Corsairs: Battle of the Caribbean

Corsairs: Battle of the Caribbean is a real-time strategy game and a reboot of the series originating from 1999 with Corsairs: Conquest at Sea. It was developed by Fishing Cactus (the creators of the warmly received series Typing Chronicles) and published by Microids, the authors of the original games.

Plot

As the title suggests, Corsairs: Battle of the Caribbean is set on the Caribbean Sea, having as play as a corsair. We must complete assignments given to us by one of five countries - France, England, Denmark, Spain or the Netherlands - to make ourselves known and eliminate our competition, or, at least, outclass them.

Mechanics

Corsairs: Battle of the Caribbean makes use of the top-down perspective. The game features a vast world consisting of open waters and dozens of exotic islands, which we can freely explore on board our ship. To progress, we must complete quests given to us by our European employers. Trade is also a worthwhile pastime while exploring the Caribbean Sea, as it can provide us with additional income. If we so wish, we can also try treasure hunting.

As one can easily guess, other corsairs and pirates would gladly take over our ship or our position. Intense naval battles are inevitable, tasking us with maneuvering our ship and cycling between three different kinds of ammunition. Composing our crew (we recruit members ourselves) is also important, as if an enemy survives our cannonfire we can then board them; there are three types of soldiers available, while our captain can also engage enemies directly himself. The enemies can do the same thing, forcing us to defend ourselves.

Over time we gain resources used to upgrade our ship, purchase new units (eventually we can even build up a small fleet) and develop the crew. There are many different ships available, all differing in size, stats and combat capabilities. Apart from universal units, there's also one exclusive ship for each country.

Game modes

Corsairs: Battle of the Caribbean offers a variety of game modes. In addition to five story campaigns (one for each country) there's also an adventure module and a skirmish mode, in which we battle against the AI and other players; multiplayer supports up to four players at once.

Technical aspects

Visually, Corsairs: Battle of the Caribbean doesn't stand out compared to other naval games. The graphics are colorful and easily understandable, the Caribbean Sea, sailing ships and exotic islands all being rather pleasant to the eye.