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War on the Sea

War on the Sea Game Cover
75%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
stability, grinding
75% User Score Based on 2,284 reviews

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PCMac OSWindows
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War on the Sea Game Cover

About

War on the Sea is a single player strategy game with a warfare theme. It was developed by Killerfish Games and was released on February 2, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In "War on the Sea," experience real-time naval combat in the Pacific theater of WWII. Command over 50 classes of ships as either Allied Forces or Imperial Japan, and participate in historical missions based on actual naval engagements. Control aircraft, fight fires, repair ships, and utilize dynamic campaign gameplay in this strategic warfare simulation.

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War on the Sea screenshot
War on the Sea screenshot
War on the Sea screenshot
War on the Sea screenshot
War on the Sea screenshot
War on the Sea screenshot
War on the Sea screenshot
War on the Sea screenshot
War on the Sea screenshot
War on the Sea screenshot
War on the Sea screenshot
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75%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,284 reviews
gameplay86 positive mentions
stability70 negative mentions
  • Engaging naval combat with a mix of strategic and tactical gameplay.
  • Strong modding community that enhances the game with additional content and campaigns.
  • Visually appealing graphics and attention to historical detail.
  • Clunky user interface and controls that can be frustrating to navigate.
  • AI behavior is often unrealistic, leading to predictable and repetitive encounters.
  • Limited content with only one campaign, making the game feel repetitive over time.
  • gameplay
    333 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with many players noting a steep learning curve due to clunky controls, poorly explained mechanics, and a frustrating user interface. While the naval warfare mechanics are praised for their realism and strategic depth, issues such as unbalanced AI, repetitive campaign objectives, and a reliance on mods for enhanced content detract from the overall experience. Despite its potential, many players feel the game is currently hindered by its design flaws and lack of polish, making it a challenging but rewarding endeavor for dedicated fans of the genre.

    • “The game excels in its attention to detail, simulating realistic mechanics like torpedo runs, depth charges, and anti-aircraft defenses.”
    • “The campaign was purposeful and the gameplay was focused with different possible strategies for players to try.”
    • “Very detailed and addictive gameplay with an active mod community that adds new campaigns that are literally like whole new games in themselves.”
    • “Also, the devs must have fired their user experience/gameplay guy during development because there are hints of genius in the experience, but they are quickly overshadowed by the failures in that department.”
    • “The interface is functional but minimal, with limited in-game explanations and weak tutorials that force new players to seek external guides just to understand core mechanics.”
    • “Simply put, there are issues with the UI, AI, and game mechanics that make the game very frustrating to play.”
  • graphics
    250 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the beautiful ship models and atmospheric effects that enhance immersion, particularly during naval battles. However, some criticize the overall visual fidelity as outdated, with a lack of detailed damage models and bland environments. While the graphics are generally considered good for an indie title, they fall short of modern standards, leading to a consensus that improvements are needed to elevate the visual experience further.

    • “The game's visuals are impressive, featuring detailed ship models and atmospheric effects that enhance the naval warfare experience.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and the game play is very fun.”
    • “The graphics are exceptional, and aircraft, as well as sea units, have been programmed for realistic movements.”
    • “The game's graphics are poor, especially for a game released within the past 5 years, and the $40 price tag is laughable.”
    • “Dated graphics, bland ship models, even worse sound quality, bugs end-to-end, and frequent glitches.”
    • “Graphics are subpar, gameplay is clunky, there's loads to do and nothing to do all at the same time, the combat itself is pretty unentertaining.”
  • story
    145 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth, with many players noting that there is no overarching narrative or character development, making it feel bare and underwhelming. While the campaign provides historical context for battles, it consists of only a few scripted missions, leading to a perception of limited content and replayability. Players seeking a more story-driven experience may find this aspect disappointing, although the game does offer various single missions and a mission editor for custom scenarios.

    • “The campaign is pretty fun; a lot of my time in this game has been in the campaign where you command either the Japanese or American forces during the Guadalcanal campaign.”
    • “The campaign provides historical context for its battles, but there’s no overarching story or character development.”
    • “Players seeking a story-driven experience might find this aspect underwhelming, but it aligns with the game’s goals.”
    • “The campaign is little more than an afterthought; there is one mission - capture and defend Guadalcanal.”
  • stability
    71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting a wide range of bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as AI issues, freezing during battles, and unresponsive controls. While some players acknowledge improvements over time and express enjoyment despite the bugs, many feel the game remains unfinished and frustratingly clunky. Overall, the consensus is that while the game has potential, its current state is marred by instability and requires further development to reach a satisfactory level of playability.

    • “It's a solid, pretty bug-free game already, which is more than I expected. With some months of post-launch support, it should be one of the best in its genre.”
    • “Unfortunately, the game is abandoned, buggy, and incomplete.”
    • “The game was buggy, but overall, it felt unfinished.”
    • “A full-priced game with a broken AI, bugs, and glitches.”
  • grinding
    64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and frustrating, with many players noting that managing units and executing orders can feel repetitive and time-consuming. The lack of quality-of-life features and an unintuitive user interface contribute to the overall sense of monotony, making some campaign moments feel more like a chore than an engaging experience. While there are enjoyable elements, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game requires significant patience and effort to navigate its grinding mechanics.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “There is no grinding, leveling up, or unlocking, which is fine by me.”
    • “The lack of time acceleration during long periods of transit also adds unnecessary downtime, making some campaign moments feel tedious rather than tense.”
    • “Having to switch between every unit one at a time and give them one specific order instead of being able to select multiple to do so is really annoying and tedious to have to do that over and over again constantly.”
    • “It's incredibly tedious gameplay and I'm now finding that I'm getting more frustrated with it than I am having fun, and I know it's time to put a game down when I'm not having fun.”
  • music
    35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the soundtrack for its immersive quality and variety, particularly during strategic moments, while others find it repetitive and generic. Sound effects are generally well-received, enhancing the overall atmosphere, but there are complaints about the music's lack of variety and the need for better transitions between different musical themes. Overall, while the soundtrack adds a layer of enjoyment, it is not without its flaws, leading some players to prefer external music options.

    • “The music for this game, particularly the strategic map theme, is so damn good; it makes you feel like you are in command, making all the decisions and prepared to accept the rewards, risks, and consequences that come with it.”
    • “The soundtrack is movie quality and really sets the mood during engagements.”
    • “I opened the game and was greeted to such nice lovely music; I would pay millions to have that first-time experience of opening the game and being blasted with this heaven-like music at full volume.”
    • “The sound effects are impressive, although the music can become repetitive.”
    • “Weapon effects, ship engines, and aircraft noises are realistic and fitting, but the background music is generic and loops too often.”
    • “Sound changes don't appear to be saving, so if you like turning down the music and using your own, you'll have to reset this every time you open the game, which you will be re-opening quite a bit because the game likes to freeze before battles.”
  • replayability
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is heavily influenced by its modding community and additional content, with many players noting that mods significantly enhance the experience and extend playtime. While some users find the base campaign lacking in variety, others appreciate the depth and custom battle options that contribute to replayability. However, there are mixed opinions, with a few players expressing that the game has limited replay value without mods or additional content.

    • “These enhancements significantly improve the replayability and depth of the game, especially for those who find the base campaign lacking in variety or dynamism.”
    • “Its depth, historical fidelity, and modding community are standout features, offering replayability for dedicated players.”
    • “The campaign is well designed and appears to have great replayability.”
    • “While I have spent a good number of hours in this game, it lacks any kind of replayability altogether as what you can do is very limited.”
    • “Serious short note: the base game has a lot of potential, but it's the mods that add replayability; without them, you probably wouldn't enjoy it past the 30-35 hour threshold, in my opinion.”
    • “Zero replay value as well.”
  • optimization
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback from users. While some praise the solid performance and improved game flow, others highlight significant issues with AI behavior, user interface design, and the need for better task management. Additionally, there are concerns about performance when handling larger battles, suggesting that further updates could enhance the overall experience.

    • “First and foremost, performance.”
    • “Awesome performance and each plane/ship/shell are modeled and does its own thing!”
    • “Just keep in mind it is very slow and takes a lot of time to win, but well-optimized!”
    • “I find it awfully strange and it has led me to believe that there are some performance issues on behalf of the game that should be fixed in the near future.”
    • “It is not very optimized for few clicks for frequent tasks, and defies conventions (even to itself, for instance, the maps in the strategic and tactical modes use different input methods).”
    • “You have points you spend at the outset and you can barely afford to create one carrier task force, if you want it realistically configured (i.e. around a dozen escorts, because you need to provide for submarines and the transports you need to launch invasions of enemy territory). In theory, you could build a large battle in the editor, but you are warned off going beyond 20 ships because of potential performance issues.”
  • atmosphere
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its striking visuals, immersive sound design, and the intense ambiance of naval warfare, particularly during night battles. While many players appreciate the detailed ship models and the overall WWII setting, some express frustration with the interface and gameplay mechanics, which can detract from the experience. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, enhancing the enjoyment for those who appreciate the thematic elements of naval strategy.

    • “The game's visuals are impressive, featuring detailed ship models and atmospheric effects that enhance the naval warfare experience.”
    • “The sound design complements the visuals, creating an immersive atmosphere.”
    • “The graphics aren't the best by far, but the atmosphere is so dense and pretty to look at, and the soundtrack is a delight.”
    • “- distress rockets for supply ships combined with the new searchlights would really drive home the atmosphere.”
    • “The lighting during night battles, combined with spotlights, star shells, and tracer fire, creates a striking atmosphere.”
  • humor
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is derived from its intentionally poor AI behavior and outdated visual effects, leading to amusing situations such as ships colliding or ignoring land. Players find the simplistic dogfighting mechanics and the absurdity of missed attacks to be entertaining, though some aspects can become frustrating with repeated occurrences. Overall, the humor is described as light-hearted and often unintentional, adding a quirky charm to the gameplay experience.

    • “The funny thing is dogfight is just circling around, not any advanced maneuvers like split S, boom and zoom, etc., and the devs decided to force you to watch the super basic, stupid AI circle around until there is some lucky hit.”
    • “It does need some polishing though, like the pathfinding mechanic, because it happened to me more than once when the AI of the enemy side drives its fleet right into an island, which is funny in the first few cases but gets somewhat frustrating after you've seen it multiple times.”
    • “It's funny to sometimes miss with one of your torpedoes right over the bow of a ship, and the ship doesn't even notice.”
  • emotional
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of cinematic gameplay that immerses players in intense battles, alongside a wholesome experience that encourages individual choice through complex naval combat mechanics. While opinions vary, many players find it to be a heartfelt recommendation for those who appreciate depth in gameplay.

    • “Not the best, but certainly not the worst; you get some truly cinematic gameplay that made me feel like I was in the thick of the battle!”
    • “Comprehensive and wholesome.”
    • “For those who like naval combat and don't mind learning complex (but not baffling) procedures that permit a lot of individual choice, I feel obligated to give this game a heartfelt recommendation based upon what I have seen so far.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The campaign offers historical context for its battles; however, it lacks a cohesive overarching story and fails to deliver meaningful character development.

    • “The campaign provides historical context for its battles, but there’s no overarching story or character development.”
    • “The characters feel one-dimensional and lack any meaningful growth throughout the game.”
    • “I was disappointed by the lack of depth in character arcs; they don't evolve or change in any significant way.”
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45h Median play time
74h Average play time
18-100h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 28 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

War on the Sea is a strategy game with warfare theme.

War on the Sea is available on PC, Mac OS and Windows.

On average players spend around 74 hours playing War on the Sea.

War on the Sea was released on February 2, 2021.

War on the Sea was developed by Killerfish Games.

War on the Sea has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

War on the Sea is a single player game.

Similar games include Victory At Sea Pacific, Sea Power : Naval Combat in the Missile Age, Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts, Atlantic Fleet, Cold Waters and others.