![]() ![]() Port Royale 4 runs great but at the sacrifice of a visual drop when compared to the PC version. The major problem that plagues the Xbox version however is that of the resolution. The scale can often feel giant, especially when zoomed all the way out. One of the most impressive aspects of the game though is found in the map – these massive stretches of ocean, minimized versions of the Caribbean. I was certainly more invested in my trade routes and towns than any fights that went down. Honestly, through my time with Port Royale 4 I have mostly used the auto fights though, as I found the combat to be getting in the way of the more exciting strategy that unfolds. Those allow some different abilities to be used during the fight and are invaluable. There are however extra “tactics” that certain ships and captains have. It’s not terribly deep, with only a few basic moves and attacks. Each ship in a fleet has a turn and you move spaces on a grid-based patch of water. This is where the combat comes in and it’s a turn-based affair. While you’re sailing the sea, convoys and towns can be raided and attacked by enemies. What will get in the way of your progress however are pirates and enemy nations. It can perhaps come across as a little simplistic, but with how complex the rest of the experience can be, that’s not a negative. I was worried initially about how fun this would be considering the obvious naval focus, but it works as a totally competent city builder. However in order to get them on your good side, you must complete tasks and develop your towns. The viceroy is the leader of your country, offering up crucial upgrades and ships. Once you have the gold rolling in, then you begin running towns, creating buildings, moving workers around, and satisfying your viceroy. There’s a deeply satisfying feeling working on a web-like system of trade and seeing it being executed. ![]() It’s great fun going through the locations trying to find the best material to buy and sell on your route. I was just watching all my ships travel across the routes, which was sort of boring.Trade routes are essential as you get a huge amount of freedom in how you set up and optimize them. After grasping the basics I started to make significant profits to the point that the game felt like it was playing itself. Once you've gotten the hang of things it's pretty easy to make money. Setting up trade routes so vessels will travel automatically and conduct business on their own becomes a necessity. Managing your convoy can be daunting, especially once you build or buy more ships. RELATED: Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition Switch Review: This Old Rollercoaster Is Still Going Strong That's a shame since staring at the map isn't that visually appealing unless you're into topography. You're probably going to spend more time zoomed out so your ships don't take hours to sail around. However, time moves much slower when you're in that tight. It's pretty impressive seeing the citizens of your colony go about their day. Or you can zoom in close and watch the little people hustle and bustle down the busy streets. The game takes place on a large map that can be zoomed all the way out to get an idea of the scope of your capitalist venture. That's a hassle since Port Royale 4 covers a lot of territory across the globe. If I have plenty of cotton to sell, I have to click on all the towns to see who has the best prices. It can get frustrating since there isn't an easy way to sort through the different locations. This leads to a lot of clicking around and figuring out who needs what or who has too much of something. ![]() For example, colonies have small icons that display what they produce, but you still have to click on each one to determine the prices that they're offering for the goods they want. However, I feel like there are aspects of Port Royale 4 that could have been streamlined to make things a bit more enjoyable. I'm into the idea of owning and operating my own business. Likewise, if a colony has a surplus of sugar and you buy it all then the asking price will go up significantly. If a city is low on fruit and you give them too much, then the price will drop since they have plenty. You need to make sure you have the goods that the surrounding cities are desperate for, but you also need to manage how much you sell. Which is good, since that's pretty much the goal of playing this game. While I'm not that familiar with the subject matter of Port Royale 4, I do like watching numbers go up.
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