Shareware games are everywhere. Every other popup has a link to a shareware game. After being annoyed by them you decide to take a look at them. You go to a site and after looking at a thousand or so crappy shareware and flash games, you finally run across one that actually shows some promise. Well, we at MyGamer share your pain. We did all the work and weeded out the games that are not worth your time of day and found a game that’s a diamond in the rough. Or should I say a diamond in the sea?
Sea Wolves is a downloadable shareware game developed by the folks at Ghost Software. The game takes place in a world where most part of dry land disappeared under the water as a result of a chain of man-caused cataclysms. The planet has been flooded with disgusting monsters, and the ruthless pirates have seized the power over the surviving inhabitants. You are the captain of a frigate and you’re furrowing the boundless seas. That’s about it as the story is concerned. Don’t forget this is shareware; if you want deep story arcs you are looking at the wrong game. The focus here is on the gameplay.
The best word to describe Sea Wolves is simplistic. The game plays in a top overhead view like most real time strategies. Sea Wolves has very simplistic ship models and detail. Weapon effects are not amazing but are not a complete turn off, either. There is not much to look at in the game. The water looks stunning, and the lighting effects are adequate, but besides the occasional small island and some harbors, there is not much to explore.
The game mostly revolves around you blowing up various ships, aircrafts, and sea monsters and searching in the water for the almighty booty, the pirate’s bread and butter. Another thing you will spend a good deal of time searching for is health, as this game has its share of difficulty. You begin by selecting a captain and a ship, each of which has unique abilities. From Victoria Rush, whose boat can slice through rough waters and take out enemies with ease, to Ironman, a master strategist whose vessel is outfitted with resilient armor, the characters provide a variety of starting points. You also have multiple weapons: a front main cannon, flank cannons on both the left and right side of your ship, anti-air missiles to take out those pesky airplanes, and underwater mines to take out sea dwelling creatures. Although the controls are simple, it is still difficult to take down an enemy ship without stopping and turning to aim your main cannon. To get to the next level you have to take out the current level fortress. I loved blowing up the fortresses; this game would have been that much better if there were more buildings and fortresses to blow up.
Sea Wolves also has some RPG elements, as you are able to level up your ship. Leveling up is done in old school fashion – you simply kill your enemies in order to build up your levels. Once you level up, you will be given stat points. From there you will be able to upgrade your ship, making it faster, stronger and better.
The music in the game has some problems. First, let me say that the score for the game offers nice ambience style techno music that is relaxing and peaceful. On that note, the quality of the music sounds like it’s being played from the radio of a 1970 Ford Pinto. Probably for file size reasons, but the music sounds too watered down (no bad pun intended). In this day and age of video gaming, there is no room for mono sound. Although the ambience music seemed right for the exploration part of the game, the music sounds out of place during battle. A more pirate-like tune during battle would have scored it some more points. The overall sound effects, however, although simplistic, do go well with the atmosphere of the game.
This is the lowdown: Sea Wolves is not going to appeal to most hardcore gamers. It’s not fast paced, has no state of the art graphics, and possesses a mellow sound. This game is suited for children and for those who find modern games today too complicated. Despite its problems, the game succeeds in being fun and can capture your attention for a while. In the midst of all the spyware and popup ads, finding a decent shareware game can sometimes seem impossible. Sea Wolves shows they do exist, and this game is not only a winner, but also one of the best.