Review for Port Royale 4. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 25/09/2020 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 31/12/2020
Port Royale 4 is a single player commercial simulator developed by Gaming Minds Studios and published by Kalypso Media, it has finally arrived on PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One, taking you to the conquest of the seven seas with rum bottles, naval battles and boarding to the death. After the much talked about Port Royale 3, the developers were called to reverse the course with this fourth chapter, so we just have to see if they will have succeeded or not.
Build your business empire
We immediately state that for newbies to this genre of simulators, Port Royale 4 may seem very complicated and decidedly difficult at first, however thanks to a really complete and in-depth tutorial, there will be no problems in mastering every single game dynamics and every single aspect that you need to know in all respects if you want to complete the objectives and be able to have fun enjoying the game over time.
The advice we can give you is that of spend some time on the tutorial, taking the time to read and understand the advice given on the screen by the NPC that accompanies you to discover the first phases of the game.
The first thing to understand immediately is to read the map with the various areas affected by the direction of the wind: to move from one city to another to do your trade, you will have to be very careful how the wind turns, because otherwise a trip that on paper should last three or four days, could easily last double, to the detriment of your pockets. Whether you like it or not, and this must be clear from the very beginning, the commercial aspect is the fulcrum of the game.
If you do not learn to master the trade, with trade routes and objectives required by the Viceroy on duty, you will not go far at all and will soon be game over for failure. Port Royale 4 he is not at all indulgent with those who show they do not want to learn the rules of the game, so be aware of it because otherwise the boardwalk walk is around the corner.
In terms of historical fidelity, the work done by the developers is good, in fact there are 18 faithfully reproduced playable ships, a fifty buildings e 60 cities in the Caribbean. There are four countries available, namely France, England, Spain and the Netherlands and it will be up to you to decide which flag to sail under. At the beginning you will be asked to choose between four characters: the Buccaneer, the Explorer Merchant and Pirateess. Each of these characters has bonuses and penalties, it is irrelevant which flag you decide to fly, but for example, choosing the Merchantess offers you the possibility of practicing trading even with nations at war with yours, as well as trading in the various cities without the trade license. On the other hand, however, you will have that a warship will cost double the normal price, which should not be underestimated if you want to base your game on piracy, vice versa if you want to dedicate yourself almost exclusively to trade, trust that the idea of not having to pay trade licensing is definitely appealing to the pockets. In addition to the campaign mode,
Fifteen men on the dead man's chest… and a bottle of rum!
Within Port Royale 4 the naval battles have been completely revised compared to the previous chapters of the game. Each ship has different stats, movements and abilities than others, and sea combat takes place in turns within a hexagonal grid that resembles a chessboard. Here, too, you have to be a little careful, because beyond the fact that this new naval battle mechanic can like it or not, going around and boarding other ships is not only unhealthy for your coffers (fights are not easy and losing ships is not recommended), but it risks dropping the fame points which are the ones that allow you to trade and have increasingly profitable tasks. For the uninitiated, historically those who did not have a "travel letter" were not authorized to attack ships of an enemy nation and, therefore, by doing so committed an act of piracy. Would you trade with someone known to be a pirate?
Personally, this type of fighting is likely to be a bit unsettling for those who are fans of the series, but after having got carried away they are not too bad. We must reason and understand the forces on the field, but above all we must not overdo it: if you realize that you do not have the right ship and the necessary strength to compete, do not start boarding because the game does not reward those who are unscrupulous, all seasoned with animations that in short, in the long run they can be woody and repetitive.
Never as in this case we would like to advise you to go step by step and accept assignments only when you are reasonably sure that they can be within your reach, because the game system, especially at the beginning, is not absolutely generous in terms of remuneration and, ships and crews, they don't come cheap.
Graphics and Audio
The graphics compartment of Port Royale 4 allows the player to immerse themselves perfectly in the part of the sailor of the Caribbean, with a good level of reproduction of the elements of cities and boats. Water is a well reproduced element, even if zooming in on the details, the flaws here and there can be seen and how. The glance of the landscapes is however remarkable and makes you want to open a bottle of rum and comfortably smoke a cigar on the deck of our vessel.
Could we have dared more? Maybe yes, but let's not forget that it is still a commercial simulator that often requires you to run time at double or triple speed. The audio is the icing on the cake: evocative and fully in line with the atmosphere, from this point of view it cannot be reproached at all and the sound effects are also well made.
Giving a vote to Port Royale 4 was really difficult, because it represents the typical case in which the ideas had by the developers were too many and only and exclusively the one related to trade was developed well. This is a trading simulator, full stop. If you want a title that allows you to simulate the trade routes in the Caribbean of the 1500s, then you are in the right place, otherwise if you want to do naval battles continuously and dynamically, building towns from morning to night, then it's best to look elsewhere. The implementation of multiplayer perhaps would have helped a little, because only in single player and with only one game mechanic that is truly usable and complete, the risk is to get bored soon. Is it all to throw away? Absolutely not, the implementation of the tutorial is a textbook, it explains everything perfectly and allows you to really understand the mechanics of the trade behind the game and spending a few hours relaxing sailing up and down the Caribbean was a real pleasure. Was the legendary Port Royale 2 better? Probably yes, but at a time when reheated soups are always in vogue, there was really no need for yet another remaster. Wind down and work, that a good base is all there. Yo ho!
► Port Royale 4 is a Simulation-Strategy game developed by Gaming Minds Studios and published by Kalypso Media for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 25/09/2020 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 31/12/2020
