High Sea Saga DX

Genre: Management Simulation / RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Without a doubt the most prolific developer and publisher of Management Simulation games on Nintendo Switch is Kairosoft, who specializes in games with a retro-style isometric pixel art style, often with the word “Story” in the title. As of this writing, Kairosoft has released 60 games on Nintendo Switch, most of them Management Simulations.

After their earlier games, Kairosoft had established a few templates for their Simulation games that later games would largely follow. Game Dev Story established a Simulation-style game more focused on managing employee time and focus, Hot Springs Story established a Simulation style in line with Theme Park Simulators where you try to cater to guests’ tastes to maximize attendance and income, and Epic Astro Story established a Simulation style akin to games like Sim City, where you’re building out a town or settlement.

High Sea Saga originally released on mobile devices in 2015, then saw a port to PC and Nintendo Switch in 2023 (with a newly added “DX” in the title), then to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2024. And I’m not really sure this game fits neatly into any of the above templates, though it does have some similarities to Epic Astro Story. Interestingly, High Sea Saga focuses more on its RPG and exploration elements, with players managing a crew of privateer’s in a king’s naval ship hunting down pirates and exploring the surrounding seas.

Now, to be clear, this is absolutely nothing like most RPGs – characters’ actions during combat are automated, and the only “story” here is more of a broad theme than a focused narrative. And there are still Management Simulation elements here – you’ll be outfitting your ship with facilities to ensure your crew is quartered, well rested, and trained. But most of your focus will be on building up their abilities and exploring new territories with new threats to take on.

As Kairosoft games go, this one does a bit more than the norm to try to be a more user-friendly experience, letting you access menus both through a standard menu and also by selecting associated buildings. However, that’s not to say that you won’t encounter the typical Kairosoft “jank” here – it’s not clear when you need something (money, resources, etc.) exactly how to go about getting it. And the nebulous nature of your goals and the overarching gameplay can be a bit bewildering.

As I mentioned above, this game makes use of Kairosoft’s signature presentation style using simple retro-styled pixel art visuals, paired with repetitive chiptune music and sound effects. Everything about this presentation is really endearing, though by this point we’ve seen more or less the same thing in numerous other Kairosoft games.

Overall, I think High Sea Saga DX is an interesting and unusual blend of RPG and Management Simulation that manages to stand out even among Kairosoft’s numerous games that are a hybrid of these two genres. Its odd approach to these genres won’t be for everyone, but players craving something a bit different might want to give it a look.

tl;dr – High Sea Saga DX is a mix of RPG and Management Simulation where players command a royal naval vessel exploring the surrounding seas and taking on threats like pirates and sea monsters. It’s unusual in ways that can be confusing, and it’s not always clear how to go about doing things, but fans of this game’s respective genres may find it to be a unique and refreshing take on these genres.

Grade: B-

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