I was sent a free copy of Rogue Waters to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.
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What is Rogue Eaters?
Rogue Waters is a pirate themed roguelite strategy game out now on Steam and Epic games, and it will be receiving its console release on February 4, 2025.
You have been a loyal officer for the infamous Blackbone until the day you encounter the artifact. Blackbone’s greed has landed you on an ominous island, and with a firm command, sends you into danger. Unfortunately, the treasure he seeks is cursed, and you are its recipient. Feeling betrayed, Blackbone sends you to your watery grave, but you do not stay there. You wake up in a strange place, alive, angry, and with a mysterious voice in your head. Gather your crew, fortify your ship, and set sail for you new adventure. Will you use this new life to get your revenge? Will you uncover the source of this new strange affliction? You’ll need to play to find out.
Gameplay
All players start in the game’s main hub where they can upgrade their ship, crew, and abilities with the loot they find along their run. Players then set sail and either play through the story or grind out random runs. During a run, players can choose to engage in combat, trigger a random event, buy equipment or heal, or find treasure.
What makes Rogue Waters a unique roguelite is its naval combat mechanic. Before a player can board an enemy ship, the ships engage in combat. Players take turns with enemy ships to attack each other’s modules. Modules include the ship’s weapons, upgrades that give units passive abilities, and crew mates. Destroying modules gives players different advantages. Destroying a weapon means the enemy ship can’t attack, destroying an upgrade removes the enemy’s passive buff, and killing an enemy unit means there are fewer units to fight during combat. The player faces the same dangers. Choosing what to attack during naval combat can be the key to victory.
Once on the ship, combat is a straightforward turn-based system, with the player performing all their actions first. Rogue Waters has a unique pushback mechanic that players need to take advantage of. When a unit attacks, both parties are pushed back to one space. Players can choose the direction of this knockback, and interact with the environment for additional effects. For example, knocking an enemy into a wall does additional damage. The coolest mechanic however is the ability to summon giant creatures from the darkest depths of the oceans to aid you in combat. Each creature has a unique ability and can easily turn the tide of a battle.
When a player’s crew wipes, the player returns to the main hub to purchase their upgrades and start their new run.
Review
I absolutely love Rogue Waters and recommend it to anyone looking for a new strategy game. This game has cool nautical flavor, a solid story with amazing voice acting, and fantastic gameplay. The naval combat mechanic gives the game some great flavor, and the pushback mechanic makes combat fun. I personally loved the ability to summon giant creatures like the Kraken to defeat my enemies.
The only complaint I have is that not all of the animation is smooth. This isn’t a deal breaker since the game performs well most of the time, but there is the occasional stutter or awkward animation that is hard to ignore.
That said, Rogue Water’s unique mechanics and solid storytelling will easily make it the pirate game you didn’t know you needed in your life. If you are looking for a new and unique strategy game that is also Steam Deck compatible, check out Rogue Waters on Steam and Epic Games. If you would rather wait for the console release, don’t forget to wishlist it for PlayStation, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch.
