User Reviews (1 - 11 of 21)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

A finely polished trading/adventure game in the Carribean

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 35 / 35
Date: June 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Set in the 1500-1700s, Port Royale lets you control fleets of ships that trade in large variety of goods at 60 ports, and fight with pirates all over the Carribean. Or become a pirate, and prey on the other nations. Or be a mix of both.
Beautiful graphics, extremely stable and balanced gameplay, and great sound to top it all off.
If you ever played Pirates!, Cutthroats, or Seadogs, and wished they had just a little more something, then Port Royale is the game for you.
The game was released in Europe in 2002, and is being released in the US soon.
Open ended gaming doesn't begin to describe this game. If you want to follow the storyline, fine. If you don't, fine. If you want to follow the storyline only when you want to, fine. You want to go to war with a country or two, fine. You want to butter up a country or two, hoping for gifts, fine.
Sail ships, trade in goods, marry a governor's daughter (who gets kidnapped often-it's great), beautiful graphics, great economic model...all this and you get to blow pirates out of the water too!

Reminds me a lot of Pirates! (which is a good thing)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 31 / 31
Date: July 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

A very fun and addicting game, Port Royale has many good points and only a few drawbacks. It does resemble a much updated and improved Pirates! Gold. First and foremost what I like about the game is that it is non-linear, which means you can do whatever you want to. You can be a pirate, a bucaneer, a merchant, or a little of all three. You can accept missions from Governors, you can raid towns, or you can trade. (This is opposed to the 3d shooter games where you need to find some yellow key I can never find to open some door. Warcraft-like games always involve get as much resources as possible and have a big attacký.little actual strategy) Another good thing is that if you might loose a battle, you can pick up and continue. There isnýt constant reloading.

The sea battles are rather fun. They resemble a typical real time strategy game. The beauty is that there is a whole world outside it. Trading is fairly simple and straightforward. It solely involves buying commodities low in one town where they are made and selling them is a town where the are in demand. You can also build business which produce goods, which you can sell. Crews, supplies, and the business cost money to operate.

The only percieved bad side is the steep learning curve, so the game may not be for an impatient 12 year old. It takes a few hours to get the hang of the game, but it is necessary for a complex game and its worth it. (Consider it may take 3 hours to learn, but if you play it for weeks, itýs not a big deal.) The complexity is what makes it different and better than the Warcraft-like game, though hence, some learning is required. The automatic trading routes are decently tough to learn and require that you periodically check up on your trading routes. They also require some time to set up because you have to remember what is a good price to buy and sell and which towns have what and which towns require what. It is best to do a ýdry runý which you manually sail the ship from port to port in your route and then decided what to buy and sell where. However, it is a good system. Although complex and somewhat time consuming, I donýt have any idea to improve it, without ýdumbing the game down.ý I couldnýt say ýI would do this instead.ý One good thing is you can set your routes to fight automatically. Usually you are strictly fleeing, so it removes what would be a constant harrassment.

The other small negative is that the book could give a little more help. Itýs not bad, but it could be a little better. They make a couple minor mistakes in the translation from German. A ýlinerý is supposedly the best ship you can get. They really mean a ýship of the lineý. Overall, I had to give the game high marks, because itýs one of the most fun and most addicting games in recent memories.

Fun but probably not the game for everbody

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: May 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

As one other reviewer mentioned, if you are not into trading & spreadsheet management, then you will probably will not derive a great deal of enjoyment out of this game. Probably Ascaron's "Pirate Hunter" is more your cup of tea. I tend to play Port Royale while the more violence-prone 10-year-old in the house enjoys blasting ships to smithereens in Pirate Hunter.

Nonetheless, there is plenty to enjoy in Port Royale, if only you are patient. It takes a little time to build up reputation and resources, but once you get a steady source of income in place, the game is flexible enough to allow you to shift your attention to rampaging across the Carribean with your formidable fleets of battleships.

The game is flexible and open-ended enough to allow the player several options. One can simply to be an unassuming neutral trader, moving from port to port, quietly amassing a fortune while staying out of harm's way. One can also suck up to the governors of your respective nation, running mission after mission, currying the favor of the establishment. Doing this means that you tend become despised by the other nations, so sometimes it is a good idea to hedge your bets. One can take it even farther by getting a letter of marque, a form of legalized piracy, which allows you to loot and pillage the ships of whatever nation your letter of marque concerns. It is one step short of being an actual pirate --- just make sure you check the validity of your letter of marque, or you will find yourself on the wrong side of the law.

Finally, of course, you can throw respectability to the winds and cost your lot with the forces of lawlessness. This is easier said than done. If you find yourself an outcast from all nations, hunted by numerous military convoys, and short on cash and resources, your days may be numbered. Enjoy it while it lasts.

The game also has a loose story-line, which you can choose to follow or ignore. It gives you a chance to mix it up with some pirates if you want to, and reunite you with long-lost relatives. You can also get married, which affords your wife an opportunity to get kidnapped frequently by scurvy knaves, and affords you the opportunity to blast still more evil-doers out of the water.

For those who complain about the learning curve --- believe me, it is not nearly as difficult as Patrician II and Patrician III. Those who are familiar with those games will immediately recognize the economic model of Port Royale. I have heard some Patrician players comment that they play Port Royale when their brains need a rest from the extremely steep learning curve of the Patrician games. Learning curves are all relative.

This is not to say that Port Royale does not have some unique difficulties to it. Contrary to what one reviewer said, international affairs can have a devastating effect on your well-laid plans, depending on what nation you play. If you play as a Spanish player, the number of Spanish ports is so vast that you can ignore all other nations for the duration of the game without any impact. However, try playing France or Holland, both of which have far fewer ports. For example, you can be a French trader who has established good relations with Spain, to the point of even building up a thriving industry in a few Spanish towns, but then France & Spain go to war. It becomes impossible to maintain good relations with both nations, and eventually Spain will bar your ships from entering Spanish towns. If you depended on those towns' resources to keep your whole economic empire going, then you are seriously screwed, unless you can buy your way back into Spanish favor. The Dutch have it even worse than the French. Once again, it is all relative.

A few comments about the operation of the game: when I first began playing the game, it crashed constantly, and while Ascaron has provided a patch that has solved a lot of problems, the game continues to crash regularly. Save early, save often. The game does have a nice multi-tiered autosave that will give you a lot of loading options, but be prepared for a crash at any moment.

If you enjoy micromanagement, puncuated by occasional violence on the high seas, then you will find this to be an engrossing, addictive, time-burner of a game. If you are in need of a quick fix of violence and mayhem, you probably ought to look elsewhere.

Port Royale is a great game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: July 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If you love sailing the high seas, fighting pirates, finding treasure, and adventuring (at your own pace), then you'll love this game.

FULL of adventure and it has Churchs!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The cool thing although something I did not focus on using much in the game was the Church's, which aid in different ways.

You know if you like to think and love strategy games at a nice price, then this is a groovy game....

It is challenging but enjoyable, you can be the Pirates, Buccaneers or just a Merchant making bucks!

GO for building things as soon as you can and build your fleet with the same ships till you are ready to afford the bigger ones. DON't forget to max the Convoy with people and put enough cannons & cannon balls on board to take on the Pirates (depending on your political leanings).Dont max the convoy out with ships as you can capture and sell ones that you win.

I enjoyed this. Plus you really get a feel of that period in time.

GS

difficult and complex, but great

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

As the title indicates, this game is complex and can be difficult. It is also, if those traits are interesting to you, incredibly addicting. This could be a bad thing :-)

I love Sid Meier's games: the Civilization series, Alpha Centauri, etc. Civ 2 and AC are my favorites due to the detail and control available. I mention these due to the traits of those games being similar to this one. The context, however, is starkly different. A little more background: I just bought this game a few days ago after a hankering for Avalon Hill's Blackbeard, which is a great board game. I went online to do some "research" on Pirate games, and read a few reviews of Port Royale, its sequel, and Pirates! by the aforemention Meier. What I read led me to Port Royale, and I found a copy and bought it. I've played games for years, and enjoy them, everything from RTS to FPS, and running the gamut from graphically boring to exquisite (Neverwinter Nights, for example).

To the game: The aspects that appeal most to me in any game are: a sense of adventure, open-ended potential, and a vibrant game world with a decent AI. I'd say that Port Royale has all of these in abundance. There are many paths to success... one can choose to be a lawless pirate and attack ships and sack towns, one can choose to create a booming trade business via shipping, one can build businesses in a number of towns to facilitate that, one can choose to build reputation with a nation and rise to the level of a governor, or one can choose to do all or a combination of any of these things. Replay value, in my opinion, is very high.

The sense of adventure is created partly by the large environment, and discovering new towns. It is helped if you ignore the map that comes with the game, which actually depicts every town's location, which can come in handy when you decide to take on missions at the behest of the various Governors. The rapidly shifting economy is also a repeated source of randomness and adventure, as commodities shift in value drastically through supply and demand.

The open-ended nature of the game is driven by the aforementioned various paths one can take, and the fact that you can choose to ignore missions until such a time as it becomes convenient. Missions are time-sensitive and difficult in many cases. Ships take damage in sea battles, and need be repaired and armed against future attacks, even if you are taking the path of the merchant, so it may be prudent to wait before taking on a mission.

The complexity comes mostly in learning the trade system and managing businesses. I thought I'd be bored with the trade aspect and choose to be a pirate or a buccaneer, but I actually find the trading system to be a blast. My first few runs saw my ships destroyed, and my businesses going into the red.

Life on the seas is managed by the control of one or more convoys, which are always represented graphically by one ship. You can grow your convoy in two ways (that I've discovered): one: by capturing ships on the seas, or two: by purchasing ships and adding them to your convoy. You can operate multiple convoys if you so choose, simply by buying or removing a captured ship from your existing convoy, and then hiring a captain. Controlling multiple convoys adds another level of complexity, but can be a lot of fun, and is a great way to build one's fortune.

The game offers automated trade controls as well... one involves setting buy and sell orders at businesses (storage facilites) in towns that can take advantage of the dynamic economy, and another involves setting up trade routes, which I have yet to do.

I recommend that anyone who finds the traits I mentioned compelling tries this game. If hack and slash and immediate gratification is more your speed (and I like that, too), stay away. You will be frustrated and annoyed.

A bit of caution...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: July 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Though I really love this game, I must say that this is not a game for everybody. Especially if you hate "spreadsheet-like" games. Sid Meier's Pirates! had a very simple trading system. In Port Royale, it is far more complex.

I think Port Royale's peer is not Pirates or Seadogs. Port Royale should be compared with (very old) games like Merchant Prince or High Seas Trader or Koei's Uncharted Waters series.

Partician II in the caribbean

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: July 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Well designed game and fun to play, but built on the same platform as Patrician II. Improvements to the trade screen makes micro-managing trade convoys easier and graphics are better. If you've played Patrician, it's going to look VERY similar.

Good Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: January 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

If you have any interest whatsoever in pirates or maritime history this game will intertain you. I am a Avalon Hill "Blackbeard" veteran, and I like what I saw in Port Royale. Although these two games are largely dissimilar, Port Royale caused me to make the switch.

A little Tropico 2, a little Civ, a little Age of Sail

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 40 / 41
Date: July 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

A little Tropico 2, a little Civ, a little Age of Sail and an excellent Caribbean setting make Port Royale overall a very engaging game in the Pirate genre. There are basically 2 tacks you can choose at the beginning of the game, though your choice won't keep you from being involved in both throughout the game.

The first choice is as a trader and you get bonuses to help your path. As you discover new cities on the various islands around the Caribbean you will see that each has its own production strengths and weaknesses. You buy where a good is being produced and sell where its needed. There are also goods that are only delivered from the host countries - so these will need to be distributed from their point of delivery. As you become accustomed to the prices in your locality, you can set up complex trade routes and set a convoy of ships to automatic. This frees up your time to take on lucrative and influence gaining missions from governors and adventurers in the local tavern. Of course your trade convoys are not just free to sail the open seas, you must fear the pirates.

Which brings me to the second path you may chose. That of the privateer. This will give you battle bonuses. Engage pirates who are preying on your country's convoys to increase your influence. Buy a letter of Marque and help your country's war effort by pillaging other countries convoys. The ship to ship battles - though not as complex as Age of Sail - are very exciting RTS. You will want to disarm your trade convoys and set them on auto-fight to cause them to flee in most cases, but your military convoys should be armed to the max and ready for battle. There are some interface tweaks here - despite setting the battle on manual, you cannot always fire when you want to and often your ships will turn course despite your directives. Still, with a bit of strategy and the right wind position, a smaller human fleet can take on larger AI convoys with success and allow you to capture ships well beyond your means. You will soon find that you have more ships than you know what to do with! Well set up a trade convoy to support your large military convoys.

When I first sat down with this game I found a steep learning curve and a not so complete manual. I began as a trader and quickly got bored with the more tedious trading activity. My advice to anyone trying Port Royale for the first time - don't get bogged down in one activity - there is a lot going on in this game. Visit the inns and take missions, visit the governors help your nation - and very importantly - build an island industry. My first few games could not support the number of ships I had in sail. By building up an island industry, you will still be making money when you lose a ship to piracy.

One fascinating aspect to this game is the storyline. As you advance in skill, you will be given more and more advanced missions and responsibility from your host nation(s). Eventually, to win the game, you must win governorship of an island.

This game also has a multiplayer aspect - which I haven't yet tried. Will conquer the AI first to get my sealegs on then see where we go from there. Despite some minor interface issues (like the misrepresentative word 'Cancel' to close every dialog - doesn't cancel, saves), I have had few technical issues with this game. I'm currently playing an English buccaneer - I have massive industries in Port Charles and Grand Bahama and a dutch wife. For more details and a great Port Royale community, check the Ascaron forums.

See you on the high seas, matey!

Review Page: 1 2 3 Next 

Actions