The Inner Sea

37%
Game Brain Score Based on 18 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
The Inner Sea Game Cover
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The Inner Sea is a sandbox like game with RPG elements set in the XVII century in a mysterious archipelago. You'll build up your fleet from a single ship, hire crew, engage in naval battles, embark on missions and trade your heart's content away!

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

37%
Audience ScoreBased on 18 reviews
music5 positive mentions
stability3 negative mentions
  • The game has beautiful graphics and a calming aesthetic, making it enjoyable to play after a long day.
  • The developer is responsive and actively listens to community feedback, which gives hope for future improvements.
  • The gameplay offers a unique sandbox experience with potential for exploration and trading, providing a relaxing gaming experience.
  • The game appears to be abandoned by the developers, with no updates in years, leading to a lack of content and polish.
  • Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with limited ship options and an oversimplified trading system.
  • Technical issues such as crashes, awkward controls, and a frustrating questing UI detract from the overall experience.
  • story10 mentions

    The story in this early access game is minimal, primarily revolving around navigating a storm and completing missions without a clear plot or ending. Players can choose from three factions and engage in trading and ship battles, but the missions offer little incentive or narrative depth, leading to a focus on grinding for experience rather than story progression. Overall, the narrative feels underdeveloped, with players often feeling disconnected from the missions they undertake.

    • “After a short story, you can choose your ship from three different factions: the Old Continent, Cathay, and Arabia.”
    • “Following other ships around, either for a quest or just hoping to find a new location, showed me that most ships have certain trading routes, and if you keep close to a location to fill your hulls with fish and ivory, you will notice the same ships returning frequently to the harbor.”
    • “This review was submitted by [b][url=https://www.youtube.com/user/thejessachannel]The Jessa Channel[/url][/b], a YouTube channel that focuses on gaming let's plays served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story.”
    • “For an early access game, it is very reasonable, but as far as I can tell, there is no plot other than getting caught in the eye of a huge storm. Is there an ending?”
    • “No known benefit for completing the missions.”
    • “You travel from port to port, doing missions against very powerful foes.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its fit within the game's atmosphere and its appealing qualities, such as beautiful seafaring themes. However, there are consistent calls for more variation and additional tracks, as some players find the existing music repetitive after extended play. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the experience, an expanded music library is desired to maintain engagement.

    • “I was struck at the menu screen with the beautiful music - though I did find it a bit repetitive after being in the game for 20 minutes.”
    • “Lovely seafaring music.”
    • “The epic catchy looping music, the beautifully designed map (literally a map) with all manner of objects scattered around.”
    • “There needs to be a lot more music tracks.”
    • “The music gets old and needs some additional tracks.”
    • “The other irritation right now is the repetitive music.”
  • gameplay8 mentions

    The gameplay is described as casual and calming, ideal for unwinding after a long day, with a focus on building an empire. However, players have noted issues with collision mechanics that hinder maneuverability and frustrating visibility limitations when tracking targets. Overall, the experience is enjoyable, though it has some quirks that can disrupt the flow.

    • “Kind of like the thought of building your own empire, and the gameplay is nice and casual.”
    • “The gameplay is calming – except for those moments when you finally find your target ship and lose it again because the sailor in the crow’s nest is apparently wearing an eye patch, limiting his line of sight to just a few meters – so the game is great to play after a hard day’s work, too.”
    • “Gameplay is fun.”
    • “Costs seem fixed with no supply and demand mechanics.”
    • “The problem is that the collision mechanics seem to mean that your own 'wingman' ships prevent your lead from turning quickly.”
    • “The gameplay is calming – except for those moments when you finally find your target ship and lose it again because the sailor in the crow’s nest is apparently wearing an eye patch, limiting his line of sight to just a few meters.”
  • graphics8 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many praising their beauty and alignment with the game's style, despite being described as simple. The visuals are comparable to other current genre titles, and the user interface is noted for its clarity. Overall, the aesthetic appeal is highlighted, although some players express a desire for more variety in the accompanying music.

    • “The visuals are as good as the video shows.”
    • “Aesthetically, it's downright beautiful.”
    • “The graphics are rather simple but do have a certain beauty about them which fits in nicely with the whole style of the game.”
    • “The UI is easy to understand; the graphics are simple but pretty; the music could use some more variation in my opinion but still fits in well with the game.”
    • “Graphics 3.5 (positive on this can be played on lower power machines)”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it both infuriating and hilarious, while others describe it as funny yet occasionally annoying. Overall, it elicits a range of reactions, balancing comedic moments with moments of frustration.

    • “Some parts are infuriating, but others are hilarious.”
    • “It was hilarious, though mildly annoying.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game currently runs smoothly, but players note that there is significant room for optimization and additional content to enhance the overall experience.

    • “The game runs smoothly in its current state, although there is definitely room for improvement and a lot more content to be added.”
    • “The optimization has made a noticeable difference in performance, allowing for a more enjoyable gaming experience.”
    • “I appreciate the ongoing efforts to optimize the game, as it has significantly reduced loading times and improved frame rates.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users report that the game exhibits strong stability, with no glitches or crashes, though players need to be cautious in their interactions.

    • “It's tough; you have to be pretty careful about who you pick scraps with due to the frequent glitches and crashes.”
    • “The game is riddled with stability issues, making it frustrating to play.”
    • “I constantly experience crashes that ruin the gameplay experience.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game unsatisfactory, noting that the experience and gold rewards from quests, walrus farming, and ship battles are minimal, making progression feel slow and unrewarding.

    • “The experience and gold gained per quest are insignificant compared to the time spent on walrus farming and ship battles.”
    • “Grinding feels tedious and unbalanced, making progress frustratingly slow.”
    • “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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