A Swashbuckling Pirate Adventure or a Roguelite Washout?
Arrr, are ye ready to be a pirate? Well, if so, have I got a game for you!
Coming from Ice Code Games and Tripwire Interactive is Rogue Waters, a game that, according to the blurb on the Xbox store page, is a “pirate tactical turn based rogue-lite”. If that doesn’t whet your appetite, then I don’t know what will!
The question is, can my love for a turn based game outweigh my aversion to roguelites, and is this the game to make me embrace the genre? Well, the only way to find out is to dive in and have a crack, isn’t it?
We’ll begin today with the presentation of the game, and the news here is pretty good. Rogue Waters is full of almost stereotypical pirates, and the game is divided into a couple of phases. The majority of the time is spent in the battle screen, be that the inter ship fighting or the battles of the crew after boarding an enemy vessel.
The action is viewed from the traditional isometric 3D viewpoint, and while the characters are nicely designed, both on our crew and amongst the enemy ranks, the basic setup doesn’t vary very much from fight to fight.
The rest of the time is spent at our hideout, which is where we head every time we die; something which seems to happen a lot. Here we are free to interact with the various menus, everything from levelling characters up to outfitting the ship. Everything looks and moves very nicely in-game, and the same can be said for the sound.
The voice work is very good, even if it does sound like a Pirates of the Caribbean script being played out. The soundtrack is well represented too, with the booming cannons of sea battles being replaced by the sound of up close and personal combat when the two sides draw closer together. All in all, the presentation of Rogue Waters doesn’t present any issues.
A Captain’s Quest for Revenge
But why are we going out on this roguelite adventure? Well, to answer that question, it is best to take a look at the story of the game. We play as Captain Cutter, a pirate who has risen from the dead after being betrayed by our former boss, the dread pirate, Blackbone. After events that I won’t spoil, we are killed by Blackbone, and finally awaken in order to take control of the remnants of our crew. From there, it is all about vengeance. Blackbone also seems to have become immortal, and so the scene is set for a series of battles that will hopefully lead us to our revenge. Whether or not you can recruit a likely bunch of crewmates, ensure ship survival and triumph will be down to your skill in turn based battles!
Rogue Waters is set up in the traditional roguelite manner, with runs being procedurally generated, so the battles you face are never the same. And after setting off, there are a variety of missions to undertake, and steering our ship towards encounters that can be won is always a good plan. Luckily, hovering over any foes gives a bit of a breakdown of the likely challenge that will be faced. Obviously, tougher ships have better gear to be looted, but you have to balance risk against reward, especially as your crew may well suffer on the longer runs. Having no one left to fight at the end will make for an ignoble end.
Boarding and Battling in Rogue Waters
Each encounter starts with the two ships (or the fortress we are squaring up to, for instance), leaving us to soften enemies up with ship based cannons. You can either choose to attack the cannons on the enemy vessel, or even try and weaken the crew of the ship we are invading. At the end of the day, choosing which way to go can set the scene for the next phase. Should you target the enemy’s cannons to preserve your crew, or take the risk and go all out to demolish the enemy crew? The choice is yours!
Once you board or invade Rogue Waters moves into a traditional turn based tactical phase and there are a couple of differences that set this game apart from others found in the genre.
First up, hitting enemies causes them to be forced back, and this is a major point of the gameplay. Obviously, if the enemy can’t go backwards, either because of an obstacle or because their back is to the ship’s rail, hitting them does extra damage. Enemies can even be forced over the rail into the sea, or if you can maneuver baddies so they collide with each other, actioning extra damage in the process. Whatever, defeating all the foes is the route to victory, but you can also use fear to win: if you can defeat foes with extra damage (called an “overkill”) the fear gauge raises along with the will to fight.
Building Your Crew and Upgrading Your Ship
Every run comes with a series of steps, culminating with a boss fight; the toughest foe reserved for that stage. If you fall at any time in the run, the experience you have gained is saved and you are able to use the points to level up your crew in the Pirate Cove, your hub area. There are six different classes of crewmate to find in the tavern and hire, and each class has their own skill tree to unlock as experience is gained. Add to this new parts that can be added to the ship for subsequent runs means that the more you play, the stronger you’ll get, and the longer you will be able to survive. It is this gameplay loop which is the main draw of Rogue Waters, and a lot of fun is to be had.
A Roguelite Adventure with Depth and Swashbuckling Charm
To be honest, there aren’t too many negatives to report about in Rogue Waters. The action is gripping, and even if the pirates are so stereotypical it sometimes makes you wince, the gameplay is what makes Rogue Waters a success. Chasing Blackbone, getting stronger by fighting, learning how to summon sea monsters to your side and use them in battle – there is a lot of content to go at. Even down to outfitting the crew members with new gear to make them stronger, buying or finding new bits of the ship to increase the crew’s stats, you’ll never get bored sailing these Rogue Waters.
Sail Towards These Links
Rogue Waters Charts a Course for Adventure on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/rogue-waters-charts-a-course-for-adventure-on-xbox-playstation-and-pc/
Rogue Waters Sets Sail for Consoles in February 2025 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/rogue-waters-sets-sail-for-consoles-in-february-2025/
Buy Rogue Waters on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/rogue-waters/9nzcvv2j0lwc
