Victory at Sea Pacific may yet win the war, but it’s still got some way to go By Joe Fonseca

I reviewed Victory at Sea Pacific back in September and found myself torn over it. On the one hand, it was a unique experience combining grand strategy and logistics with intense 3D tactical engagements. On the other, it was definitely unfinished. Only one of the three promised campaigns were available on launch (USA) and there were so many bugs I literally stopped recording new ones in my notes after a while. Despite that, I couldn’t help but enjoy my time doggedly pursuing the Japanese across the Pacific in a full US campaign. But that was months ago and checking in recently I saw that Victory at Sea Pacific has gone through numerous updates and has now added both missing campaigns (Japan and Commonwealth). Seems like as good a time as any to dive back in and give everyone who was on the fence at launch an update. Has Evil Twin Artwork finally pulled it all together?

The answer, frustratingly, is both yes and no. Most of the game breaking bugs of last year’s launch have been dealt with, and the new campaigns are a breath of fresh air over the standard American campaign. I’m happy to report that overall, the game runs much better and there seems to be a dedicated community of players, complete with modders adding their own touches to Victory at Sea. It’s not all good though - While the new content keeps things fresh, there needs to be more. Some important ships are still missing from both the Japanese and Commonwealth and in my playthrough it seemed like the Commonwealth used US missions. Also, there are still bugs. Like a determined infestation, no matter how many bugs are squashed, new ones keep creeping out into the light.

The situation at the start of the Commonwealth Campaign: Singapore is nearly cut off and most Task Forces only consist of tiny Corvettes. You’re in for a difficult game of cat, mouse, and shipwright.

But do not despair! As gross as a new bug can be when it’s standing right in front of you, gingerly stepping over it on your merry way to play the game isn’t so bad. Just be aware of their usual hiding spots and you’ll be able to enjoy a full and meaningful game with interesting experiences all the same. Case in point: I’ve been playing, and really enjoying, the new Commonwealth campaign and I’d love to share my trials and victories with everyone.

This is a much more difficult campaign. Whereas the American Campaign sees you start with the immediate setback of Pearl Harbour, there are enough forces at your disposal to begin countering Japanese advances and making your own inroads. With the Commonwealth forces, there is nothing. I only had a single carrier and a single battleship to my name, the former in the Indian Ocean and the other at Singapore. The rest of my forces consisted of corvettes and a couple cruisers. I decided to patrol the waters around Australia, scout northeast in an attempt to link up with American forces, and reinforce Singapore with what I could. I made it my mission to hold that great bastion for longer than Churchill did, if I could manage it.

I did manage it, but barely. The third major action off the coast of Singapore proved too much for my beleaguered crews, and I lost both Indominable and Prince of Wales, a major setback and the loss of my only capital ships.

Trying to navigate completely hostile waters adds an interesting level of depth. I was on the backfoot, trying desperately to win small engagements here and there to acquire XP for better ships while skirting the vastly superior Japanese air forces. I almost immediately overplayed my hand near Timor and lost an entire task force of corvettes to bombers as they strayed too close. On the other hand, a pair of my cruisers made quite the name for themselves, cutting this way and that, wrecking smaller Japanese fleets and convoys before darting away. It made for exhilarating gameplay jumping back and forth between the grind at Singapore, my hunters in the east, and sneaking about the smaller island chains.

A pair of Japanese light cruisers go down to my marauders, barely visible specks on the horizon.

My eventual defeat in the waters off Singapore didn’t lose me the port as the scrappy air defence, beaten and bruised as they were, were finally able to repulse that last attack by the skin of their teeth. This put me in a rough spot. The port was damaged but could still produce ships (one of the gamier mechanics, I’ll admit) but nowhere near as quickly as I needed. So, I slapped together a daring and probably suicidal plan. My hodgepodge fleet in Sydney, slowly acquired as I earned war bonds (the game’s currency for building ships and ports) launched a series of raids on Guadalcanal and adjacent Japanese ports, hoping to draw them away from the great prize at Singapore while I sent reinforcements, what little we had left, over on the long and dangerous journey north. Could they make it in time? Would I even be able to secure Guadalcanal? Would my distraction cost me the game?

There it was. I was having fun again. I really hate that I can’t give Victory at Sea Pacific a top grade, but no matter how often I get upset at it, it keeps pulling me back in with these intense situations. I still had to deal with bugs. Aircraft require a lot of babysitting, and it seems that AA is much more effective when you’re looking at it in the tactical mode, so I didn’t. Bombers, when transitioning screens, drop in altitude and skim along the water, leading to quick AA deaths. In fact, most problems seem to revolve around aircraft. Still. Yet, once you know what to expect, getting around these bugs is totally possible and the game is still perfectly playable.

Unfortunately, most of my daring (and successful!) raid on Guadalcanal and Tulagi was seen through this screen. The stakes were too high to risk my newly launched carrier’s inferior planes on the tactical screen.

The distraction raid worked wonders, at the cost of two corvettes two ports were won and the Japanese relief Task Force defeated. As I write this my reinforcements, running low on supply I’ll admit, are steaming towards Singapore and a renewed defence. Now, can I link up with the US forces at Johnson Atoll and support the eventual strike at Japan’s newly exposed underbelly? I’m going to keep playing to find out, that’s for sure.

I feel like I say this a lot when it comes to smaller studios and ambitious games: Should you have to sidestep bugs to enjoy a game? No. Yet here I am, doing just that because the final package is still fun for me. The new content updates, constant patching, and continual developer feedback lead me to believe that Evil Twin Artwork won’t abandon the game. Yet that doesn’t give them a free pass for the bugs I and others who’ve purchased the game must find and report. For nearly $50 CAD this shouldn’t happen. It’s a concern that prospective buyers, even at this late stage, should consider carefully. I’m holding out hope that Victory at Sea Pacific eventually becomes all it should be. For now though, it’s getting closer.