5.0

Review: Ship's SIMULator

Introduction 

Ships Simulator, developed by OceanCraft Studios and published by Ultimate Games S.A., promises players a realistic experience at sea. With different ship types, diverse missions and a touch of management, the game tries to position itself among other popular simulators. But does it also know to live up to this promise? Get back in this review!

Gameplay and Missies 

At the start you get the choice of three ships: a cargo ship, a salvage ship and a deep water construction ship. You start with the freighter you need to buy and fix. This is the basis for your first tutorial. The game offers a total of 24 missions, spread over the three ship types. These range from loading cargo to mountain ships and repairing underwater lines.

There is variety in the form of top-down missions where you control your crew to put out fires or to ward off hijackers. Unfortunately, mission building often feels unfinished: commands are sometimes automatically completed before you actually complete them.

Control and Realism 

The sailing itself is slow and tough. Especially with the deep water construction ship you notice that the lifting and placing of objects is difficult. Sometimes you're in the right place, but the game refuses to acknowledge this. Although there is an option to accelerate time, the pace remains slow. Weather conditions and damage do not affect the control, which undermines the realism you can expect from a simulator.

Graphical Presentation 

Visually, Ship's Simulator makes an attempt to impress. The water reflections and ship models are solid, but lack the refinement you would expect from a next-gen title. The environments are generic and lack variation, making the visual experience quickly monotonous.

Audio and Atmosphere

 The sound designers deserve a praise for their attempt to create a maritime atmosphere. Yet the soundtrack is not very memorable and sound effects quickly become repetitive. As a result, the game lacks the auditory depth required to really immerse players in the experience.

Management and Progression 

Although Ships Simulator hints at management elements, such as managing staff or financial resources, this aspect remains underdeveloped. Apart from repairing your ship after missions, there is little to do. The progression system also feels like a mandatory number: Collecting in-game currency is more a job than a reward