including freezing when certain events occur, such as when pirates are stunned by fishermen. Additionally, players have reported numerous bugs and glitches that further detract from the overall experience.
“When all pirates are stunned by fishermen, the game also freezes.”
“But I also have to say a warning: there are still a bunch of bugs and glitches in this game.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is praised for its well-crafted script, featuring good pacing and dialogues infused with subtle humor, alongside appealing character designs.
“The script appears to be very good; although I've played little to give my full opinion, the pacing is excellent, and the dialogues feature a subtle and pleasant humor. The character designs are also impressive.”