It's no secret that turn-based combat is fashionable again. Where action games require quick-thinking and, oftentimes, quick fingers, 2024's strategy game resurgence proves that patience is, in fact, a virtue. Watching hordes of enemies crumble as you chain together abilities or use the environment to your advantage is far too satisfying, and, more importantly, far too much fun. So if you're looking for a new turn-based adventure, Tripwire Interactive's all-new Rogue Waters is perfect for you – plus, it has pirates; what's not to love?
Announced during the Future Game Show at Gamescom 2024, Rogue Waters is a turn-based roguelike game set in a universe consumed by a mysterious darkness. An eerie curse besets the world, and it's your job to figure out how to dispel it.
It won't be easy, however, as you'll have to take a few runs at Rogue Waters before you succeed. A single choice can kill your progress dead; the stakes are high, but that's the whole point.
But you're not alone. You'll be able to recruit various different swashbucklers from far and wide (or, let's be real, just in Tortuga's tavern), each of which bring their own unique flair to the battlefield. Train them up to be the fiercest fighting force on the high seas, and point them at the various challenges this ever-changing world has to offer.
Take Widowmaker for example – she's a spearmaiden with slightly less health, versus ol' Rattlebones, who's a bit tankier with five health points (also, he can cook – always helpful). While Widowmaker will be able to deal significant damage to your foes, you'll need ol' Rattlebones to soak up a lot of the damage, so ensuring you've got the right combination of scallywags is going to be key to your success.
While some of your merry band of misfits are off besting the beasties on land in dynamic, grid-based combat, however, you'll need to face off against other motley crews on the high seas. Rogue Waters features its own naval combat system which centers around, you guessed it, good ol' fashioned cannons. Destroy enemy modules to give yourself the edge in ship-to-ship combat, while simultaneously wiping yet another rival off of the board.
You'll have to pick your battles wisely, however, as some crews are more adept at naval combat than others. One bad choice can send your vessel down to Davy Jones' locker (although, that may not be a bad thing – more on that later), so strategic planning ahead of time is critical.
You can also use the surrounding environment to your advantage – in fact, Ice Code Games encourages it. Whether you're blowing up explosive barrels or shoving enemies into the Kraken's jaws mid-battle, Rogue Waters wants you to make use of the world's nooks and crannies, encouraging you to emulate "the violent dance of visceral cloak-and-dagger duels" that are such a quintessential part of the pirate fantasy.
In the trailer alone we see various different battle zones, including a heavily foliaged beachfront and, of course, the upper decks of enemy vessels. Littered with hanging ropes, barrels, and hooks, creativity is the key to success in Rogue Waters, so let your imagination run wild.
But that's not all. Lurking deep in the depths are various creatures of legend – the Kraken is just one of three sea creatures featured in Rogue Waters.. Each of these legendary entities has been captured and bent to your enemies' wills, so you'll need to free them from their watery bonds. Doing so earns you their allegiance, and you'll be able to summon them to fight by your side as you carve away through blighted landscapes.
that moment in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest when Captain Jack Sparrow dives head-first into the Kraken's mouth? Those rows of saliva-covered fangs are the last thing your foes will see before they're swallowed whole – and I bet they're not cool enough to make the jump.
Tripwire has revealed that the Rogue Waters release date is set for Monday, September 30. You can currently pre-order it on Steam and start preparing for the adventure of a lifetime. Just : dead men tell no tales, so make sure your schemes are bullet (or well, cannon) proof.