Rule the Waves 3

Release Date: May 18, 2023

Strategy, World War I, World War II, turn-based, Cold War, 2D, ships, historical, simulation elements, singleplayer

Rate It!

A complex strategy game, being more of a realistic naval simulator. It is the first installment in this series by Naval Warfare Simulations to release on Steam.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects
Trivia

Rule the Waves 3 is an extremely complex strategy games with just as extremely simple, minimalist graphics. We play as an admiral tasked with building a mighty fleet.

Just like the previous installments of the series originating from 2015, this one was also created by Naval Warfare Simulations. Being their first game to reach the high seas of Steam, it was published by Slitherine LTD.

Plot

The campaign of Rule the Waves 3 can be started in 1890, 1900, 1920 or 1935. Regardless of our choice, it can last until 1970. There are ten available factions to choose from: United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, Spain, Austria-Hungary and China. Our choice of starting date and faction determines things such as historical events we'll get to participate in.

Mechanics

After choosing a country we must start building a fleet. Depending on the time period - and researched technology - we can build air bases, coastal fortifications, as well as design corvettes, airships, battleships, submarines, aircraft carriers and even missile cruisers.

To maintain our navy we must manage its budget, often clashing with our superior - emperor, president or minister - who can sign treaties restricting our operations. In this phase, the game is turn-based, each turn representing a single month.

It's meant to prepare us for an inevitable war - Rule the Waves 3 recreates real-life events, though players are allowed to create their own stories based on them. When a military conflict arises, we must deploy our fleet, start conducting operations and participate in battles.

Combat is realistic and tactical. We can prepare for each encounter by using our spy network, acquiring information about enemy fleets.

Technical aspects

Due to the minimalist visuals and to-the-point interface of Rule the Waves 3, the small dev team was able to implement an advanced ship editor, letting players influence their construction and appearance. Due to visual simplicity, the naval battles are very large in scale.

The game only supports singleplayer.

Trivia

Initially, Rule the Waves 3 was meant to be an expansion to the second game. Due to the number of improvements and changes, Naval Warfare Simulations decided to release it as the full-fledged third installment. The game is complex enough to resemble an advanced naval simulator more than a strategy game.