Port Royale 4

Our analysis

A tedious and largely dumbed-down trade-and-management game with a pleasant art style and solid historical accuracy. Trade routes essentially play themselves, letting you get rich passively while combat reduces to a dull hex-grid affair and city-building micromanagement is basic and boring. Captain-leveling fetch quests and a long-winded treasure hunt that pays out a near-worthless reward grate, though defending bases and fighting rival nations gets fun later. Not enough good there to justify the 45 pound price.

Our analysis

A deep Caribbean trade and management sim with rewarding economic systems, a big open free-play mode, and a welcome amount of voice acting. It is held back on Switch by a steep, hour-long tutorial grind, dull turn-based naval combat where the stronger fleet simply wins, clunky controls and odd button mapping ported from mouse-and-keyboard, frame drops, and a price that feels far too high. Strategy fans may enjoy it, but it is better played elsewhere.