Don't Sink

The gameplay look in Don't Sink is not going to be for everyone since there is a lot of repetition involved and a lot of going back and forth the many available islands as you deliver goods to and from, while also taking on one of the over 20 sidequests to complete. I had fun playing Don't Sink as I kept my crew healthy, paying to get more citizens to my town, building new structures to increase its safety and production while I worked my way up the pirate chain, saving up for that big and deadly boat that would allow me to amass a big enough crew to start conquering other islands. Are you up for the challenge?

"Don't Sink" is a short-lived, beautiful game. Unless you create your own handicap, you'll be finishing the game in a few hours.

A casual pirate simulator that's fun in short bursts.

The core of the gameplay is basically fetch quests occasionally broken up with uninspired combat sections on the seas. It's all quite dull and repetitive. It's trying to thrive on its charming style and the usual addictive nature of survival games, but even that isn't enough. In addition, there are two to three hours of gameplay here to fully complete the game. It's hardly fun for even that briefest of time.

Starting with the positive being able to somewhat customize your pixel-based pirate is nice, and once you’ve done so you’re off...

While Don’t Sink does have a rogue-like difficulty that erases a save file upon failed naval excursion or combat, a part of me doesn’t feel that bumping up the difficulty is worth the risk, as a great deal of the gameplay has to do with waiting and saving resources rather than actively engaging in the kind of swashbuckling gameplay one might expect. If you are looking for a more laid-back, resource-management-oriented sort of title, I might recommend Don’t Sink, although a great deal of its challenge can be circumvented by playing the game relatively safe. Perhaps its the savvy, overconfident nature of piracy that I lack which caused me to shirk from its more adventurous choices. Still, the idea of wasting more time saving money and resources on the high seas didn’t make the prospect all that enticing.