“Rogue Waters” Review -A Swashbuckling Adventure with Slightly Shallow Depths

Rogue Waters sets sail with an intriguing premise, blending the thrill of pirate adventures with rogue-lite mechanics and turn-based tactical combat. On paper, it sounds like a treasure trove of potential—a game where ship battles and grid-based ground skirmishes coexist, wrapped in the chaotic charm of procedurally generated seas. And while it does deliver some satisfying gameplay loops, Rogue Waters struggles to fully set sail, leaving players with an experience that feels fun but a little shallow.

• Engaging Combat with Naval and Land Battles – The turn-based combat mechanics offer satisfying tactical depth.
• Strong Replayability but Repetitive Missions – The procedurally generated world keeps runs fresh, but mission objectives feel formulaic.
• Shallow Progression – While the upgrade system provides incremental improvements, it lacks the transformative impact seen in stronger roguelites.

A Pirate’s Life with a Roguelite Twist

At its core, Rogue Waters drops players into a procedurally generated archipelago teeming with rival pirates, unique events, and hidden treasures. The game embraces its roguelite identity wholeheartedly—expect randomized maps and that familiar loop of “die, learn, improve, repeat.” Each run feels fresh thanks to shifting islands, random ship armaments and unpredictable enemy placements.

The isometric viewpoint gives a clear, tactical overview of sea and land battles. The world is vibrant, with colorful islands, with fun “pirate-y” music to bring it all home. Visually, it’s an inviting place to explore; even if the art style leans too heavily on familiar pirate tropes, it’s still fun.

Where Rogue Waters shines brightest is in its combat mechanics. The game offers two distinct battle experiences: naval warfare and ground-based skirmishes. Both are turn-based but feel different enough to keep encounters engaging.

Naval battles involve activating your ship’s armaments to neuter your enemy before boarding. Players need to weigh whether it’s better to take out the cannons targeting their crew-enhancing modules, the rival ship’s modules that boost their capabilities, or target the crew directly to thin out the bad guys. It’s a fun, quick combat session that gives a lot of choice about approaching the next bigger battle.

On land (or ship!), combat shifts to classic grid-based tactical encounters reminiscent of games like Into the Breach. You control your pirate crew, Specialists with unique abilities and Mates as your cannon fodder, as you fight against rival pirates. A variety of Pirate enemies get introduced as the story evolves, and the difficulty increases, as do environmental opportunities to be used during the round. What’s great about the system is that there is very clear feedback on attacks and movement, including an Undo button where you can even go right back to the beginning of the round. That said, the Enemy AI can feel predictable, and mission objectives rarely deviate from the usual “defeat all enemies” or “escape the area” formulas.

True to its roguelite roots, Rogue Waters features an upgrade system that persists between runs. Players can spend resources gathered during expeditions to improve their ship, unlock new abilities for their Captain and Specialists, or even unlock new abilities on the deadly sea creatures you learn to bend to your will. This meta-progression helps alleviate the frustration of permadeath, providing a sense of long-term growth even when an individual runs into disaster.

However, the progression system feels a bit undercooked, as upgrades somewhat peter out early. Granted, we’ve yet to completely 100% the game, but it doesn’t seem like you ever have the option to purchase or expand your ship significantly to take advantage of all the new things you unlock.

Rogue Waters is a game brimming with potential. Its combination of naval tactics, land-based skirmishes, and roguelite mechanics offers a solid foundation for an engaging pirate adventure. The combat is fun, the world is colorful, and the procedural generation keeps things interesting—at least for a while.

However, the game’s repetitive mission design and slightly underwhelming progression system keep it from being great. It’s the kind of game that’s enjoyable in short bursts but struggles to maintain momentum over extended play sessions.

For fans of roguelites and tactical combat, Rogue Waters is worth a sail, especially if you’re craving something with a pirate theme. Just don’t expect to find buried treasure beneath its surface—this is more of a pleasant day cruise than an unforgettable voyage.

RATING: 3.0 out of 5.

Rogue Waters is available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X.

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