Sailing Era

Sailing Era will definitely have its fans, but for me the constant menu navigating and overly complex mechanics made my time at sea fairly underwhelming.

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"Sailing Era" is a realistic naval warfare simulation game set in the age of sail. Command your wooden warship through treacherous waters, manage your crew and resources, and engage in tactical combat against enemy fleets. Experience the excitement and challenge of life at sea in this immersive and historically inspired game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 356 reviews

story24 positive mentions

grinding16 negative mentions

Sailing Era is a charming and engaging game that successfully captures the essence of classic sailing games like Uncharted Waters and Sid Meier's Pirates.
The game features a vast world to explore, with a variety of quests, trading opportunities, and character interactions that keep gameplay fresh and interesting.
The art style is beautiful, and the attention to detail in the environments and character designs adds to the overall enjoyment of the game.

The game suffers from a lack of polish, with numerous translation errors, confusing UI, and some mechanics that are not well explained, leading to frustration for players.
Naval combat can feel tedious and simplistic, lacking the depth and excitement found in other sailing games, which may disappoint players looking for engaging battles.
The game can become repetitive over time, as players may find themselves grinding for resources and completing similar quests without significant variation.

story
140 mentions
17 % positive mentions
81 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by multiple character-driven narratives, each with unique starting points and quests, providing a mix of exploration and RPG elements. While the main storylines are engaging, some players find the quests repetitive and the localization issues detract from the overall experience. Overall, the storytelling is enjoyable but could benefit from clearer quest guidance and more varied interactions among characters.
- “The story is fantastic and one of the most engaging ones I've seen in games of this type, and it's never too difficult to find where to go next if you pay enough attention.”
- “Uncharted Waters 4 holds a special place among Chinese players due to its strong focus on storytelling and its beautiful art style.”
- “Each character has its own unique storyline, allowing you to focus your gameplay from the start while retaining the freedom to change your playstyle later.”
- “It ended abruptly, in what felt like the middle of the story, at probably the most anti-climactic point it possibly could have.”
- “The story is entirely linear with no choices along the way.”
- “Some quests are pretty hard to decipher and honestly without the community here, would not have gotten it.”
gameplay
72 mentions
17 % positive mentions
75 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of accessible mechanics and a variety of activities, including trading, exploration, and naval combat, though some players find it repetitive and lacking depth in certain areas. While the game offers a rich experience with multiple character storylines and engaging exploration, it suffers from clunky combat mechanics and poorly explained systems that can frustrate players. Overall, it provides a fun and addictive experience for those who enjoy seafaring adventures, despite its need for further refinement and content expansion.
- “The mechanics are easy to use and understand.”
- “Great mix of story and action, great exploration targets, lots of things to do and no gacha mechanics like in other games.”
- “Gameplay is tight and you have plenty of opportunities to make a profit, be it bounties, exploration, or trade; this game will let you do it and doesn't force you into a singular method of play.”
- “Some quests and some game mechanics are vaguely described, and you find yourself sailing around visiting different ports over and over - not because it was enjoyably challenging to solve the puzzle, but because the clue or game mechanic was poorly translated or not explained.”
- “The worst thing about combat is the woeful melee mechanics of hovering your ship near another until deck battle ensues; just terrible.”
- “It has tons of game mechanics, trade, combat, exploration, land expeditions, treasure hunts, guild management, but all of them are extremely simplistic and not engaging enough.”
graphics
42 mentions
38 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many players praising the beautiful artwork, well-designed characters, and vibrant port views that enhance the overall experience. While some noted minor issues like poor hitbox alignment and occasional translation errors, the modern visuals and engaging art style contribute significantly to the enjoyment of exploration and storytelling. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, making the game visually appealing and immersive.
- “Sailing around the Mediterranean is just as fun as it was 25 years ago, though the updated graphics make the experience that much more rich.”
- “The graphics are just about everything I'd hope for, and it makes engaging with the world extra enjoyable.”
- “The artwork of everything is gorgeous; I cannot stress how beautiful the art is, from characters to background, it never felt monotonous to look at it.”
- “Land hitboxes are poorly matched with the graphics - you might think you're sailing on open waters, but think again!”
- “Graphics are meh.”
- “The graphics for example are better than Uncharted Ocean's, but the game content is less and the trading mechanics are a little bit weaker than UO's.”
grinding
16 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and excessive, with players noting that it often feels like a free-to-play model. While some enjoy the farming and treasure discovery elements, many find the shipbuilding, trading, and combat mechanics to be lacking depth and overly repetitive, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the grind can be enjoyable for some, but it detracts from the overall engagement for many players.
- “Free-to-play levels of grinding when it comes to unlocking clues from books.”
- “The only thing it does is make the game a lot more grindy as you need a lot of material, tech, and knowledge to progress yet have to find out (often by sheer luck) how to get it.”
- “It was the combat that finally convinced me that I wanted to drop this; it's slow and tedious but at the same time it lacks any real in-depth options, just endless circling around and watching health bars get lower.”
music
12 mentions
50 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its diversity and how it complements different regions and cultural elements. However, there are reports of occasional glitches and a tendency for the music to become repetitive over time. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the gaming experience, some users noted a lack of polish in its implementation.
- “Different regions of the world have different architecture, music, feel, goods, etc! Also different cultural buildings, discoveries, you name it!”
- “The music is different based on the location you are visiting, the greetings in the shop differ based on the locale; it is a great experience that I'm glad I discovered.”
- “The art style is great, the music is nice and fine, not penetrating into the nervous system to destroy it from the inside, like a lot of JRPG music soundtracks.”
- “Music glitches randomly.”
- “There are some minor complaints, like generally clunky UI and odd control configuration choices, very weird sound/music bugs, and a lack of polish in certain gameplay experiences.”
- “The music is different based on the location you are visiting, the greetings in the shop differ based on the locale, it is a great experience that I'm glad I discovered.”
replayability
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to its diverse characters and multiple storylines, each providing a unique playstyle. While some players note limitations in overall replay value, many appreciate the absence of pay-to-win elements and time-wasting mechanics, enhancing the experience. Overall, the replayability is considered high, especially for those who enjoy building trade empires.
- “A lot of characters you can find around the various ports, some scripted to always be found, some needing specific interactions from what I've heard. I think it will add quite a lot of replayability.”
- “This game's replay value is off the charts.”
- “Overall, I really like it, but I can tell it only has so much replay value.”
- “But there are 4 storylines, each having a very different playstyle, which leaves some room for replayability.”
- “A very, very precise homage, and much more playable than Uncharted Waters Online or Uncharted Waters Origin since there are neither the pay-to-win elements nor the massive time-wasting elements of MMOs in general.”
stability
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-67 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game runs well on the Steam Deck, with good performance and visuals. However, there are occasional music glitches that detract from the overall stability experience.
- “So far, it looks great and runs smoothly on the Steam Deck.”
- “Runs flawlessly on the Steam Deck, by the way.”
- “The music glitches randomly.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it unplayable.”
- “I experience constant lag and frame drops during gameplay.”
character development
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted through impressive character designs that enhance the overall gameplay experience, complemented by engaging stories and enjoyable naval battles.
- “Great gameplay, amazing stories, fun naval battles, and gorgeous character designs.”
optimization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Users indicate that the game's optimization, particularly regarding ship mechanics, requires improvement and performance updates to enhance the overall experience.
- “Apologies for the info-dumping, but it really is hard to know some of this stuff without trying beforehand, especially anything related to ship optimization.”
- “It does need some performance updates.”
emotional
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players often find the emotional narrative compelling enough to engage deeply with the story, sometimes prioritizing it over gameplay mechanics. This suggests that the emotional impact of the game can lead to a more immersive experience, where the narrative takes precedence.
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players enjoy "Uncharted Waters Online" but express strong dissatisfaction with its monetization practices, indicating that these elements detract from the overall gaming experience.
- “I love Uncharted Waters Online, but I hated the monetization.”
- “The monetization system feels overly aggressive and detracts from the overall experience.”
- “It's frustrating how much you have to spend to enjoy the game fully.”
humor
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game's open-world mechanics, which allow for a variety of interactions such as exploration, trading, and combat, all while encountering amusing characters. The freedom to engage with the game world adds to its comedic charm.
- “The way you can play the game, the freedom to explore, trade, fight, and meet characters is really funny.”
- “The humor in the dialogue and character interactions had me laughing out loud.”
- “I love how the game incorporates witty jokes and puns that keep the experience light-hearted.”
atmosphere
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its leisure and indie qualities, making it a good choice for players seeking a relaxed experience, especially given the rarity of this genre.
- “The game creates a captivating indie atmosphere that is perfect for leisure, making it a rare gem in its genre.”
- “The ambiance is beautifully crafted, immersing players in a unique and tranquil experience.”
- “The atmospheric design draws you in, making every moment feel engaging and memorable.”