Rogue Waters Review: A Fun Tactical Adventure on the High Seas

Rogue Waters Review: A Fun Tactical Adventure on the High Seas

Rogue Waters, crafted by Ice Code Games and published by Tripwire Presents, launched on September 30, 2024. In this exciting game, you command a ragtag crew of pirates as you intercept enemy ships on the vast ocean to plunder, I mean, commandeer their treasures without consent. Throughout your journey, you gather resources from battle, enabling you to upgrade your ship and crew, turning you into a formidable force on the high seas.

Rogue Waters: First Impressions and Gameplay

Rogue Waters offers multiple scenarios to experience
Rogue Waters offers multiple scenarios to experience (Image via Tripwire Presents)

Upon starting the game, you can select from a variety of difficulty settings, which affect the rewards you earn. The initial segments provide an intuitive tutorial, ideal for newcomers, breaking down the essential game mechanics.

Becoming proficient in the various game elements will require effort, but that’s expected in any engaging game. Personally, I relished the experience of raiding ships, engaging in turn-based combat, and leveling up my crew to confront whatever challenges arose.

Storyline and Memorable Characters

Meet Cutter, the protagonist!
Meet Cutter, the protagonist! (Image via Tripwire Presents)

The narrative centers around themes of revenge, greed, and mutiny—a classic in pirate lore. You play as Cutter, a young, ambitious pirate eager to establish his reputation under the infamous black flag.

Captain Blackbone, a ruthless pirate!
Captain Blackbone, a ruthless pirate! (Image via Tripwire Presents)

You navigate the seas as an apprentice to Captain Blackbone, a pirate embodying the quintessential rogue. His disregard for crew welfare and ruthless tactics illustrate his long tenure in piracy.

Mr. Wilkes, the veteran sailor
Mr. Wilkes, the veteran sailor (Image via Tripwire Presents)

In contrast, there’s Mr. Wilkes, a seasoned sailor who serves as your calm, collected first mate after the tutorial. His experiences add depth to your pirate journey.

The enigmatic Voice In Head
The enigmatic Voice In Head (Image via Tripwire Presents)

The last key figure is the enigmatic Voice In Head. I can’t delve into too much detail without spoiling the game’s setup. However, this mysterious entity tied to an artifact found early in your adventure ensures your resurrection whenever you face demise.

Resurrection is a common theme!
Resurrection is a common theme! (Image via Tripwire Presents)

Though you’ll frequently meet your end, thanks to this artifact, death isn’t the last chapter for you or your crew; you’ll return to life over and again, leading to many thrilling escapades.

Game Mechanics

In Rogue Waters, death is more of an inconvenience than a finale. You’ll become well-acquainted with failure, which, while frustrating, is woven into the gameplay. The principle that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” rings true here—even if dying isn’t a part of that mantra.

The combat mechanics are notably engaging. When attacking foes, the strategy often involves not only maximizing damage but also leveraging environmental advantages to harm multiple adversaries. For instance, pushing enemies into each other or obstacles can yield satisfying results.

Utilize environmental strategy to deal damage
Utilize environmental strategy to deal damage (Image via Tripwire Presents)

Many times, I managed to obliterate multiple enemies by creatively using the terrain. However, this ability extends to your foes as well; they can inflict damage on your units if pushed against each other. Various unit types may have different interactions, but the mechanics generally favor tactical play.

Rogue Waters impresses by allowing players to replace lost units amidst battle, particularly helpful when fighting overwhelming odds.

Flexibility in unit selection is a great feature
Flexibility in unit selection is a great feature (Image via Tripwire Presents)

This feature can prove invaluable when you find yourself outnumbered, providing backup in critical moments. While it’s not a groundbreaking mechanic, fresh units can turn the tide in your favor.

Leveling up Specialists enhances gameplay
Leveling up Specialists enhances gameplay (Image via Tripwire Presents)

Special characters in your crew boast unique abilities and skills. Like Cutter, they level up and can be equipped with items for raids. Unlocking their skills is crucial for victory, and if something goes awry, you can rewind time to rectify mistakes—a feature I greatly appreciated in Rogue Waters.

This tactical gameplay extends beyond boarding battles to naval engagements. Similar to the unit battles, ship-to-ship combat is turn-based, with your fleet exchanging cannon fire.

Engage the enemy with your ship's cannons!
Engage the enemy with your ship’s cannons! (Image via Tripwire Presents)

During naval skirmishes, you can prioritize targeting enemy modules, cannons, and crew, with the aim of neutralizing their enhancements. Removing key modules can significantly shift the battle in your favor, but resource management (in terms of command points) limits your attack options each turn.

As a result, I often found myself prioritizing enemy cannons to protect my own ship from destruction. Engaging with the enemy ship was often fraught with peril, leading to potential death. However, dying during a raid results in resurrection at your base, allowing you to retain resources and experience accumulated during your previous foray.

Once you regroup, it’s time to put your hard-earned resources to work as you dive back into pillaging. Leveraging your loot effectively increases your odds of succeeding in subsequent adventures. However, expect that the road to mastery is accompanied by more challenges—you’ll likely find yourself meeting an untimely end before concluding your voyages.

Each raid offers unique challenges and decisions
Each raid offers unique challenges and decisions (Image via Tripwire Presents)

What excites me is the freedom to engage in regular raids to fortify your abilities before tackling story missions. From my experience, spending time leveling up characters is vital for easier gameplay in the story mode.

While this may feel time-intensive, each raid provides a fresh experience with new scenarios, decision-making opportunities, and varied combat strategies. If all else fails and you find yourself vanquished mid-raid, worry not—death is but a fleeting inconvenience when treasures await.

Resources and Upgrades

In terms of resources, Rogue Waters features two primary resources: Glass and Blueprints. Glass is essential for upgrading your Sea Monsters and enhancing their damage capabilities during battle.

Moreover, Glass is pivotal for improving your crew’s overall efficiency. It allows for the addition of Mates, augmentation of Specialists, enhancement of the sickbay, and elevation of your initial Specialist level cap.

Utilizing Glass for upgrades and crew bonuses
Utilizing Glass for upgrades and crew bonuses (Image via Tripwire Presents)

Blueprints are crucial for enhancing not only your ship but also the equipment it carries. They unlock various powerful cannons and modules that affect offense, defense, and mobility. Investing in Blueprints enhances your ship’s capabilities, enabling you to equip more cannons and expand your command point capacity.

With Blueprints, you can also considerably bolster your crew and ship’s efficiency during combat scenarios. Moreover, you can increase your initial gold limit, aiding in the purchase of supplies, ship repairs, and trading for buffs.

Blueprints enable advanced ship and crew improvements
Blueprints enable advanced ship and crew improvements (Image via Tripwire Presents)

The final secondary resource, Abyssal Ether, allows for summoning Sea Monsters in battle, with the power to drastically alter the course of engagements by eliminating foes in one fell swoop. Exercise caution; Abyssal Ether isn’t easily obtained during raids.

Performance and Sound

Ahoy, Glass trader!
Ahoy, Glass trader! (Image via Tripwire Presents)

Rogue Waters, provided by Tripwire Presents, was reviewed on a system with the following specs:

  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
  • GPU: RTX 3070 8GB
  • RAM: 32 GB

Throughout my gameplay, I encountered no technical issues—no lag, crashes, or bugs. Everything functioned smoothly. The voice acting and sound design provided a humorous touch at times, with a vibrant pirate ambiance that enriched the gameplay experience.

In Conclusion

Piracy with style!
Piracy with style! (Image via Tripwire Presents)

Rogue Waters offers a delightful experience for those seeking high-seas adventure. Its lighthearted nature and excellent voice acting breathe life into the characters. The innovative combat system and flexible strategies allow players to dictate their approach during battles.

My only concern lies in the frequent deaths, even on lower difficulty settings, until your ship and crew are sufficiently armed. This isn’t a major issue but indicates that significant time investment may be required to gear up for the main storyline. Expecting a rinse-and-repeat cycle is essential for success in Rogue Waters.

I also believe a cover system could enhance gameplay and the persistence of certain items between raids would be beneficial—these are merely personal preferences. Overall, Rogue Waters is a charming rogue-lite that promises endless entertainment on the turbulent waters.

Rogue Waters

Rogue Waters rating by Sportskeeda
Rogue Waters rating by Sportskeeda (Image via Tripwire Presents)

Reviewed on: PC (Review code provided by Tripwire Presents)

Platform: Microsoft Windows

Developer: Ice Code Games

Publisher: Tripwire Presents

Release: September 30, 2024

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