MAELSTROM Review for Steam

Ahoy Matey! Sail the treacherous seas and take out enemy ships in Maelstrom, developed by Gunpowder Games, Inc., and published by Forthright Entertainment, Inc. Enjoy fast-paced maritime battles in the dark abyssal waters filled to the brim with leviathans, warships, and loads of magic in this realm of fantasy and nightmare. Commandeer your warship, whether it be Orc, Dwarf, or Human; engage in calculated bloodshed in ship versus ship and ship versus monsters single or multiplayer combat. Use coins to upgrade your crew and warships and compete in battles to gain experience and be able to have access to more enhanced options for a better overall gameplay.

Be leery and dodge the depths of the dead waters to avoid being sucked into a whirlwind of despair that will sink your ship and cause your demise. Although you are able to recover from the sinking of your ship, it still takes more than a moment for your sails to regain their strength and momentum. This is a perilous way to go, especially in battle, because enemy ships can still attack your ship while you are rebuilding your health and stature of your own ship. The more objectives that you are able to complete in battles, the more experience and coins you are able to gain for your characters. In battle, every ship is ranked according to its performance, and the higher you are able to rank on the leaderboard, the more rewards you gain as well.

I played with DLC’s in order to gain the Wraith and Dread undead ships, which also gave me access to their crews and the exclusive Emissary in-game title. I would highly recommend obtaining this exclusionary package to add to your overall game play. It adds that little ‘something extra’ to the game and gives you unique gadgets and commodities that would not normally be available to the average player. With that being said, even without this package, there is still a lot to love about this game.

I had a hard time navigating the controls of my ship at the beginning, but once I got the hang of it, it became easier. I would suggest really getting the hang of your controls in the tutorial before attempting to battle it out in combat with other ships. It will make it easier to maintain authority over your ship and it will also make it less likely for your ship to sink. Be cautious of the sizable boulders along the sides of every shore, as well as the small villages, ramming your ship into them enough times will diminish your ships armor and make it easier to sink your ship if you accidentally enter into the depths of the dead waters. However, the soundtrack of the game tries its best to warn you when you are approaching them, as well as a message across the screen threatening waters that smell like death. The soundtrack is eerie and makes you want to turn back before it’s too late.

Overall, Maelstrom is a challenging, but fun game and I can’t wait to get farther into it and see what else is in store for me throughout it. I would highly recommend this game; it comes with fantastic graphics, realistic monsters, and lots of options for customizing your individual gameplay experience. If you haven’t already started playing, you’re missing out!

My score for Maelstrom is a 9 out of 10.

Check Out the Maelstrom Trailer:

Maelstrom is free to download for PC via Steam. Players can buy the first two Undead DLC bundles (Wraith and Dread) for $19.99 each.

Courtney La Verne

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I am an army veteran and currently a sophomore at Portland State University majoring in English. I have always looked to gaming as an outlet outside of my everyday life and a way to experiment with playing different types of games and take on new and exciting characters with different backgrounds. It's kind of like getting to become a new person every time you play a game.

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