Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Pieces Interactive
Platform: Windows, Mac, Tablets, Android, iPad
Leviathan: Warships – Review
Pieces Interactive takes a shot at strategy games with Leviathan: Warships. Will this title pass with flying colors or will it be dead in the water?
Story:
Leviathan: Warships is a strategic turn-based action game with several game modes. One possibility is to beat the campaign. You can choose to complete these by yourself or you can invite one to three friends to help you fight the enemy. It’s also possible to join public matches.
The “story” contains several missions and they become more difficult the further you get. This game is all about the tactics so it’s necessary to think about your strategy before sending your fleet into battle. There isn’t an in-depth storyline, but it’s not really necessary because your only goal is to crush the enemy and complete your objectives.
The other possibility is the challenge mode. These missions have their own, separate storyline. The mission description gives a brief explanation and can be played solo or co-op with a maximum of four people.
Graphics:
Overall the graphics in this indie game are good. Even if you play the game on the lowest graphic quality.
The game menu has an authentic feel and the loading screen consists of a variety of characteristic drawings which makes it feel you have been taken back in time. The different types of ships are very realistic and the weapon and defensive upgrades are detailed. As good as these graphics are, as bad are the surroundings. The water surface feels static and the bits and pieces of land you see aren’t very appealing. But as a captain of our fleet, we only have eye for our beloved ships.
Sound:
The music in this game was a letdown. The genre of the music fits this game, but there were only a few ‘soundtracks’. Although you don’t pay a lot of attention at the music during the planning of your next move. It only starts to get annoying when the game lasts longer.
The sound effects on the other hand are really nice and realistic. Each weapon and defensive option has its own unique sound effect. You can even hear the blaring sirens when you zoom in on one of your ships. This gives the game a nice touch.
Gameplay:
Leviathan: Warships has offline and online features. The game has a campaign, a challenge mode (which can be played solo or with a total of four people) and a multiplayer mode. The developers made this game for people to play together instead of going solo. Some of the missions might require two or more players, although it can be a challenge to try it on your own. The developers encourage players to exchange their tactics on the forum.
When you start the game for the first time, you get the possibility to start a tutorial. This is a great opportunity for new or inexperienced players to get to know the controls and the strategic maneuvers needed in this game. The combat system contains two phases: the planning phase and the outcome.
During the planning phase you can give orders to your fleet. The way you use this phase depends on which strategy you’re using. Although it seems to be a good idea to keep moving during the fights unless you want to take a lot of damage.
The fleet editor gives players the possibility to experiment with all sorts of ships and different kinds of weapon and defensive upgrades. You can also change different parts of the ship so it sails faster or so it takes less damage due to armor increase.
The fleet editor is a nice feature, because you can configure your ships to build the ultimate fleet (at least for your specific strategy). The editor works with a point system. Each upgrade can be “bought” and placed on your ship. You can choose what upgrades you buy but you can’t exceed the maximum amount of points you get .
It’s important to keep track of your points when creating your fleet of doom, but you also need to think about the qualities of each weapon. Some of the guns and cannons are close range, while others are long range.
The campaign and challenge mode don’t have a lot of missions but it’s important you have a strategy before jumping into battle. Each mission has a limited amount of points you can use to edit your fleet, so it’s necessary to think this through . The online modus can be played with a maximum of four players. Some maps are made for two players.
When you’re playing co-op or online, it’s essential that you talk with your fellow admirals for a number of reasons.
Firstly because the points, given to edit your fleet, are split amongst all the players present in the game. For this good communication is crucial. Secondly, when you create a game, you can choose the planning timer. This timer can be 30 seconds or a maximum of 7 days. This means that the player has, for example, 7 days to commit his planning phase. When all players committed their move, the outcome will occur and players have again 7 days to make their next move. This can lead to longer-term games but it’s necessary to discuss this before you create a game with friends.
Thirdly due to friendly fire. It is possible to shoot on your own ships or your companions fleet. Sailing into shallow zones can lead to grounded ships and this can inflict major damage.
A real downside of this game was the number of disconnections and the frequent lag spikes. This could sometimes ruin the joy of playing this game. We keep in mind though that this is a new indie game that still need some tweaking.
Conclusion:
Gamers who like strategic action games and always wanted to be an admiral of their own fleet should get this game. Leviathan: Warships has quite some nice features but it has it’s downsides as well. There isn’t a real storyline implemented, but the possibilities you get when making your fleet makes you forget this. This game is a good way to improve your strategic thinking and it might advance your seafaring talents at the same time.
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