Although simulators are quite present in the gaming scene, primarily due to games like Euro Truck Simulator and PowerWash Simulator, ships are not as prevalent. We remember Ship Simulator from 2006 and of course the European Ship Simulator game that was released in 2016, where we took on the role of captain of various types of ships and traveled the seas and oceans around the world.
Astragon Studio, known in the gaming industry for simulations like Police Simulator: Patrol Officers and Construction Simulator, has recently decided to develop the game Seafarer: The Ship Sim, in which the player takes on multiple roles: they can be a captain, firefighter, crew member, and more. As someone for whom Microsoft Flight Simulator is the pinnacle of simulation games, entering this maritime adventure was a novelty.
However, considering that this game is in "early access," it has many technical and gameplay issues. Let's start from the beginning.
Before starting the game, the player has the opportunity to customize their "avatar" with special themes, nicknames, and titles that can be replaced over time with new ones obtained through "gameplay." Additionally, the game allows you to customize your character, but in a very limited capacity - you can only determine the gender and race of the character, nothing else. After a short introduction, you select "Singleplayer" mode where you begin your tutorial.
The first thing I would praise is the excellent graphics. The game is very beautiful, which is surprising for a simulator, and the wide selection of ships is certainly another bonus that players will embrace wholeheartedly. Moreover, the game does not seem limited in terms of progress - the player has a sense of "freedom" during gameplay, especially due to the unlimited potentials, even at higher levels. The sound effects of the game are also very good, and you truly feel as if you are at sea somewhere in the Atlantic or Pacific.
But the beauty of the graphics cannot fix poor performance. Before you even start playing the game, you first have to spend about ten minutes setting up the optimal graphics for your computer. Even when you do everything, the feel of the game is quite stiff. The FPS drops with every movement, and after a while, this becomes a bigger problem during gameplay. As for the tutorial, it is standard - you talk to an NPC who explains the basics and sends you to the ship's cabin where you sit at the "wheel" of your cargo ship. What is quite poorly done is the brief tutorial that explains how to operate the tanker in very short bullet points. Experienced simulation players will definitely fare better in this situation, but games must also be accessible to new players, which Seafarer: The Ship Sim currently is not.
The gameplay itself has potential - besides the captain, the player can take on the role of a firefighter and crew member, which refreshes this simulation and adds an extra novelty to ship simulators. However, even taking on different roles cannot erase the fact that the gameplay itself is quite superficial. It is very repetitive and becomes boring after a while, which is not a good sign for such a game. Seafarer: The Ship Sim is in "early access," and this fact is quickly noticeable, which can be a good excuse, but not the norm. If we judge by their forums, Studio Astragon has already released several "hot-fixes" that should improve the state of the game, which is a good sign for the future of this simulator. Due to its graphics, immersion through sound effects, and a very large selection of ships, Seafarer: The Ship Sim has the potential to be a very good simulation. However, hardware issues regarding game performance, repetitiveness, and a very poor tutorial that deters new players hinder this game.
All in all, the negative aspects of this game can be fixed, and this is only possible by listening to loyal simulation players who are "hungry" for a good ship simulator.
A copy of the game for review purposes was provided by the development studio Astrogon Studio!
