Man O' War: Corsair - Warhammer Naval Battles (Classic)

Truth be told, I didn't like my original review. It was fine, but I was like, "Eh, that's too first-drafty, it's lacking something." So here we are. Yeah, this game was retired in 2021, but it's back, doing that zombie thing where it sits up when you thought it was dead, then shambling to its feet and coming after your brains. And... I'm okay with that, I'd let this game nosh on my skull. And that's why I felt a need to tell you about it, since I have over 200 hours in it, despite having last touched it... mm, awhile back, let's say. And thus: It's an Age of Sail game. Ships with big ol' masts of sails, wooden construction, cannonade broadsides, boarding actions, cutlasses and piracy. Except also also there's mages, giant dangler fish, and the craziness of Warhammer's Fantasy world as well. The orks do not care for your notions of ship design. Dwarves have metal ships that float, what witchcraft is this? There's at least three other fantasy races, and all four flavours of chaos besides, beyond two different human factions. Most of the nation-states have a few different ship designs, some as many as five, almost all of which are entirely unmoored from the petty concerns of practical design or even reality. I mean, if you have the magical chops to bust out a floating tower that can shoot mind-control lasers, wouldn't you? So it's a varied experience, as you may be fighting Empire ships, which are floating boxes packing cannons in all directions, and then find yourself fending off ballista-mounted catamarans or steam-powered, paddle-wheel driven "drilla killas". The ships in this game are fast and agile, at least compared to their analogues in reality. It's still slow enough to be a somewhat thoughtful game, I would never call this a twitch reflex game. These ships can't dodge cannonfire, but they can be fast and agile enough to be turning away when the enemy brings weapons to bear. Realtime positioning and good accuracy are required, standing and trading hits is the height of foolishness. This is made more complex by the fact that almost all of the ships in this game, friend or foe, are sail-driven. Keep wind direction in mind at all times, be mindful of the "wind gage" lest you becalm yourself and be an easy target. Boarding actions are also a thing, which you can do if you want, and the enemy can be quite keen to as well, the orks notoriously so but hardly the only exception. You can outfit you and your crew with better weapons and training, and you can play a large role in the battles depending on your patience and ability. I spent a lot of time at this game in the past, and much as I enjoyed it there were notable flaws but a generally smooth experience, the jankometer was in the yellow. I expect that, with the news of the rerelease and the patch that came with it, some of these issues were resolved. I'm looking forward to trying it again. While there's a plot you can follow, should you want, it's pretty optional. It's a set of quests overlaid atop the dynamic open world, much like Daggerfall but without time pressure (should that mean anything to you). Nation states form alliances and break them, trade happens between ports, and you can mess with that trade or just sack, destroy, or conquer ports if you've amassed enough manpower and have the desire to do something about it. Apart from that, it's a really big map, just exploring it will take quite awhile. And you can keep at it for as long as you desire, fulfilling dynamic requests and steadily building up wealth. When you're done with that, there's a chaos campaign for each of the four flavours, which present their own challenges. This is about where I'd talk up my own stuff: a streaming channel on Twitch, a curator, that sort of thing. It's all in my profile, I hate bringing it up but it thrives on viewership, so if you like this sort of thing, ugh, check it all out on my profile, would you? And, you know, if you want to sail a ship but wanted a little more spice than Yet Another Galleon, you could do a lot worse than this, easily. I mean, I did just say I was thinking about going back to it, and I think I'm the very essence of great but weird taste.

Darn, such a cool concept and was on my wishlist for AGES. In theory, ticks all the boxes (trade, navy, WH). However the lack of polish is huge. - Most of the game is silent, no music unless you run into a battle. Makes for tonnes of awkward voice lines from the NPCs randomly shouting "Need more cordage!" out of nowhere. - No borderless window (Released in 2017 but feels like 2007). - There's parry for sword to sword fighting, but the window to parry is instant (there's no lead time, it feels like the damage is instant on animation start). - UI is just awful. Quests are just tiny textboxes in the middle of the screen (unvoiced, miniscule the size of a post-it) it feels like I'm playing a one man dev/super early access game. - AI and battles feel jank. Minor spoiler for first hour of gameplay: I go to some iceburgs and get attacked by three chaos ships; one of them gets stuck on the terrain and sinks itself, the other two pose no threat except one takes zero damage and just has to be boarded. - Quest scripting is rough. "Sail to this area and find a chest.... Hooray you found the chest!" (quest STILL didn't complete because apparently you can get close enough to find it, but not close enough to trigger the next stage. I have no idea how games workshop signed off on this, feels like a game you would get in an old cereal box.

I never thought I’d be sitting here writing a review for this game after it’s been gone from Steam for about five years. But with its unexpected return, I just have to say: if you enjoy ship combat like in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag or Sid Meier’s Pirates!, you’ll probably love this game. That said, I wouldn’t recommend boarding enemy ships too often—the hand-to-hand combat is quite clunky and feels underdeveloped. Still, the game offers everything you could want from a pirate experience: a wide variety of ships and enemies, a large open world with multiple factions to join, mages supporting you in naval battles, flying units, and even giant sea creatures to hunt. It’s not the prettiest game, and it can be buggy and rough around the edges at times. But despite all that, it remains one of the most fun entries in the sadly almost-dead pirate game genre.

I really like the game and I hope the devs can see this review. Its sad it was taken off steam by GW. EDIT: IT'S BACK.

Your as beautiful as the day i lost you

Game is a bit old now, and its development was cut, but what this game does offer is a unique style of gameplay in a unique setting. It is a open world game, so do not go into it expecting it to be like Black Flag or anything, but it is fun for what it is.

AI is broken and the devs dont want to do anything to fix it

Man O' War: Corsair is one of those that's that the right audience can have fun with, but it's really not good. After my initial plays of the game, it was unpolished and only borderline functional so I'd put it on hold for a few years. Now? It function's but thats about it. Man O' War is an open world sailing game set in the world of Warhammer. You sail around trading, pirating and doing quests as you train your crew. If you're a person that likes these sort of games, everything you need is here and I genuinely enjoy. While normally I'm a trader, I've been drawn more towards adventures and questing in this one. I'm looking forward to spending more time training up individual crew members, but at least so far... they don't have the lifespan for me to get much practice. The core is there and it's good enough. But everything related to polish is lacking. The "tutorial" doesn't actually teach you how to play the game and the menus are not intuitive. It took me far to long to realize that I need to manually pay crew members and I still haven't found a way to check food/water while sailing. I've only just learned that I can sail automatically from the map screen! Everything here feels like an alpha release where the menus technically function, but they are are ugly to look at, clunky to use and often lack useful information that is default to the genre. The developers overshot their level of budget/skill and its shows. For example, every town is modeled for you to explore on foot... but in action it's just a series of identical door icons you need to click on until you find the place you want. The sailing combat is perfectly functional and you'd know what to expect, but the on-foot is... simplistic. It feels great to sail up close and board the enemy ships. Seeing both crews moving between ships and fighting is exciting. But you just move near an enemy and mash the light or heavy attack button without any of the animations matching up. So, you'll hit the button... there's a 50% chance his health drops despite your character not attacking. It works-ish, but its ugly and doesn't feel finished. I would like to spend another hour or two with this game, but it's a bad sign when I can't actually tell you whether there is a main questline or if its pure sandbox. The polish, the readability, the player training... it's all lacking to the point that I'd recommend you look another way for this type of game.

*Man O’ War: Corsair – Warhammer Naval Battles (Classic)*, developed by Evil Twin Artworks and published by SNEG, is an ambitious open-world naval RPG that explores a rarely seen side of the Warhammer Fantasy universe. Instead of focusing on land-based warfare, it shifts the perspective to the seas, placing players in the role of a ship captain navigating a sprawling world filled with trade, conflict, and shifting allegiances. It’s a game built on strong ideas and a unique setting, though its execution often struggles to match its scope. The structure is centered around freedom. Players begin with a modest vessel and are given the opportunity to shape their own path, whether that means becoming a merchant, a privateer, or a full-fledged pirate. The world is dotted with ports tied to various factions, each offering missions, trading opportunities, and political relationships that evolve based on player actions. This sandbox approach is one of the game’s most appealing aspects, as it allows for a wide range of playstyles and encourages exploration. Sailing between locations, discovering new routes, and interacting with different factions creates a sense of scale that helps bring the setting to life. Naval combat is the core of the experience and provides some of the game’s most engaging moments. Battles take place in real time, requiring players to position their ships carefully, manage wind direction, and line up broadsides to maximize damage. Different ships handle in distinct ways, with larger vessels offering greater firepower but less maneuverability, while smaller ships rely on speed and positioning. This creates a tactical layer where success depends on understanding both your own capabilities and those of your opponent. Boarding actions add variety, briefly shifting the focus from ship-to-ship combat to close-quarters encounters that break up the rhythm of naval engagements. Beyond combat, the game attempts to create a living world through its variety of activities. Trading goods between ports, hunting sea monsters, and completing faction-based missions all contribute to a sense of progression. Reputation systems influence how different groups react to the player, adding a layer of consequence to decisions. In theory, these systems provide depth and encourage long-term engagement, allowing players to carve out their own identity within the world. However, the game’s ambition is often undermined by its rough execution. Controls can feel unresponsive at times, particularly during navigation and combat, which can make precise maneuvers more difficult than they should be. The interface is functional but not always intuitive, requiring players to navigate menus that can slow down the overall flow. Technical issues, including performance inconsistencies, further detract from the experience, giving the impression of a game that was not fully polished. The gameplay loop, while initially engaging, can also become repetitive. Missions often follow similar patterns, and the world, despite its size, does not always offer enough meaningful variation to sustain long-term interest. There are moments where the game captures a sense of adventure—particularly during large battles or unexpected encounters—but these are sometimes separated by stretches of less engaging activity. The balance between freedom and structure is not always consistent, leaving parts of the experience feeling underdeveloped. Visually, the game succeeds in conveying the general tone of the Warhammer setting, with distinctive ship designs and recognizable faction aesthetics. The open sea and coastal environments provide a fitting backdrop for the gameplay, though the level of detail is uneven. Some scenes feel atmospheric and immersive, while others appear sparse or lacking in refinement. The sound design and music help reinforce the setting, adding to the overall mood even when the visuals fall short. Despite its flaws, *Man O’ War: Corsair* stands out for its willingness to explore a unique concept within the Warhammer universe. Few games attempt to capture naval warfare in such a setting, and this alone gives it a distinctive identity. For players who are drawn to the idea of commanding a ship and exploring a fantasy world from the sea, there is a genuine sense of potential here. In the end, *Man O’ War: Corsair – Warhammer Naval Battles (Classic)* is a game that offers a compelling vision but only partially realizes it. It provides moments of excitement and a strong sense of freedom, but these are balanced by technical issues and uneven design. It is best approached as an interesting but imperfect experience—one that succeeds in spirit even if it falls short in execution. Rating: 6/10

This game deserved better