Her Majesty's Ship Critic Reviews

If you really want to try your hand at captaining a Ship of the Line, go ahead and give Her Majesty’s Ship a try. But because of the game’s focus on frustrating micromanagement, you may want to keep a weather-eye on the horizon for something better.

The underlying concept behind Her Majesty’s Ship is pretty good. As you may have guessed from the title, it’s a management game set on a ship in the British (or French, or Spanish, or Portuguese) navy in the 1700s. With that kind of setting, there should be plenty to do, whether it’s rationing stocks, swabbing the deck, flogging miscreants, or, of course, engaging in naval warfare with the other continental powers. In practice, however, the whole thing is a baffling mess.

Her Majesty's Ship is so disappointing because it's easy to see how a good game could have come out of it. Every Single Soldier is clearly passionate about military history, and a historically accurate simulation of the many decisions an 18th century ship captain would have to make, while simultaneously gunning for a promotion, would be engaging for fans of strategy, pirates, and naval combat. Unfortunately, with the release of the promising Blazing Sails on the horizon, and Ubisoft's ambitious Skull & Bones to come (if it ever comes out), it might be best to leave Her Majesty's Ship anchored in port.