Originally developed by FragOut as Ships 2017 for the PC, Ships Simulator is a simulation title developed and released for the Xbox console by Ultimate Games S.A. The game is based on the title Ships 2017 however it fails to bring anything new to the table for its new release and manages to bring all of the problems of the original title to a brand-new platform. While calling itself a simulator, Ships Simulator fails to deliver on the simulator part and is more of a casual, mission-based title that is too riddled with problems. This is our review of the Xbox release of Ships Simulator in which we sail around the Baltics in huge industrial ships.
Ships Simulator offers you three ships, each belonging to a different industry. Before you can own these ships and complete missions in them, you have to purchase them and since these are all used ships, you have to repair them as well. After you have repaired the ship, you unlock the missions for that particular ship, and you can take it out on the seas. Since each of the ships is unique, the missions are tailored according to their use and function. The missions range from towing other boards, using your crewmates to handle tougher situations such as onboard fires, loading or unloading containers, and even setting up remote facilities.
Completing missions rewards you with cash and you ultimately use that ship for purchasing the other two vessels and also repairing your ship if you manage to damage it while completing missions. The diversity of missions in the game is amazing however their execution is what some people might not like since this is a game about ships, the pacing and patience plays a vital role here. Each mission brings a unique chance of exploring a different region of the Baltic seas and you get to maneuver your ships around tight ports and canals as well as raging open seas in thunderstorms.
The gameplay of the Ships Simulator mostly involves you driving around your ships from point A to point B in various weather conditions, using cranes to load or unload containers, and even assigning your crewmates to complete important tasks via QTEs. The mission variety is pretty pleasant in the game and no two missions are repetitive in the game. However, the main concern here comes is the gameplay mechanics which sometimes become tedious due to the unpolished controls of the game and no option to change the controls to a more suitable option. Apart from that, the pacing of Ships Simulator is pretty slow as well and it requires patience to complete missions. In missions where you have to travel to far-off places, it is a slow-moving affair, and you are in for a long time.
Since you are hauling goods or a completely functional facility on board your ship, speed is the last thing on your ship’s mind. The ships in the game are slow and even when sped up, they will take their sweet time in order to move around the vast seas of the Baltics. Even at their full speeds, these sea behemoths are really slow, and considering the fact that there is absolutely nothing to manage or do while these ships are moving makes the gameplay feel really tedious and boring. Pressing the RT or LT speeds up the game to a certain extent but the gameplay still feels pretty slow at various times.
I preferred loading and unloading containers on the ships to actually driving the ships around in the seas just because there is nothing to do once you have put the ship in the correct direction. The simulation bit falls seriously short when it comes to both gameplay and the content because there is nothing else to do in the game apart from completing missions and repairing your ship. I do not mind the slow speed of the ships but the fact that there is absolutely nothing to do in the game apart from just sitting and staring at the ship is what really puts you off.
One of my biggest concerns with Ships Simulator is its controls because at first, it is extremely hard to figure out what each button does and some of the controls are really clunky as well. For example, managing the ship’s speed is assigned to both the right joystick as well as the D-Pad. The D-Pad works just fine because it gives you more control over changing the ship’s speed or its direction but using the right joystick becomes troublesome because while increasing the ship’s speed, you will sometimes end up changing its direction as well because the controls are not refined enough. The same goes for missions where you have to manage your crewmates in order to complete the QTEs as the controls do not really give you much control over the game. However, once you have understood how everything works and find your own workarounds for the clunky controls, you can finally start playing the game properly. Since this is a simulation game, controls should have been crisp and precise because the game is trying to replicate a real-life mechanic inside a game.
The other major problem is the game’s visual and audio design. I am not sure which one is worse when compared with the other because the game does not feel like anything released in 2022. The visual design of the game is extremely poor as the game’s draw distance is really small and because of this, random objects keep popping in and out of your screen as you move the camera around. The world as well as the ships are not detailed properly, and they look pretty basic. The water has no effect of the ships moving through it and overall, it looks really bad as well.
There are no fancy visual effects in place here that could make the game look like something that is being played on a console as powerful as the Xbox Series X. The same can be said of the audio design of the game as there are just monotonous sounds coming out of the game at all times. There are no ship horns or anything and no water wave sounds which is surprising for a game that is claiming to be a ship simulator. You feel absolutely dead while you are completing missions because of the bland sound and visual design of the game. Luckily it allows you to increase the speed of the game.
Ships Simulator is a tough choice when it comes to me recommending it. Some of the mechanics in the game are extremely satisfying and I also had tons of fun during certain missions in the game. But on the other hand, the game seriously lacks polish to the point that it did not allow me even to lower the in-game audio volume from the settings screen. The visuals are another story because nothing in the game really looks like it got much attention during development. The game fails to utilize any power of the Xbox Series consoles and plays out like a dated 2000s action game. There are still enjoyable moments in the game, and I greatly enjoyed experiencing them, but they fall short and that is really a sad thing because, with some polish and some additional content, Ships Simulator has the potential of becoming a great title.
Final Verdict:
Ships Simulator is a tough cookie. On one hand, you really like the game and on the other hand, you absolutely hate the game. For me, the most confusing bit of the game is the controls and also the most frustrating bit. Apart from the poor optimization for the Xbox release, the visuals look like something straight from the early 2000s. For a simulator game, Ships Simulator also does not offer any sort of true simulation as you are left with just 24 missions to complete in the game and the ship variety is pretty poor as well. If you are looking for a proper ship simulator, I will suggest that you steer clear of Ships Simulator and look for a better alternative on the platform. If you still want to try it out, the game is now available on Xbox platforms.
Final Score: 5.0/10
