All Guns On Deck Preview

All Guns on Deck is, so far, the gaming equivalent of being starved and trapped in a glass cage while everyone outside is eating ice cream and pizza, smiling at you like they don't know what the problem is. It's a torturous game because, even in this early stage of development, I wanted to like it so badly, but the game kept finding new ways to hurt me after I was just on the edge of liking it. Of course, things are subject to change, but we'll see.

This game will incorporate a neat blend of genres, looking to mix strategy with RPG-style progression and levelling-up while framing it in the context of naval warfare. All Guns on Deck will see you controlling your own ship and the men aboard it as you fend off attacks from aeroplanes dropping bombs, all while you explore the semi-fictional world around you (semi-fictional in that it uses names like Eutopia, but definitely is still Earth). So far, the ingredients are all there.

The core gameplay will come in the form of the ship/plane battles, which stand right on the precipice of being fun, but instead of falling in and being an enjoyable experience, it's fallen on its fat arse instead. You'll control a fleet of sailors and can command them to different parts of the ship to take on different jobs, such as ship repair, weapon control, ammo creation, and more. Later on, they can be trained in more specialised roles such as welder and fireman, which help keep your ship afloat. This sounds like a watertight premise, but in reality, it needs to dry up. Even in the earliest battles of the game, it feels like the AI-controlled gunners couldn't hit water if they were standing on a boat, and the enemies will curb-stomp you with little resistance. The game will allow you to take control of the gun yourself, but you'll have as much luck as hitting the target as they do. What results so far (at this stage in development: the game is in beta, after all) is a frustrating main game that never really finds its sea legs.

However, don't get too disheartened, as All Guns On Deck has a lot of appealing features that could lead to a wave of success for them if they straighten out the negatives. For instance, your ship will be customisable to a fine degree, and can be shaped your way out of a number of hulls, guns, and attachments that will provide more HP and other stat boosts. These can all be bought with doubloons won from battles, so you'll find yourself grinding to afford that shiny new anti-aircraft gun.

The game, to its credit, does also look a treat at this stage of development, employing 2D cartoon-style graphics to give the game an overall light-hearted tone. The game is generally buoyant and pleasant to look at: your men will move around the ship jauntily, and in the overworld sections, the player character, the commander, walks around the shipyard with authority. It's a lovely, happy presentation that takes the edge off the explosions and death on the seas, and makes it a bit of a jollier affair.

Buoy, oh, buoy. This is frustrating because this game could have everything going for it if it wasn't for the ropey gameplay. Hopefully when this one gets a full release, it'll be nothing but smooth sailing for All Guns on Deck.