Victory At Sea

About

"Victory at Sea" is a real-time strategy game set in World War II, where players engage in naval warfare on a global scale. Command various ships, from aircraft carriers to submarines, and lead your fleet to victory. With a focus on strategic planning and tactical execution, players can choose their own path to victory, whether it's through attacking enemy supply lines, weakening defenses, or leading amphibious assaults.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 357 reviews

graphics21 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

Fun and easy to play, making it accessible for casual gamers.
Offers a nostalgic experience for those who enjoyed similar games in the past.
Wide selection of ships and campaign options, providing a fair bit of replayability.

Saves can get corrupted, leading to potential loss of progress.
AI can be frustratingly simplistic, making battles less challenging over time.
Graphics and overall presentation feel dated and could use significant improvement.

graphics
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
55%
16%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users describing them as outdated or simplistic, often likening them to early 2000s visuals. While some appreciate the adequate representation of ships and the overall gameplay experience, others criticize the lack of detail and poor graphical fidelity, suggesting that improvements are needed to enhance the overall aesthetic. Despite these shortcomings, the game's engaging mechanics and depth often compensate for its visual limitations.
- “Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of one of the most popular strategy games ever with stunning 4K Ultra HD graphics, a new and fully remastered soundtrack, and brand-new content, 'The Last Khans' with 3 new campaigns and 4 new civilizations.”
- “Enjoyable gameplay with graphics that are pretty crisp, and the interface is easy to get the hang of.”
- “Graphics are superb for the depth and content of the title, and while you cannot control your subsystems or damage your enemy's, you do have to watch firing arcs, lead with torpedoes, dodge incoming shells and torpedoes, and decide when to send your aircraft into battle if equipped with carriers.”
- “The graphics are outdated.”
- “The graphics are not astounding and some people have stated that it becomes difficult to control with larger fleets.”
- “Graphically, the game does indeed look rather terrible.”
story
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
85%
4%
The game's story aspect is largely overshadowed by its focus on gameplay, with many players noting a lack of depth and coherence in the narrative. While there are various mission types and sandbox-style campaigns, the missions often feel repetitive and unbalanced, leading to frustration rather than engagement with the story. Overall, the narrative elements are minimal, and players are encouraged to pursue gameplay over a structured storyline.
- “Victory at Sea tells the story of World War II at sea.”
- “It is also my story achieved in blood, my rise and fall, struggle to survive in order to stay in the game.”
- “The campaigns are fun and the random missions received at ports add some flexibility to the gameplay.”
- “There is not much for story here and there is no 'base building' feature.”
- “The biggest gripe with this game is the mission engine.”
- “Unfortunately, there is very little depth to the game and it could have been so much better by adding things like upgrades for your ships, a storyline, weapon grouping, polished graphics, and a first-person view for firing weapons.”
gameplay
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
77%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and accessibility, allowing players to jump in without extensive training. While the inclusion of different factions and campaign options offers some replayability, many reviewers note a lack of depth and variety, leading to repetitive experiences. Overall, the game provides enjoyable moments but is often criticized for feeling unfinished and lacking strategic complexity.
- “Having different factions and campaign options (and different mechanics exclusive to harder difficulties) adds a fair bit of replayability.”
- “The gameplay is quite simple and easy to jump into without too much training required.”
- “Enjoyable gameplay with graphics that are pretty crisp, and the interface is easy to get the hang of.”
- “After 6 hours of gameplay (and the completion of one of its campaigns), I felt no reason to play any more - I had seen all there was to see.”
- “It's not bad, but it feels like a mobile port, has no depth, and frankly feels almost unfinished - there are hints of some kind of gameplay or system beyond 'shoot other ships, repeat', but as far as I can tell that's all there is to it.”
- “Gameplay is slow and repetitive; you spend all your time shooting at formless dots on the screen that, if you turn off the flag sign above them, the ship itself is utterly invisible.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
10%
80%
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and time-consuming, with players noting that it can feel like a long slog to progress. While some appreciate the depth and long-term progression, many find the experience of grinding for resources and upgrades to become repetitive and frustrating, especially when coupled with punishing mechanics for losing ships. Overall, the grind is seen as a significant part of the gameplay, but it risks becoming a chore for some players.
- “It's one long, tedious grind.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It can, however, be very grindy and has a fair bit of minor bugs.”
- “Grinding experience and funds gets old real fast.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with frequent freezes, crashes, and various bugs affecting gameplay, particularly in ship control and tactical orders. While some players note improvements since the initial release, many still find the experience frustratingly unstable and unplayable at times, leading to dissatisfaction with its overall value.
- “Enjoyable naval battle game, but it freezes and crashes constantly.”
- “Some orders, especially in the tactical screen, are buggy either in function or display, making it nearly impossible to know exactly what your ships are doing or will be doing.”
- “It's pretty buggy; I can forgive that, but after taking back Portsmouth, it became unusable to me.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the variety of factions, campaign options, and dynamic campaigns that encourage multiple playthroughs, others find it lacking, often playing for a short time before losing interest. Additionally, the presence of bugs has been noted as a factor that may hinder the overall replay experience.
- “Three massive sandbox theaters to mess around within, and you can choose a number of different sides to play as, which adds to replayability.”
- “The campaigns are fully dynamic, in the spirit of Mount and Blade, and fully replayable.”
- “Having different factions and campaign options (and different mechanics exclusive to harder difficulties) adds a fair bit of replayability.”
- “-no replayability value.”
- “Put together, this makes for low replayability; typically, I'll play it for a week, end up with a fleet of 80+ including 60 carriers (as I say, more arcade than historically accurate), delete it, then come back six months or more later.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The music in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition features a remastered soundtrack that enhances the game's nostalgic appeal, celebrating its 20th anniversary. However, some users have reported technical issues, such as the game launching without displaying visuals, leaving only the music playing. Additionally, there are complaints about the soundtrack being limited to a single track.
- “Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of one of the most popular strategy games ever with stunning 4K Ultra HD graphics, a new and fully remastered soundtrack, and brand-new content, 'The Last Khans' with 3 new campaigns and 4 new civilizations.”
- “I launch the game, the music starts playing, but the window is nowhere to be found.”
- “No longer works with MacBook Pro i5 High Sierra 10.13.3; just plays the music and does nothing else.”
- “As far as I can tell, the soundtrack consists of precisely one track.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The game's optimization is mixed; while it generally runs smoothly and is space-efficient without crashing, players experience significant slowdowns during intense combat scenarios, hindering gameplay and decision-making.
- “The game runs smoothly, takes up little space, and does not crash.”
- “The optimization is impressive, allowing for seamless gameplay even on lower-end devices.”
- “I appreciate how well the game manages resources, ensuring a stable experience without lag.”
- “When the enemy launches a big fleet at you, you start at close range, and the game lags significantly, making it impossible to maneuver or issue commands while the enemy's AI just blasts you away.”
- “The performance of the pilots in this game is reminiscent of the Royal Navy's pilots in WWII, who were not known for such poor performance when facing the Luftwaffe's Bf-109s.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its absurdity, particularly in scenarios like a fast cruiser being outpaced by landing craft, and the exaggerated caricatures of real-life ships. However, some users feel that the game could benefit from more side plots and mini-games to enhance its comedic elements. Overall, the humor is described as both silly and entertaining, adding a lighthearted touch to the gameplay.
- “Nice little caricatures of real-life ships, and blowing up a cruiser with an Iowa in one broadside is just stupidly hilarious.”
- “It is actually funny when you realize your 32-knot cruiser is barely able to outpace your landing craft.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere in the game is negatively impacted by certain elements, though it is enhanced by atmospheric voiceovers featuring original speeches from historical figures like Churchill.
- “+ atmospheric voice over (original speeches of politicians like Churchill etc.)”
- “This is very detrimental to the atmosphere in this game.”