Periscope Depth- Naval Assault: The Killing Tide Review

Growing up  as a son of a Naval veteran in a town best known for its munitions depot meant nautical combat simulations were a routine part of my childhood. In darkened rooms, titles such as 688 Attack Sub, Silent Service, and Wolfpack demonstrated the absorbing nuances of maritime warfare; 1983’s GATO even challenged me to learn Morse code. When Artech Studios’ (Blue Max, Das Boot, and Raze’s Hell) Naval Assault: The Killing Tide first showed up my radar, I was intrigued, after having waited years for a console-based sub sim.  Like a dependable old diesel-electric boat, the title holds water, but is no match for contemporary Ohio-class PC recreations.

Undoubtedly, strategy geeks will be disappointed by the game’s abbreviated tactics. Captains can only take their vessels onto one of three aquatic planes: on the ocean surface, periscope depth, or submerged. Those expecting to replicate the tension of U-571 by dropping down to hull-endangering levels will have to find a more direct stratagem to elude depth charges. Strangely, The Killing Tide‘s artificial intelligence ranges from moronic, with enemy ships inexplicably running aground, to quite adept,  as foes can proficiently track players. Borrowing a approach from stealth games, Naval Assault color codes each radar blip to indicate the level of awareness from each enemy vessel, ranking threats from oblivious green to willful red. As such, vigilant antagonists will relentlessly pursue players, requiring submarines to enter a clandestine, silent-running mode.

While many of the game’s minutiae have been condensed in an effort to appeal to a larger audience base, a few intricacies persist. Using the seven-speed motors to maneuver your boat through mine-filed channels can be gratifyingly challenging, especially for players not accustomed to dealing with the momentum of a 2,500 ton vessel. The title’s subs veer realistically, requiring gamers to methodically plan their offensive and defensive strategies. Missions often are bookended by periods of inactivity; for some, this will elevate the tension of the nautical skirmishes, while less patient gamers may grow bored during these intervals. Although a torpedo’s trajectory can be influenced after launch with a push of the right thumbstick, players are still required to plot a accurate trajectory for distant targets.

While deploying Mark 16’s can be enjoyable, especially when using the game’s torpedo-cam, manning the sub’s deck guns is thankless, recalling the tedium of the old Beachhead games. Enemy planes rarely react to emerging fields of .50 caliber fire, turning the sea-to-air clashes into little more than a turkey shoot. Killing Tide would have been better off relishing the deck gunner position to an AI drone, with players selecting a firing sector.

Visually, Naval Assault is a mixed bag. Ships and subs are well drawn, with enemy destroyers and cargo ships capsizing realistically when torpedoed. While smoke and blast effects are competent, there’s a evident homogeny to each blast, diminishing the thrill of a successful hit. While the on-screen action shouldn’t tax the 360’s processors, the title succumbs to a sporadic sputter; installing Killing Tide to the hard drive partially remedied the graphical hiccups. Although the game boosts a four-player multiplayer component, I couldn’t find an wiling adversary after scouring servers for hours.

By favoring action over strategy, Naval Assault: The Killing Tide has a certain accessibility absent from most hardcore PC sub simulations. Yet, that user-friendliness also means that the title lacks the depth, longevity, and satisfaction derived from mastering components of a complicated nautical vessel. Ideally, the game would have offering a scalability in the depth of its simulation. As it stands, Naval Assault is a ordinary game, bolstered by the lack of any direct competitors and hindered by the ability to venture into anything beyond shallow waters.