Republic of Pirates review – Under the pirate flag, but without wind in its sails
Republic of Pirates promises exciting naval battles, construction of pirate hideouts, raids and robberies. However, behind the attractive appearance and promising idea there are hidden pitfalls. Find out what exactly went wrong and whether this pirate adventure is worth going on in our review.
- Developer: Crazy Goat Games
- Publisher: PQube
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: June 19, 2024
Yo-ho-ho, sea tramps! Hang your oars on the hooks and prick up your wrinkled ears, because I want to tell you a legend about how we, the Pomeranian bluebait, landed on the archipelagic reefs with the only dream – to take revenge on the voracious sharks that cynically bit the tongue of our parent-captain, who dreamed of a pirate Republic under banners with hellish skulls!
These pickled nits – Howell Lucky with his horde of Raiders, Scar and his Hangmen, and Matilda Largo from Los Guerreros – have taken over all the paradise islands . And before staining the decks with their blood, we settled down on a distant piece of land, erecting huts with grimy little hands and organizing the economy in the hope that the pirate spawn would not get wind of our ambitions.
Republic of Pirates review
Like ANNO, in your expansion to a pirate utopia in Republic of Pirates you will capture, develop and defend islands, debugging their infrastructure as needed.
You will build huts in which workers will live, you will build ship docks and warehouses for logistics. You will need fishing piers and hunting lodges to obtain provisions, and markets, drinking establishments and brothels will have to cover the simple needs of the citizens under your care.
Republic of Pirates review
Citizens in Republic of Pirates are divided into four types. First, laborers move into the huts, provided that there is enough food and supplies in your settlement, who subsequently disperse to sawmills, become lumberjacks, fishermen, and go to work in hemp fields.
Then it will be possible to improve the houses so that the working class is replaced by mercenaries , blacksmiths and artisans, who can later be hired to work in sailing workshops, weapons shops and so on.
Republic of Pirates review
When developing a city, you will ultimately run into the fact that there will be no mine on your land or there will be no clay quarry for further development. And you will have to expand the colony, sending a fleet to capture the nearest islands, for all the joy of the rich.
The shipyard deserves special mention. Before building a fleet, you can select a ship class – from cogg and ketch, to brigantine and frigate, and also customize their appearance by choosing what color the hull and sail will be , and what symbols will be printed on them.
Republic of Pirates review
The player is also allowed to choose a name for the ship, but for some reason from the list of available names. “Nautical Fantasy”, “Siren” and “Amethyst” certainly sound great, but why the hell am I not allowed to show my imagination and name the ships at my own discretion?
To build ships , in addition to a large number of doubloons and wood, additional materials will be needed. And the steeper the vessel, the more advanced sails and cannons will be needed, and for the construction of some you also need to find a special type of iron wood.
Republic of Pirates review
Since this game is about piracy, rare resources that are unavailable at the beginning of the game can be obtained through looting. The ships of the Raiders and Hangmen, as well as merchant and military ships of various colonies, scurry back and forth across the sea . By carrying out raids, you will be able to get from their skeletons not only ship parts, but also curiosities and insignia belonging to the British or Spaniards. The latter will be needed to carry out trade operations with factions – signs and wonders can be exchanged for cosmetics and resources.
Ships have parameters such as viewing radius, firepower, speed and gun reload time. In addition, each type of vessel has a unique active ability, each of which can be activated manually to shower the enemy with a hail of shells or fire a sequential salvo from its broadside guns.
Republic of Pirates review
In addition, each ship is controlled by a separate captain and you will not be able to put it on the water until you hire a pirate in a special tavern. Pirates have passive perks that become active as they gain levels in sea battles.
Some captains effectively control certain types of ships and gain advantages in battle with other types, while others give ships special privileges, such as the chance to fire a double shot. Unfortunately, they are too similar and implemented extremely lazily. It was possible to come up with more unique features and signs to make the choice more interesting. Otherwise, you just hire almost clones with different portraits and slightly different characteristics.
Pleasant on the outside, Republic of Pirates, unfortunately, hides emptiness inside. The graphics as a whole are pleasing to the eye with detailed locations strewn with lush vegetation and huts with individual features, as well as dynamic changes in the time of day.
But the animations of the ships are ridiculously mundane; the boats do not cut through the waves, but only lifelessly leave behind the stern something similar to a white foam trail. In comparison with ANNO, where even in the old versions the ships sailed as if they were alive, there is basically no smell of realism here.
But the main disappointment is the ship battles, in which the game crashes like a galleon that has crashed onto the reefs. The little boats stand sluggishly in place, throwing shells, and you just press buttons with abilities. No bright explosions, no rising sea walls, no other effects of a colorful battle. For a game dedicated to naval battles, the developers were too careless in their visualization of this key element.
In general, Republic of Pirates is in many ways similar to ANNO, but like a real smoker’s ANNO. You will also manage resources, but in comparison with the environmental intricacies and ANNO faction development system – in a much more simplified manner. There is no need to transport raw materials, no need to equip trade caravans between settlements. But you will have to capture islands, arrange your life, interact with factions and take on simple text quests.
Republic of Pirates review
