Nantucket, named after the small island just off the coast of Cape Cod, is a seafaring strategy game and a pirate lovers dream come true. Captain Ishmael is the only survivor of Pequod and now you have a chance to live his story. Chase down Moby Dick while exploring the seven seas, managing your ship and crew, hunting whales, and fighting pirates.
Released January 2018 on Steam by developer Picaresque Studio and publisher Fish Eagle, Nantucket since received very positive reviews by the community. The praise is mostly about the amazing ability to appeal to both the younger and older audience. The reviewers on Steam (and myself) are absolutely nostalgic about this newly released game because it takes the choice based and up-to-chance elements of old school RPGs and combines it with the basic elements of today’s strategy games. The best way I can describe it, is if you combined Pirates: the Constructible Strategy Game (a WizKids tabletop game) and Dungeons and Dragons (the ultimate RPG tabletop game also known as D&D) and your favorite strategy game.
If you don’t like resource management games or grinding then this may not be for you. While your overall goal is to kill the infamous Moby Dick, you have a lot of side quests and whale hunting before then. The 1820s weren’t easy and you get to understand both the frustrations and rewards of being a sailor in that time. Technology isn’t what it was today so you will need to spend time researching how to improve your ship and equipment before you can upgrade them. Sailors have both bad and good qualities so you have to pick carefully who you will hire to be on your crew. Using the money you collect from your side quests, you’ll need to make sure your ship is stocked with all the necessities to keep your men healthy and happy while out at sea. That may seem tough but you get to fight pirates and whales while your at it.
The art and design of this game is what helps make it so nostalgic. The cutscenes resemble hand drawn ink sketches with minimal animation. This style really makes it seem like these are characters from the illustrated edition of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. The overall design of the game really nails the tabletop game feel. I think that is the main reason it is so loved by so many. The sound and music is also really great. It sets the atmosphere and tone of the game. The voice acting is also very well done and fits with the period and setting of the game.
*Side note: A cool tiny detail is that you can rename the main character from Captain Ishmael to Captain anything you want. I obviously took this upon myself to name him Captain Crunch. This tiny detail made me laugh and made me like the game that much more.
One complaint that some reviews and I had was that the tutorial for the game could have been better. There are things you do further into the game that isn’t really covered by the tutorial. Others complain about it’s unsatisfactory battle mechanics. Since it has a table top aesthetic, battling is designed to resemble a card game, such as Magic the Gathering. I find this to be really cool but I also am very into games like Magic and D&D.
If you’re a nerd for tabletop games like I am then I highly suggest this game. It combines the nostalgic feel of RPGs and strategy games. The aesthetic is consistent and beautifully done. Plus you get to fight whales and pirates which is just awesome. Taking the complaints into consideration, I rate this game a solid 8/10.
Watch the Nantucket Launch Trailer:
Nantucket is available for PC for $17.99 via Steam.
PC Review
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Overall Score - 8/108/10
I'm a postgraduate Information and Library Studies student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. I'm originally from Texas and have a BFA in Creative Writing from SFASU. I grew up playing video games and now enjoy watching other people play as well. I love anything with a good story!
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