Dread Nautical

 Xbox One
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. GameSkinny
    Apr 30, 2020
    70
    Dread Nautical has the unenviable position of following two genre giants that moved into its launch window, but it holds its own as a worthy opening act.
  2. COGconnected
    Apr 29, 2020
    63
    Dread Nautical has a fantastic minimalistic art style with a classic polygon feature that adds to that retro feeling. As a tactics game, it left a lot to be desired for me, but I can see how this would be a great intro into the genre without overloading a newcomer. The RPG elements of upgrading and enhancing characters and gear, as well as the survival food mechanic are fantastic, and the setting is truly interesting to play, but the gameplay wasn’t up to par to get me hooked. That, combined with the AI issues, makes Dread Nautical a bit of a rough ride lost at sea.

User Reviews

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User Score
3.5

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 2 out of 4
  1. Xbox_Alive
    May 4, 2020
    7
    Dread Nautical is an Adventure Strategy RPG. Select your character from a fairly generic list. Then delve through the 20 decks of the ship toDread Nautical is an Adventure Strategy RPG. Select your character from a fairly generic list. Then delve through the 20 decks of the ship to get to the bottom of what's going on. Trapped on a cruise ship that's sailed into another dimension, most of the people on the ship have become mindless thralls. The most satisfying part of the game are those victory blows that finish your fights. The game is your usual RPG Strategy formula, search the areas for items, leave most of them behind due to your limited inventory, then move on to the next fight. The worst part of this limited inventory is everything has a durability that drains each time you hit or get hit. This can lead to the biggest dread in the game, stuck in a battle with nothing left because all your gear has broken. The story is kind of lacking, but it gets the job done. As far as Strategy is concerned, there isn't much depth to that. Most battles are beat the enemy down as fast as possible and move on to the next one. The overall pace to the game is fairly relaxed for a Rouge-Lite, letting you move along at your own pace for the most part. The long loading times lend to this relaxed feel, as they are fairly hefty. The game isn't bad, and will keep you pressing on again and again, but don't expect a lot of depth to this nautical adventure and it will be a smooth sail.… Full Review »
  2. quetzalcube
    Oct 5, 2020
    6
    Dread Nautical is low-budget XCOM type game. XCOM type game means it is a turn base strategy game, fighting against some monstruous creatures,Dread Nautical is low-budget XCOM type game. XCOM type game means it is a turn base strategy game, fighting against some monstruous creatures, featuring character and weapon development as well as strong irreversable choinces all rounded with fun goofy style graphics. Low-budget means that sound and graphics will be repetitive, some features are not polyshed (translation is awful, surely done with an automated free translator) and some mechanics are either totally overpowered (like armor and ranged & root weapons) or completelye underpowered. Also, you will find glitches and bugs, some minor like few app crashes not particularly disturbing because the automated save, others somehow annoying like the fact that they forgot to port a diary recording all miniquest so you don't forget them.

    However, the bright side is that Dread Nautical is actually a true game, not just some time-consuming app. There are certainly some novelties and nice mechanics and the developers really putted some great ideas in the game (like the character recruiting). The set up is alse really nice and the weapons, descriptions and character comments are very hylarious (it is great to nock out an enemy with a cd machine while your characters comment "knock out, punk!"). However, the game certainly lacks more time and money invested on it and one would have like it to see it fully developed.

    All in all, Dread Nautical is a fair option for XCOM lovers. However, if you missed the original certainly choose XCOM before Dread Nautica    … Full Review »
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