7.5

Review: Professional Ship Simulator

Professional Ship Simulator is a game that already makes its target audience quite clear with the title. This is not a simple sailing game in which you push the throttle forward and then sail out of the harbor without too much thought. Developer SWE Systems is trying to set up a serious maritime simulator in which driving a ship requires time, patience and above all the necessary knowledge. This results in a special simulation that is extremely satisfying at its best moments, but whose Early Access status is also clearly noticeable.

You gain control over various ships, from relatively small tugs and lifeboats to container ships, bulk carriers, LNG tankers and even cruise ships. This variation is important, because much of the attraction lies in getting to know the different vessels. A small ship obviously reacts very differently than a huge cargo ship that because of its mass needs much more time and space to slow down or change course.

In doing so, Professional Ship Simulator tries to go significantly beyond just different values for speed and turning circle. Things like current, wind, waves, propeller effects, anchor behavior and the tension on bunches are simulated. As a result, when entering a port you must actually think ahead. Reducing speed too late can mean that you don't come to a standstill in time, while wind and current can make a manoeuvre that seems easy under calm conditions quite difficult.

That makes sailing surprisingly interesting. On paper, maneuvering with a large ship for minutes may not sound particularly exciting, but precisely the weight and slow reactions make it satisfying when a difficult maneuver ultimately succeeds. Getting a huge ship along the quay gives you more satisfaction than if the game would give you all kinds of tools to correct errors automatically.

Also on the bridge Professional Ship Simulator tries to honour his name. You will be provided with different systems based on equipment actually used on ships. Radar with AIS and CPA, sonar and radio communications play a role. In addition, the game simulates various technical systems on board. It is not just a question of steering and gas; You need to understand how the ship works.

That approach has a downside. Professional Ship Simulator can be quite overwhelming at first. Those who normally play mainly accessible simulation games suddenly encounter a large amount of buttons, instruments and nautical concepts. Tutorials help to master the base, but you have to be willing to figure things out, and above all to make mistakes. This is not a simulator you fully understand in ten minutes.

Fortunately, the game is not just a goalless cruise. There are several professional activities you can work with. Think of cargo transport, fishing, offshore operations, towing assignments, maintenance of buoys, rescue missions and fire fighting. Those missions ensure that the systems actually get a purpose. You not only learn how to operate a ship, but you get situations in which to apply that knowledge.

There is also a carrière-element present. By completing activities you can continue to grow, earn money, obtain licences and eventually purchase other ships. The idea of starting small and slowly growing to much larger and more complicated ships fits perfectly with a simulator like this. It additionally provides a natural learning curve: You will not be directly responsible for the largest ship available.

The game world also contributes to the feeling of actually being on the road. Large areas are based on existing geographical locations, including RüDover Street. There are dozens of ports scattered around the world and in the meantime you will encounter AI shipping. Especially in busier areas, that makes a big difference. Other ships are not just decoration; You have to consider the traffic around you during navigation.

Also the dynamic weather is more than just a visual effect. Rain, fog, wind, currents and a rough sea can actually affect your journey. A route that presents little problems in calm weather can suddenly require a lot more concentration under bad conditions. In combination with the day and night cycle, this often brings atmospheric moments. Quiet sailing along the sea while it slowly gets dark has simply something relaxing.

Visually Professional Ship Simulator is less convincing. The scale of the world, the water and the ships can produce beautiful pictures, but the presentation is not equally modern or detailed everywhere. Especially when you look at parts of the environment at close range, it becomes clear that graphic beauty has not been the main priority of the developer. For a simulator, that doesn't have to be a disaster, but those who expect an almost photorealistic shipping experience on the basis of screenshots must adjust their expectations somewhat.

The main problem at the moment, however, is that Professional Ship Simulator is still in Early Access and feels that way. The basis is ambitious and already contains quite a lot of systems, but several parts still lack refinement. Technical problems and crashes are also reported by players. On Steam the user reviews are distributed shortly after the release. This does not mean that the simulator has fundamentally failed, but that you have to take into account a product that is still under development.

On the other hand, Early Access in this game actually seems to be a development phase. SWE Systems has indicated that it wishes to include ships, missions, scenarios, more extensive tutorials and modding possibilities. The full release is currently scheduled around the middle of 2027, although the developer himself indicates that this depends on the development and feedback from the community.

Professional Ship Simulator is therefore in an interesting position. The parts that really matter for a ship simulator are promising. The way large ships react to speed, current, wind and their own huge mass gives the game an identity that you don't often encounter within the simulation genre. Learning to operate the various systems and then successfully performing a difficult maneuver can be particularly satisfying.

At the same time, you must be willing to look through the rough edges. The presentation can be better, accessibility sometimes leaves something to be desired and the Early Access version still needs technical and substantive improvements. Those who expect a fully finished product should therefore take better account of the fact that Professional Ship Simulator is not there yet.

For fans of serious simulators that is different. If the idea to spend minutes carefully positioning a ship sounds attractive, Professional Ship Simulator already has something special to offer. The simulator does not try to satisfy everyone and dare to ask the player to be patient. It is precisely because of this that successful maneuvers, long journeys and difficult assignments can give a sense of satisfaction that a more accessible sailing game can hardly match.