I think I’ve made it abundantly clear in the past that I don’t like horror games. I think I need to rephrase this slightly, though. What I don’t like is jump-scares. I play games to relax, not to have heart failure. I don’t have an issue with horror themes or games with a horror setting. Darkest Dungeon I absolutely loved; The Legacy of Kain franchise does horror very well too without the need for generating physical fear. With this in mind, I was really interested to read about Dread Nautical. Here we have a horror title, but it’s turn-based. If this is a game I can play and still have clean underwear at the end of it I’m totally there.
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Zen Studios have announced that Dread Nautical will be coming to your console screens on April 29th. For those of you wondering which ones, basically, all of them; PS4, Xbox One, and Switch are all getting iterations. You’ll also see it pop up on the Epic Games Store if you’re a PC gamer using that platform.
Dread Nautical is a turn-based, tactical RPG with roguelike elements. Mysterious, supernatural forces have overwhelmed the luxury cruise liner known as “The Hope” with malevolent monstrosities bent on wiping out any unsuspecting guests that get in their way.
After selecting one of four unique characters, players with traverse 20 randomly generated decks of the ship. As they travel they will have to search for food and other supplies. On your journey, you will encounter 11 other colorful survivors. Whether these characters choose to join the fight will depend on your skills at social interaction. It will take smart planning with regard to who you take, how they attack and the skills you level up if you are to end your vacation alive.
The release of Dread Nautical to consoles and PC speaks to Zen Studios’ pursuit of developing a broad range of well-polished games to redefine our studio as more than just Pinball Wizards. We’re proud of everything we’ve brought to the pinball space, but are ready to take on new challenges in the broader gaming space. More importantly, we are incredibly excited to allow our dev teams the freedom to create games they want to play, including titles in the turn-based RPG genre like Operencia: The Stolen Sun and CastleStorm II.
Mel Kirk, Vice President of Publishing
This seems like it might have more of a board game feel to it with a nice eerie aesthetic. This proves my point very nicely about using horror tropes and settings without going full-blown fright-fest. For those of you out there that love a good tactical romp, Dread Nautical sounds like a bit of a no-brainer.
