If one subset of the RPG genre can be considered underrated, it’s TRPGs, also known as Tactical Role Playing Games. For the longest time, very few outside of Nintendo with Fire Emblem managed to make a bold statement. However, if the last 10+ years are anything to go by, there’s still a lot that this style of games has to offer if companies like Ubisoft and 2K Games think it’s worth a shot. Even more Japanese developers like SEGA, Atlus, and Square Enix, with games such as Persona 5 Tactica, Unicorn Overlord, and Triangle Strategy, show that there’s still much fun in this genre.
It’s clear as day that not only do game developers still find TRPGs worthwhile, but they still sell well. This is in part thanks to the success of indie developers trying to break into the genre, which has shined a brighter light than the 2000s. In comes Rogue Waters, a new game from Ice Code Games and Tripwire Presents.
Instantly upon launch, Rogue Waters presents a true tone-setter: pirate ships and a gorgeous art direction await. In general, the art direction has that gruff yet charming pirate exterior we all know and love, whether you’re looking at the dark, dingy Pirates’ Cove hub area or the beautiful waterscapes as you’re sailing the high seas. Before starting a new game, you can select the difficulty, and there’s a large selection of harder difficulties that unlock the more you play the story. You’re getting plenty of replay value here right out of the gate.
For those of you who are familiar with the genre, you’ll be right at home since the core of the game takes place on the battlefield, or in this case, Skirmishes that comprise rounds. Each round consists of a single turn for both the player and enemies, during which you can move and attack with all units. As for the units themselves, they comprise of Mates who are the grunts that are low in power but high in numbers, the Captain himself who has the most HP and attack power, and last but not least the Specialist Pirates. Each Specialist Pirate, as well as the Captain, all have their own skill tree and are the only ones that can accrue XP, which they can use to learn new skills in their respective skill trees. At first, this seems like any tried and true modern-day tactical RPG, but it doesn’t take long to notice that it has some tricks up its sleeve that make experimentation a key component! In most TRPGs, the units that attack and sustain damage mostly stay in one position during the action portion.
But in Rogue Waters, just about every attack has a reaction to the units on deck because every attack has the pirates close the distance to their opponents while the opponents themselves try to move back to avoid the attack. As a result, if you attack an opponent while an obstacle or wall is right behind him, they’ll either stumble to a diagonal cell on the board, sustain twice the damage or get killed from a critical attack in a cinematic display of carnage. And if you’re lucky, those critical hits can fill up the fear meter, when that happens, the entire platoon of enemy pirates surrenders and the fight is over! For those who are brand new to this gameplay style, fret not because the game delivers a fantastic tutorial that goes over everything the game has to offer, even veterans are recommended to take a look, but if you’re not into that you can turn off the tutorial at any time. This is only just scratching the surface since there are more than just battles on land.
Before you and your crew get to swashbuckling, first things first, you have to prep your ship and crew before heading off into battle. In the Pirates’ Cove, the hub area in this game, you have four places to check out before sailing the seven seas. Firstly, there’s the Tavern, where you can use your booty and Glass to hire new Crewmates, or as the game likes to call them, Specialist Pirates. Secondly, there are the Quarters where you can view all the details for every Crewmate and assign units to the ship and level them up. Third of all, there’s the Workshop where you can buy upgrades for both the crew and the ship.
Last but not least is the Shipyard, where you can view the details of the ship and assign cannons and buffs, or as the game calls them, Modules. The Tavern is where the game entirely goes into detail about the Specialist Pirates who can level up and receive additional abilities just like the Captain. These special pirates come in four different flavors. First is the Spearmaiden, who can attack two or more opponents at once if they are in a straight line. Then there’s the ship’s Cook, who can take a beating due to his Bruiser attributes, but at the cost of being unable to make opposing Pirates keep their distance in battle. Next is the Backstabber, who is quick and cunning but can’t take as much damage. Last but not least is the Grappler, who can turn the tides in your favor by grabbing and throwing units in all sorts of directions on the board.
Once you’re finished decking out your crew and pirate ship, then you have to choose which region to raid. Raids will be how you advance through the story, as well as plunder the world for treasure while you’re exploring it. Speaking of exploration, when you set sail, you are given a few choices on which path to take. One path could have a powerful ship that may be worth fighting for their treasure. One path could lead you to an island that potentially holds rare items but at the cost of your crewmates getting hurt. Or there could be one path that simply leads you to a docking station in town where you can buy supplies for the ship as well as items to assist you in battle both on land and sea.
Speaking of sea battles, that’s the first part of engaging fellow pirates. Once you choose which to attack, you’ll see the stats for you and your crew and what cannons and buffs they are packing. At first, the game mostly has you firing at just the cannons, which is still essential because enemy fire can mess you up if you’re not careful. But you can also fire at opponents on board, as well as their Modules, to give you an edge in Skirmishes! The opposing ships can do the same, but thankfully, you don’t need to guess where they’ll fire since the game shows you their anticipated line of fire with red arrows. These battles can get pretty intense as you fight more powerful ships, so it’s best to pay attention both on land and on sea. As you approach the end of the Raid, you encounter a boss fight, a true test of all the skills you’ve learned up to this point. A fortress that’s hard to penetrate, both figuratively and literally, because the fights take place within the opponent’s stronghold.
As I kept playing, I, of course, had trouble and died. Still, to my surprise, I kept all my loot and XP because the Captain, and by extension, your crew, are immortal because this game incorporates rogue-lite elements by having you respawn at the Pirates’ Cove every time you die. I find this to be an excellent feature because instead of getting forced to the title screen or suffering a big penalty for losing a fight, the game encouraged me to keep at it by going on more Raids to accrue more loot and XP, as well as getting me into the rhythm of the gameplay loop which I found to be very addicting since I kept thinking “Maybe just one more raid, I can feel like I can do this”! I’m still dying a lot, but I’m having a blast all the same while going through sea battles and swashbuckling everyone on deck; as much fun as all this is.
If I have to list any cons, I’d say one of the bigger things that stick out to me is that in sea battles, I can’t undo my actions like I can on land battles while it’s still my turn, so you have to commit to every single action you take before raiding enemy ships. Another nitpick I have is that the music feels a bit generic. The score is not bad and does get that epic pirate adventure vibe across, but nothing particularly stands out. Lastly, I feel like the exploration aspect could have been expanded just a bit more; while it’s cool, we get choices on which paths to go, I think it would have gone a long way to let us roam our ships as we see fit in real-time. Everything else I feel does a wonderful job at providing a fun quality TRPG with rogue-lite elements. Speaking of which, that aspect is also interwoven into the game narrative. What’s the story? Let’s go and look!
In this game, you play as Cutter, a swashbuckling pirate who wants to prove himself to be the next captain and, like most pirates, loves a good fight and is quick to anger but, at the same time, is never cruel towards his fellow mates. Alongside Cutter, the intimidating Captain Blackbone, first mate Mr. Wilkes, and crew are sailing to obtain the legendary Eye of the Goddess. A treasure that Blackbone has been obsessed with obtaining, he allows Cutter to be the first to touch it, but as soon as he does, the eye’s mysterious voice that only he can hear forces him to jam it into his very own eye. Blackbone takes this as a betrayal and attempts to kill Cutter until he falls to his demise in a cavern. After Mr. Wilke finds Cutter 14 years later and makes him captain, the two and their crew try to take on Blackbone. Captain Cutter’s crew is killed, but neither of them knows that the eye’s cursed power is also a blessing because it allows Cutter and his crew to return from the dead. – Or at least that’s what Shiv, Cutter’s demon companion, has us believe, even if she sarcastically tells us this through witty banter. Only Cutter can talk to Shiv since she’s eternally bound to the Eye of the Goddess.
As for the presentation, the majority of the game is from the tried and tried top-down perspective, but most land battles take place on a pirate ship or island. I say land because you can steer your ship on the rough waters. As its namesake suggests, the rogue waters in this game are very active and are an absolute delight to look at, whether I’m cutting someone’s head off or simply doing a little smooth sailing while I make my way to my destination. Whatever you’re doing, whether engaging in skirmishes on deck, sailing, or firing cannons, the game goes out of its way to make you feel like a pirate, minus the scurvy and saltwater.
It’s clear as day that a lot of time was put into this game. Whether it’s the incredibly detailed art style for all the characters, the witty banter between Cutter and Shiv, the intricate gameplay mechanics, or the strong art direction that lends well to the graphical presentation. Ice Cod Games, with their deep understanding of the TRPG and adding their own spin on it, has delivered a quality product that’s worth checking out!
Seeing that the TRPG genre is alive and well does my heart good. As a result, each game developer takes the time to put their spin on the genre, which is why I feel we should see what other creators have to offer. Take me for example: I never thought I would love the game as much as I do, but after playing it for hours, I’m still playing because now I really want to beat those pirates that keep killing me. And when I do, it’ll be the best feeling ever. Quite a few TRPGs occur in medieval fantasy settings, so if you fancy a TRPG and want a change of scenery, I wholeheartedly recommend giving Rogue Waters a look.
Disclaimer: Tripwire Presents provided Final Weapon with a Steam copy of The Rogue Waters for review purposes.
