Sea Dogs: To Each His Own

About

"Sea Dogs: To Each His Own" is a swashbuckling, open-world pirate RPG that lets you captain your own ship and explore the Caribbean. Complete quests, engage in naval battles, and make moral choices that impact your reputation and story outcome. An engaging narrative and richly detailed world immerse you in the pirate lifestyle.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 460 reviews

story46 positive mentions

graphics27 negative mentions

The game offers a deep and immersive pirate experience with a rich storyline and engaging quests.
Naval combat is well-executed, providing a thrilling experience with various ship types and tactical options.
The game allows for a high degree of freedom, enabling players to choose their path as a pirate, trader, or adventurer.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, making it frustrating to play.
The English translation is poor, leading to confusion in quests and dialogue.
The tutorial is excessively long and poorly designed, often leaving players lost and unable to progress.

story
371 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
81%
6%
The game's story is described as engaging but hampered by numerous issues, including strict time limits on quests, bugs that can break progression, and a lack of clear guidance, often requiring players to consult external guides. While the narrative itself is appreciated for its depth and character development, the quest structure can be frustrating, with many players feeling penalized for failing to complete missions within the imposed time constraints. Overall, the story offers potential for immersion and enjoyment, but the execution is marred by gameplay mechanics that detract from the experience.
- “The strongest point of sd:teho is the character story of the protagonist, which the game concentrates on heavily.”
- “In teho, most story missions outside of the sandbox directly tie into Charles' narrative of a pampered Parisian becoming a fearless captain of the Caribbean seas.”
- “The more I play this game the more I see the brilliance behind it; the storyline is well written and to employ it successfully into a sandbox game like they have is worthy of praise.”
- “The main story is difficult to follow and overall the game is confusing for new players.”
- “Most quests have time limits that you are not told outright.”
- “The quests themselves are varied enough, some of them fun, some of them frustrating, yet I am pretty sure I have missed more quests because I leveled up quicker than the game creators wanted me to.”
gameplay
103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
72%
7%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its outdated mechanics, clunky controls, and frustrating quest design that often leads to confusion and a steep learning curve. While some appreciate the depth and realism of the sailing mechanics and the unique challenges presented, others criticize the combat system and overall execution as being poorly designed and riddled with bugs. Overall, the game appeals primarily to hardcore fans of the genre who are willing to endure its rough edges for a more immersive pirate experience.
- “Sailing across the massive expanse of the Caribbean, exploring gorgeous and unique islands, and getting yourself into all sorts of swashbuckling trouble provide some of the most rewarding and memorable stretches of gameplay I’ve experienced all year.”
- “The gameplay never bored me; I always enjoyed the game. However, in 20 years you'd think the devs would have fixed at least some of the issues.”
- “A lot of effort was clearly put into these quests to make fun and engaging gameplay, and there are really only a few quests I haven't liked.”
- “The gameplay is highly frustrating because if you do a quest in a different order than intended, you won't have enough money to progress past the tutorial stage and purchase a boat.”
- “The game has a knack for crashing at the most crucial moments, and frequent bugs during both naval and land combat make it an incredibly frustrating gameplay experience.”
- “The game does not explain its mechanics very well, making the combat system very frustrating.”
graphics
93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
54%
29%
The graphics of the game are widely criticized for being outdated, often likened to those from the early 2000s, with many reviewers noting that they detract from the overall experience. While some players find charm in the retro visuals and can overlook the technical shortcomings, the consensus is that the graphics are poor by modern standards, making it difficult for new players to fully enjoy the game. Overall, the visuals are seen as a significant drawback, though they may appeal to fans of vintage gaming.
- “If older (yet still very decent looking, sea battles especially) graphics do not put you off, if you're looking for a spectacular storyline with twists and turns, and rum is your favorite drink - buy it.”
- “The graphics are good, sailing has a relaxed realism to it, land and sea combat are generally good.”
- “While the graphics hold, the selection of ship types is sufficient; I imagine some would love to mod clothes, armor, and generally stuff.”
- “Do you enjoy outdated graphics, interface and gameplay mechanics, or in other words: would you like to get eye-cancer?”
- “The graphics are garbage, more appropriate for a game released in 2002.”
- “The game is full of bugs and glitches, the graphics are old and clunky which is not really a problem, however the game really doesn't even look pretty which could compensate for the issues.”
stability
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game is plagued by significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, glitches, and random freezes that can render it unplayable. Players have reported problems with quicksaving, which can corrupt save files, and many quests are affected by bugs that hinder progress. Overall, the game's stability is a major concern, overshadowing its potential enjoyment.
- “Akella's sailing games aren't known for being bug-free, but despite its shortcomings, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' was at least charming. Its jankiness could be excused by its age; after all, it's a 19-year-old game.”
- “The game freezes randomly quite often; it freezes when you minimize the game (alt+tab or when another app forces the game to minimize), an issue present from the beginning of the series.”
- “I have to edit the review; the game in its current state is unplayable, 3 freezes in 15 minutes?”
- “The time I spent in it was an absolute waste of time, and due to glitches and crashes, over half of the time I spent 'playing' was actually spent restarting and trying to bug fix it.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
67%
23%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and lacking variety, particularly in city and combat themes. While some appreciate the orchestral soundtracks and the ability to mod music files, others express frustration over the lack of continuity during scene changes and describe the overall soundtrack as generic and disappointing. Despite these criticisms, a few players enjoy specific battle themes and suggest using custom soundtracks for a better experience.
- “One final tip: check out the orchestral soundtracks of SD1, SD:CT, and SD:COAS; they are great!”
- “The soundtrack was absolutely enchanting, and while the game had a bit of a console feel to it (and a few bugs), it was just amazing.”
- “Ohh, and one more thing: I love the battleground music of the abandoned ships—the Mount of Valkyries.”
- “The music is alright, but terribly repetitive.”
- “Gods help you if you're moving through scene changes, because the music starts over every single time; there is no continuity whatsoever, and it's seemingly random which particular tune gets started up when your next screen loads.”
- “The music is bad and repetitive, and the game is pure torture until you get even the basic gameplay elements unlocked through the story.”
grinding
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and time-consuming, with players often feeling that it detracts from the overall experience. Many reviews highlight the repetitive nature of tasks, slow combat, and the necessity of grinding for resources and skills, particularly for new players. While some appreciate the game's sailing mechanics, the overwhelming consensus is that the grind feels excessive and poorly balanced, making it a challenging experience that may not appeal to everyone.
- “Unfortunately, the most reliable way to make money is to get a purser officer with the three trade skills so you can do boring, grindy trades from town to town.”
- “The game is very unforgiving, and especially the very beginning of the game is extremely tedious for new players to figure out.”
- “Takes everything great about the Sea Dogs series and turns it into a tedious grind for no other reason than padding out a weak narrative that gets jammed down your throat.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
88%
13%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players find it amusing due to intentional and unintentional comedic elements, such as mistranslations and absurd dialogue, others feel that the humor falls flat or is overshadowed by bugs and outdated graphics. Notably, the game's fencing system can be entertaining when slowed down, and the use of exaggerated swearing adds a layer of hilarity for some players. Overall, the humor appeals to those who appreciate its quirky charm, despite its flaws.
- “Although I like the fencing system here, which is quite challenging and funny if you slow down the game before a fight.”
- “However, Sea Dogs is really interesting and funny!”
- “At one point you get told 'you'll turn into a worthless pile of crap,' which made me laugh.”
- “No, it's not funny.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
43%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its romantic and immersive qualities, effectively capturing the spirit of the 17th-century Caribbean and enhancing the overall experience. While some players note that the graphics have not significantly evolved, the detailed world and engaging storyline contribute to a unique ambiance that resonates particularly well with fans of pirate-themed games. However, the game's appeal may be limited to those who prioritize atmosphere in their gaming experience.
- “This game isn't for everyone; people who really value the atmosphere and like the pirate theme will fall in love with this game.”
- “If you love pirate games set in the Caribbean, the atmosphere is just right!”
- “All of its shortcomings are worth it for the incredibly romantic atmosphere, the detailed and deep world, and a surprisingly well-written main story.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Players note that replayability significantly improves once character stats reach around 30-40, with some mods, like the Gentleman of Fortune, enhancing the experience to an infinite level. However, it may take around 100 hours of gameplay to fully enjoy the game, leading to mixed feelings about the time investment versus enjoyment. Despite its bugs, many still find the game fun and more playable than its predecessor, AOP2.
- “It kicks in after about 100 hours once you reach decent skill points in navigation and cannons, and becomes more playable.”
- “The game has become much more playable.”
- “After stats get to around 30-40, the game becomes much more playable.”
- “It kicks in after about 100 hours once you reach decent skill points in navigation and cannons, and becomes more playable, but those hours will chase you in nightmares.”
- “Far superior, and with the Gentleman of Fortune mod, infinitely replayable.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback; while some users have successfully achieved full speed optimization through extensive code revamping, others note that the original version still suffers from issues like memory leaks and outdated compiler settings. A notable comparison is made to another game using the same engine, which has effectively resolved these optimization problems, highlighting the potential for improvement in the current title.
- “It might seem complicated at first, but Blade's weight, length, curvature, and balance all affect its performance.”
- “I eventually worked all those out for myself, and now compile/run the program with full speed optimization, but that required much code revamping, which is clearly not done in the game, because again, the line numbers for errors that are output to the logs are identical to the original.”
- “Interestingly, there is a guy, with this same engine code, that has solved everything that was mentioned above; the game has no memory leaks, is fully compiler optimized and compiled with newer Visual Studio, uses the newest FMOD, allows fullscreen task switching, and much more.”
- “Hats off to whoever optimized this game, you did the one thing AC4:BF could not!”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy is perceived as exploitative, with many users labeling it a "cheap cash grab."
- “It seems to me like a cheap cash grab.”
- “Cash grab.”