Port Royale 3: Pirates and Merchants

 PC
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 73 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 73
  3. Negative: 20 out of 73
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  1. Hexteque
    May 7, 2012
    5
    This game has a lot of potential-- and for about 10 hours it's a lot of fun. However, you start to run into disheartening shortfalls (can't defend towns, clunky combat, tedious micromanagement to get around simple flaws) and you have to cut your losses and stop playing. I played for 15 hours before realizing my experience had peaked. There is a lot of potential if only the developersThis game has a lot of potential-- and for about 10 hours it's a lot of fun. However, you start to run into disheartening shortfalls (can't defend towns, clunky combat, tedious micromanagement to get around simple flaws) and you have to cut your losses and stop playing. I played for 15 hours before realizing my experience had peaked. There is a lot of potential if only the developers had been given a month or two to finish smoothing out the rough spots. Maybe an expansion pack will clear up these issues?… Expand
  2. ryan87401
    Jan 6, 2013
    3
    Completely awful and unplayable. No matter what I did pirates kept attacking me and I could never get ahead. Pirates were way to strong, and only got stronger. Took what could have been a great game and ruined it. I want my money back.
  3. gamergamer
    Nov 16, 2013
    0
    I completely agree with Flastie

    I had always thought that increasing version number of games should brings to you more and more options. Sadly, Port Royale 3 is dumbed down to its knees. Everything I liked in PR2 is gone. And im sad because every new game follows this "fashion". PR2 is a much better game ...only the graphich is weaker In pr 3 you can set al trade automaticly to    I completely agree with Flastie

    I had always thought that increasing version number of games should brings to you more and more options. Sadly, Port Royale 3 is dumbed down to its knees. Everything I liked in PR2 is gone. And im sad because every new game follows this "fashion".
    PR2 is a much better game ...only the graphich is weaker
    In pr 3 you can set al trade automaticly to collect your profit which is senseless    … Expand
  4. FrostNads
    May 23, 2012
    1
    If you ever played Port Royale 2 (PR2), you will find the 3rd installment stripped most of the best parts of PR2 from PR3. Artifacts, sword fighting, special finds (steam powered sailing ship), loan sharks, character avatars, even the wealth of flags and the option to import your own flag, are all gone. You can't even defend towns you conquer, even with a huge fleet and crew in town.If you ever played Port Royale 2 (PR2), you will find the 3rd installment stripped most of the best parts of PR2 from PR3. Artifacts, sword fighting, special finds (steam powered sailing ship), loan sharks, character avatars, even the wealth of flags and the option to import your own flag, are all gone. You can't even defend towns you conquer, even with a huge fleet and crew in town. See Kalypso forum entry: http://forum.kalypsomedia.com/showthread.php?tid=14838 There is not even a paper or down loadable map that comes with the US game version, only the German release. Kalypso rudely REFUSED to add one in their forum post, and basically told players to make their own. So many bugs! All of which could have easily been beta tester identified, and corrected prior to release. This game honestly feels like it is still in Alpha! Today's game developer mentality of Release Now, and then try to patch fix lazy programming is inexcusable and a Pre-order ripoff.

    Keep the new graphics upgrades and give me More options, not Less than the last game in the series! Building wealth is so tedious, it hurts to play. Trade, Trade, Trade, Trade, small amounts for hours trying to acquire enough revenue to buy and outfit a fleet, that will end up half in ruins if you attempt to manually fight a sea battle. Mechanics are very poor. I was really looking forward to the PR3 release after reading so many deeply positive pre-reviews. This was one of the few times I have ever pre-ordered a game, and the taste of bile at wasting my money doesn't seem to be fading. Sad release Kalypso. Makes me sick.    … Expand
  5. mindmurderer
    May 5, 2012
    7
    Started a Adventure game, towns are in same spot from the second game, and newer graphics. Some towns do not produce same things as example San Juan used to produce wood and brick, not anymore. So far the only tricky thing is trading. There is this slider bar to buy or sell and it likes to go off as im still choosing, or when I click on a item it takes a couple of clicks for the slider barStarted a Adventure game, towns are in same spot from the second game, and newer graphics. Some towns do not produce same things as example San Juan used to produce wood and brick, not anymore. So far the only tricky thing is trading. There is this slider bar to buy or sell and it likes to go off as im still choosing, or when I click on a item it takes a couple of clicks for the slider bar to appear and stay open so I have made some accidental purchases. Another thing that kind of upsets me... Its nothing big, just the lack of flags to choose from. Combat does take getting used to since at the moment I can use 3 (instead of 5) warships on the map...AT THE SAME TIME. weird right? haven't seen that for a while. (Since Port Royale) I kind of liked the 1 VS 5 combat. take a sloop of war and run circles around galleons shooting chain shot at each one until they cant move then switch to grape shot, kill the crew board and voila i have 5 ships to sell/ give to viceroy.. and you could call in your ships when health got low. this combat is very different but soon i will adapt

    Another thing so far i miss, is TREASURE HUNTING. you still get map pieces, but no disembarking and wandering the countryside looking for the treasure.. THAT I MISS SO FAR. Why did they have to take that..... WAHHHHHH, oh well i guess i can get used to it. but the combat, lack of disembarking on land, and lack of flags is why I can't give it a 10. the thing though is i have battled a pirate town and.... it is pretty lame, nothing like PR2 in combat, you land and your troops fight kind of like boarding a ship... and i have yet to have a sword fight, i seriously doubt it is in the game.

    The Devs should really think about putting those things into the game. as it stands for me right now, I will continue to play PR2 for those certian aspects. This game will grow on me but it is not the classic of PR2. i am semi-dissapointed so far will update as i go along.    … Expand
  6. Flastie
    Dec 11, 2012
    0
    I had always thought that increasing version number of games should brings to you more and more options. Sadly, Port Royale 3 is dumbed down to its knees. Everything I liked in PR2 is gone. And im sad because every new game follows this "fashion". Im going back to PR2 :(
  7. brreep
    May 6, 2012
    3
    Given how much time has gone by, you'd think this game would have been better than Pirates! It isn't. They dumbed down a lot of the gameplay. Boarding ships is nearly impossible. There is no defending towns. The economy seems to be really imbalanced. Overall I wouldn't bother. I was dissapointed. The graphics are nice.
  8. Reod
    May 6, 2012
    4
    Game would have good review from me even its simpler than Port Royale 1-2 if not gamebreaking lack of town defense.Thats right you cant defend your own towns even you have HUGE own fleet insde ... tiny hostile fleet will go inside and just take it. This is the point i said (insert long line with random insults). Its not bug just game lack of mechanics to defend towns...I mean really didGame would have good review from me even its simpler than Port Royale 1-2 if not gamebreaking lack of town defense.Thats right you cant defend your own towns even you have HUGE own fleet insde ... tiny hostile fleet will go inside and just take it. This is the point i said (insert long line with random insults). Its not bug just game lack of mechanics to defend towns...I mean really did they release not beta but alpha game??… Expand
  9. Pipemastersven
    May 17, 2012
    8
    There is something about these sorts of open trade games that appeal; being able to own and monopolise and build yourself up and dominate the world. The graphics and sound are exactly what this sort of game needed - though quests get a little repetitive. I found myself just trading non stop - setting up industries in other towns- overall a great game to fill in some time with if anything
  10. alexnode
    May 9, 2012
    7
    Nice game with quite a lot of depth, developers fixed a glitch I found... next day and I was very impressed! As usual it is a great trading game with a few annoyances like capturing a city is a cinematic sequence and the defence of towns are not depended on the player.
  11. Dudster
    May 10, 2012
    7
    First off as reply to the critic complaining that you can't defend your cities: There are two towers in each city that enemy ships will have to destroy. I have no idea how a "tiny fleet" killed those two towers.

    The critic: PR3 has a very solid trading system. It seems you influence everything with what you do. Towns have a certain prosperity depending on the wares that are available    First off as reply to the critic complaining that you can't defend your cities: There are two towers in each city that enemy ships will have to destroy. I have no idea how a "tiny fleet" killed those two towers.

    The critic:

    PR3 has a very solid trading system. It seems you influence everything with what you do. Towns have a certain prosperity depending on the wares that are available there - they grow if they have abundant goods, and they have bad times if you keep buying everything up completely. Towns will dislike you if you buy goods they need for themselves (like all food), and they will like you if you sell goods they require. So if you don't want to be disliked everywhere (towns which really dislike you don't let you enter peacefully), you will have to buy and sell carefully. You can even starve out towns by buying all food over a few weeks.

    Every town produces five things and requires ressources (from other towns) for some. You can transport those ressources for them, and even build own businesses on different islands, transporting the raw materials for yourself only. You can also buy houses and rent them out, as well as a few buildings beneficial to the towns themselves (like a hospital)

    Trading between towns can be fully automatized. You set up a route, then you can select a behaviour from profit, transporting material for your own businesses, doing trade beneficial to the towns (providing what they need most) and a few others - and the convoys will decide for themselves what exactly to buy and sell.

    You can also set up a merchant at your storehouses, who automatically sells wares, keeps raw materials back and more.

    Convoys can have up to 3 fighting ships, which you can manually control or automatize. In combat you can either shoot cannonballs to destroy enemy ships, or projectiles to destroy their sails (slow down), or even decimate their crew so you can board them and take over the ships. It's easier said than done, since you need to reef sails in the right moment and stay long enough in the enemy ships vicinity for the boarding to take place.

    Further you can take over cities by force, or by peaceful manners. You can also get a "letter of marque" from one of the four nations and attack their convoys during times of war, without consequences from the other nations.

    The two campaigns you can play are more like tutorials, and the games turn into "free play" ones once you're done. There's not much there, and the whole game is more of the Sandbox concept.

    There is also a multiplayer, but there aren't any additional trading or coop options. Also the game has basically no diplomacy at all.

    Could've done better, but so far if you enjoy a beautiful trading game, this one certainly has a beautiful oeconomy. Ship combat isn't really somethnig that sucked me in, but it's fun once a while.    … Expand
  12. Rygar
    May 13, 2012
    5
    Port Royale 3 is a copy of Port Royale 2, with fewer features, and an incredibly obtuse UI. Immigrants, spices, trade goods from Europe? All gone. Trying to buy or sell with the new UI is, at best, frustrating. Trying to navigate the map is ridiculous, it took me 20 minutes and 3 google queries to figure out how to get a ship to sail out of town.

    If you want a great game in    Port Royale 3 is a copy of Port Royale 2, with fewer features, and an incredibly obtuse UI. Immigrants, spices, trade goods from Europe? All gone. Trying to buy or sell with the new UI is, at best, frustrating. Trying to navigate the map is ridiculous, it took me 20 minutes and 3 google queries to figure out how to get a ship to sail out of town.

    If you want a great game in this genre, buy Port Royale 2. If you're a fan of Port Royale 2, and you have a very high tolerance for frustration, and can handle fewer features, then buy Port Royale 3.    … Expand
  13. Robo802
    Aug 17, 2013
    9
    I picked this game up for sale on steam, and as a newcomer to the series I was very impressed. The artwork is amazing they put a lot of detail making everything look just right. To enjoy this game you really have to like economy based games, shipping goods from here to there. Some of the controls are not intuitive, but once you figure them out the game is very enjoyable. If you see it onI picked this game up for sale on steam, and as a newcomer to the series I was very impressed. The artwork is amazing they put a lot of detail making everything look just right. To enjoy this game you really have to like economy based games, shipping goods from here to there. Some of the controls are not intuitive, but once you figure them out the game is very enjoyable. If you see it on sale definitely pick this one up.… Expand
  14. dezakenman
    May 6, 2012
    9
    As Port Royale 2, also this is a real good game! A lot of new features, the graphics are nice, every town looks different, that makes it marvellous! The creation of trading routes is much more better that in port royale 2! The campaigns are ok, but they are more to see as tutorials. The most lovely thing for me is that you can annex the towns now for you self, and the town assault is alsoAs Port Royale 2, also this is a real good game! A lot of new features, the graphics are nice, every town looks different, that makes it marvellous! The creation of trading routes is much more better that in port royale 2! The campaigns are ok, but they are more to see as tutorials. The most lovely thing for me is that you can annex the towns now for you self, and the town assault is also better now as in port royale 2, where you had to destroy this stupid towers in the water. But there also a lot of features in the game that I'am missing a little bit from the second part of the game. The combat is a little bit different to port royale 2 and in the beginning a little bit confusing, but after 2-3 times it's also ok. But in whole it's the money worth! Nice remake!… Expand
  15. mrniko
    May 7, 2012
    10
    Thoroughly enjoying the sequel to Port Royale 2, The combat is a little wonky sometimes and I find myself auto resolving it a little often. This is basically PR2 with shiny new graphics, a few bugs, and a combat system that requires getting used to. The game is incredibly fun overall though, and I see myself playing it for the foreseeable future. The lack of a fleet inside a town beingThoroughly enjoying the sequel to Port Royale 2, The combat is a little wonky sometimes and I find myself auto resolving it a little often. This is basically PR2 with shiny new graphics, a few bugs, and a combat system that requires getting used to. The game is incredibly fun overall though, and I see myself playing it for the foreseeable future. The lack of a fleet inside a town being able to defend your property is odd, but worked around by parking your fleets outside your town on patrol.… Expand
  16. Estus
    Jun 26, 2014
    7
    Nunca joguei os jogos anteriores, mas Port Royale 3 foi uma excelente escolha para entrar nesse estilo de jogo da série. Possui um ótimo tutorial narrado, gráficos agradáveis, e um sistema de gerenciamento simples. O jogo pode te proporcionar muitas horas de diversão!
  17. Paikia
    Nov 20, 2013
    10
    Port Royale 3 is one of the best games I've encountered during the last couple of years. Despite starting to play a buggy and unstable release, I really enjoyed it. The gameplay is amazing, in my opinion, and by now all the bugs are gone (as far as I can tell, at least).

    The main idea in the game is to either be a pirate and build your own naval empire, or be a trader (my personal    Port Royale 3 is one of the best games I've encountered during the last couple of years. Despite starting to play a buggy and unstable release, I really enjoyed it. The gameplay is amazing, in my opinion, and by now all the bugs are gone (as far as I can tell, at least).

    The main idea in the game is to either be a pirate and build your own naval empire, or be a trader (my personal preferred choice) and build a huge merchant fleet, and later on gain control over cities. The game takes place in the Caribbeans, during the European colonization in America. Therefore, you can choose to be either Spanish, English, French or Dutch, but you're not limited to trading with just within your country's colonies. Also, even for people like me, who aren't die-hard fans of "Pirates Of The Caribbeans", it's impossible to miss the connection. :)

    The trading mechanism is quite realistic, and is a lot of fun, as you need to start small, trading stuff yourself, until you get rich and famous enough to buy more ships and more goods, so you can buy more ships and build businesses in cities, so you can manufacture goods yourself, which is obviously cheaper than buying them from someone else.

    If you're into trading simulation, get this game, it's definitely one of the best of the genre.    … Expand
  18. Bradyboy12
    Aug 11, 2013
    4
    a game with a very high learning curb, an once you get that you go through repetitive gameplay that consists of trading goods and engaging in combat that suffers from poor mechanics overall disappointment

Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
54

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 17
  3. Negative: 5 out of 17
  1. GameWatcher
    Oct 25, 2012
    65
    Port Royale 3 is not a bad game, not by any means, and I'd say on the whole it does a better job of things than Patrician IV did – it's still not fantastic though. Definitely one to pick up cheap if you can find it, but still worth picking up all the same.
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  2. SpazioGames
    Oct 12, 2012
    65
    Port Royale 3 has a major flaw to bring everything at once, leaving after 7-8 hours of gaming on a repetitive scale and marked with a pattern of gameplay that's no longer able to offer real surprises.
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  3. Eurogamer Italy
    Oct 3, 2012
    70
    With the goal of approaching the console market, Port Royale 3 has simplified too many of its mechanics, resulting in a step back in the strategy genre.
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