Naval Action presents one of the most unique and revolutionary attempts at melding an MMORPG with a "World of Warships" style gameplay. As someone with 600+ hours and on a hiatus since this game's Early Access Steam launch, I can truly say that this is one of the more ambitious games on the market which will unfortunately be both its strength and weakness. It goes without saying that Naval Action will be in early access for the indefinite future, with many massive features such as whether there will be an "over world" section of the game or not still on the chopping block. This and many other important "MMORPG" aspects such as trading, PvP, PvE, in my eyes are still yet to be finalized by the developers' vision, which I confirmed after observing discussions of this game's future with developers on their Naval Action forums.

It is important to list this project's current faults to anyone considering purchase in the forseeable future (months or so from writing this review at the least):

-Player population is dismal. Will spike when major content releases like most MMORPGs experience player traffic, however Naval Action is considerably more niche in the genre and sees maybe 1000~ players on generous days. When Naval Action releases on Steam fully, it must truly be impressive to maintain a truly enjoyable playerbase for a game of this scope.

-Most population/interest is focused in the European zone. If you want a truly "massive" experience, you will learn to accept European latency.

-Development is slow and often times due not just to a small dev team, but rather their circular decisions on some core aspects of the game. For instance, in the short few weeks I was active the dev team consistently patched varying versions of the "PvP tag circle" mechanic which would initiate battles. While a rather divisive issue in the community, the developers' responses/patches were usually delayed and they ultimately went back and forth on their decision to this mechanic multiple times. I wonder how much developer time was wasted on this indecisiveness, when they could have been improving other aspects of this game so desperately lacking? (PvE, Exploring, Tracking, Economy, Quests, UI, etc.)

-Bare bones. The combat simulator portion of this game is enjoyable, but so far Naval Action fails to sell the idea that you are a Naval Captain in a truly massive conflict where players pull the strings. Expect dull trade runs, "fishing" by pressing a button, zero quests, and very boring PvE battles to farm up ranks to use better ships. Casual players beware.

Now let's discuss the positive aspects of Naval Action:

-If you're a fan of historical naval tactics, engagements, naval vessels, etc. from about 1600-1820, you will be greatly impressed at this game's attention to detail. Battles lack the "arcade" feel, while not being completely boring, especially if two players finally commit to a sea battle. Expect 30+ minutes of fighting where every shot counts, de-masts are devastating, and managing your crew/repairs both on the open sea and in battles are crucial to your career and survival. Digital ships are modelled straight from primary historical sources with amazing graphical fidelity.

-Developers are active and intertwined with their community. While they are subject to criticism, apathy on the forums is not one of them. Funding does not seem to be an issue either, so do not expect development to stall purely because of money.

-Scope. Macro-management. Immersion. While nowhere near its final implementation, I feel the developers' vision of nations full of players fighting/politicking/backstabbing/and monopolizing the Caribbean in a purely player-driven experience all with an 18th century flair can be fully realized. EVE Online is often used as inspiration in Naval Action's development, but it's clear the devs here are interested in striking their own path. Even lacking in its physical form, I feel this is still a pro in my eyes as so few games these days have this kind of ambition.

So down to the final question: Should you buy it?

My answer is: No. Until this game releases, I would not spend your money unless you're truly interested in shaping this game's future. Currently, it is still in VERY early development and ultimately boring once you've gotten your fill of the naval combat simulator Naval Action truly is at this point. Not an MMORPG. I eagerly await Naval Action's launch and to see if the developers' vision truly holds to their promises.

-Carr

Naval Action presents one of the most unique and revolutionary attempts at melding an MMORPG with a "World of Warships" style gameplay. As someone with 600+ hours and on a hiatus since this game's Early Access Steam launch, I can truly say that this is one of the more ambitious games on the market which will unfortunately be both its strength and weakness. It goes without saying that Naval Action will be in early access for the indefinite future, with many massive features such as whether there will be an "over world" section of the game or not still on the chopping block. This and many other important "MMORPG" aspects such as trading, PvP, PvE, in my eyes are still yet to be finalized by the developers' vision, which I confirmed after observing discussions of this game's future with developers on their Naval Action forums. It is important to list this project's current faults to anyone considering purchase in the forseeable future (months or so from writing this review at the least): -Player population is dismal. Will spike when major content releases like most MMORPGs experience player traffic, however Naval Action is considerably more niche in the genre and sees maybe 1000~ players on generous days. When Naval Action releases on Steam fully, it must truly be impressive to maintain a truly enjoyable playerbase for a game of this scope. -Most population/interest is focused in the European zone. If you want a truly "massive" experience, you will learn to accept European latency. -Development is slow and often times due not just to a small dev team, but rather their circular decisions on some core aspects of the game. For instance, in the short few weeks I was active the dev team consistently patched varying versions of the "PvP tag circle" mechanic which would initiate battles. While a rather divisive issue in the community, the developers' responses/patches were usually delayed and they ultimately went back and forth on their decision to this mechanic multiple times. I wonder how much developer time was wasted on this indecisiveness, when they could have been improving other aspects of this game so desperately lacking? (PvE, Exploring, Tracking, Economy, Quests, UI, etc.) -Bare bones. The combat simulator portion of this game is enjoyable, but so far Naval Action fails to sell the idea that you are a Naval Captain in a truly massive conflict where players pull the strings. Expect dull trade runs, "fishing" by pressing a button, zero quests, and very boring PvE battles to farm up ranks to use better ships. Casual players beware. Now let's discuss the positive aspects of Naval Action: -If you're a fan of historical naval tactics, engagements, naval vessels, etc. from about 1600-1820, you will be greatly impressed at this game's attention to detail. Battles lack the "arcade" feel, while not being completely boring, especially if two players finally commit to a sea battle. Expect 30+ minutes of fighting where every shot counts, de-masts are devastating, and managing your crew/repairs both on the open sea and in battles are crucial to your career and survival. Digital ships are modelled straight from primary historical sources with amazing graphical fidelity. -Developers are active and intertwined with their community. While they are subject to criticism, apathy on the forums is not one of them. Funding does not seem to be an issue either, so do not expect development to stall purely because of money. -Scope. Macro-management. Immersion. While nowhere near its final implementation, I feel the developers' vision of nations full of players fighting/politicking/backstabbing/and monopolizing the Caribbean in a purely player-driven experience all with an 18th century flair can be fully realized. EVE Online is often used as inspiration in Naval Action's development, but it's clear the devs here are interested in striking their own path. Even lacking in its physical form, I feel this is still a pro in my eyes as so few games these days have this kind of ambition. So down to the final question: Should you buy it? My answer is: No. Until this game releases, I would not spend your money unless you're truly interested in shaping this game's future. Currently, it is still in VERY early development and ultimately boring once you've gotten your fill of the naval combat simulator Naval Action truly is at this point. Not an MMORPG. I eagerly await Naval Action's launch and to see if the developers' vision truly holds to their promises. -Carr