Naval War: Arctic Circle

 PC
Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Gamers' Temple
    Jun 29, 2012
    80
    A strategic simulation of modern naval warfare whose following is smaller than it deserves.
  2. Impulsegamer
    Jun 4, 2012
    80
    Overall, Naval War: Arctic Circle offers a great simulation experience for military buffs and fans of the genre.
  3. 4P.de
    Apr 20, 2012
    78
    Hobby admirals can expect ambitious strategy with authentic naval and aerial warfare on a large scale.
  5. PC Gamer UK
    May 11, 2012
    76
    A welcome gulp of sea air for jaded real-time strategy fans, slightly tainted by campaign conservatism. [June 2012, p.108]
  6. Games.cz
    May 13, 2012
    70
    If you've read some books by Tom Clancy or if you are attracted to modern day battlefields especially the naval ones you won't be disappointed with this game. The atmosphere of device detection is great and in all respect it's such a unique thing to experience. However, Naval War: Arctic Circle would deserve richer multiplayer and broader information for the player to clearly understand the naval battles.
  7. DarkStation
    May 3, 2012
    70
    Naval War: Arctic Circle will certainly be of interest to those hungry for a pure, military simulation experience. It may not be traditional real time strategy, but the intense focus on realism will most likely turn some heads. Its biggest barrier to entry, however, will be your level of patience. Naval War can be fun, but you're going to have to play it on its terms.
  8. IncGamers
    Apr 16, 2012
    70
    NWAC is a little clunky around the edges and could do with some mission-creation options, but it's worth two tentative periscopes up.
  9. Eurogamer Italy
    May 24, 2012
    60
    Not a deep RTS game but a little bit more complex than a casual game, Naval War is an average title. It can be funny, but out there there is for sure something better.
  10. GameSpot
    Apr 20, 2012
    60
    Even though there are some sore points at the moment, the game presents an in-depth tactical challenge for weekend warriors. Just know before pulling the trigger on a purchase that you're dealing with more of an ongoing project than a fully realized game.
  11. GamesBeat
    Apr 30, 2012
    59
    As much as I enjoy some of the oddball strategy games available, I can't bring myself to recommend this to even the most ardent grognards.
  12. XGN
    Apr 22, 2012
    55
    Naval War: Arctic Circle is a deep strategical game that might attract some hardcore gamers. Most people however won't be impressed with the bad graphics and the sub-par multiplayer.
  13. GameWatcher
    Apr 16, 2012
    55
    We don't want to say Naval War was disappointing, because it wasn't really – the preview stage showed us a simple, yet well-made title that does exactly what it says on the tin – we still couldn't help but find the game surprising over all though, and not in the good way.
  14. PC Master (Greece)
    May 28, 2012
    52
    Sub-par presentation, naïve A.I., that can easily be tricked, many meaningless missions, almost dead multiplayer, many technical problems and crashes. But Naval War has one thing working, that always adds interest: the unpredictability factor. [June 2012]
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  15. Gamer.no
    May 15, 2012
    50
    An incredibly detailed and realistic experience in the world of militaristic strategy games is bogged down by an inanely sluggish sense of pacing, laughably stupid AI and a high entry threshold that explains very little.
  16. Everyeye.it
    May 4, 2012
    50
    Naval War: Artic Circle could have been a good title but it lacks in so many aspects gameplay-wise that in the end it is not very satisfying for the RTS fan. The missions are too simple and the multiplayer should be enhanced, with more maps and scenarios. On top of this, a poor technical realization.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 23
  3. Negative: 10 out of 23
  1. Lennon
    Apr 11, 2012
    10
    Flawed brilliance, a real diamond in the rough, Naval War Arctic Circle is quick to pick up, and difficult to master, with plenty ofFlawed brilliance, a real diamond in the rough, Naval War Arctic Circle is quick to pick up, and difficult to master, with plenty of re-playability. I've just completed the NATO missions and I'm looking forward to starting the Russian, I enjoyed every aspect of the game, from the battles themselves to the simple, but effective soundtrack and stylised story telling. If you like your near "modern day" military strategy I cannot recommend it enough.

    Be warned however this isn't C&C, its a lot deeper and a lot less forgiving.    … Full Review »
  2. Rigel86
    May 18, 2012
    4
    The game is interesting and I really enjoyed first few missions. Graphics is not something to be proud of for today's HW stage of development,The game is interesting and I really enjoyed first few missions. Graphics is not something to be proud of for today's HW stage of development, but the concept and the atmosphere was nice.
    But now, with missions progressing there are more and more bugs. I am sick of looking at "NWAC.exe stopped responding" message after only way to go out after freeze is Ctrl-Alt-Del.
    Today I was persistent and got 3 resets in a row - what a frustrating experience.
    I would loved that game - only if I could play it ...    … Full Review »
  3. MaskedTurk
    Apr 25, 2012
    10
    Naval War: Arctic Circle (NWAC) is a fairly unique niche-market game, it's predecessors countable on the fingers of one hand, but nonethelessNaval War: Arctic Circle (NWAC) is a fairly unique niche-market game, it's predecessors countable on the fingers of one hand, but nonetheless one that should appeal to any fan of RTS, Naval or even Airforce strategic warfare gaming.

    The game is superbly equipped with detailedly stat'd ships, aircraft, submarines, missiles, guns and sensors (both land- and sea-based) from a whole bunch of navies and airforces in the North Atlantic region: the UK, US, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Poland and of course Russia.

    The idea of a NATO v Russia might sound worn out, but it works out very well in the given storyline context, based on a feasible resource-based conflict originating off the coast of Norway and expanding to the wider Arctic Circle.

    Launching all 40 of your F-35Cs from USS Nimitz might sound like an inspired air superiority tactic now but in a few hours when they've all returned home to refuel and rearm, you'll find that NWAC is much more a game of long-term strategy, patience and cunning, pitting you against a quite competent AI that will punish you for silly, or over-optimistic, mistakes. The tutorial does do a decent job of preparing you for your struggle against your opponent, however, and the manual offers a whole section on 'game concepts': that is, how not to finish your escapades in a life raft through the use of real-world naval strategy.

    Turbo Tape Games (TTG), the developers of NWAC, are a small and relatively inexperienced mainstream game development team, and they've held up surprisingly well in creating an intuitive user interface and fun overall game, with an ethos of 'playability over simulation'. But NWAC does have it's drawbacks, understandably. Harpoon admirals will miss the NTDS symbols of their previous tools of war. Additionally, the purely aesthetic 3D world view that compliments the main 2D strategic map is less than breath-taking, using relatively low-end graphics (you will find yourself using the map 95% of the time, it should be added). For limited time, the campaigns (there is one for each side of the conflict) are linear sets of scenarios, and there is additionally no random scenario generation feature.

    For all these drawbacks, however, TTG have thankfully made NWAC widely moddable, using editable XML files for unit statistics etc, and also apparently allowing users to mod the mechanics of the game with the help of some technical coding knowledge.

    On the whole, then, a solid first incursion into the desktop gaming market from a very friendly and communicative development team, and something that should excite military boffins and RTS gamers alike. With a not overly steep learning curve, a good majority of computer-owners should find this an enjoyable and immersive experience.    … Full Review »
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