Nantucket by Picaresque Studios is a game I’ve been following for quite a while. By a while, I mean years. Nantucket got mentions in my most anticipated strategy games for both 2016 and 2017. On both counts it was fairly presumptuous of me. Well the presumption is gone and, in a few weeks, it will feature on by most anticipated strategy games of 2018.

Best of all, I don’t have to wait too long. On January 18th Nantucket will finally be released and hopefully give me a whale of a time.



Avoiding Ahab’s Curse – The Nantucket Story

“What is Nantucket?” I hear you ask. Well, come sit with Uncle Chris and listen to a story about a whale, a story of revenge and profit.

Before the events of Nantucket, a famous story was set,
Moby-Dick was it’s name, and this is where we met,
Ishmael, the man who survived the whale
Now, it is time again, to listen to his tale

As Ishmael, of Moby-Dick fame, you will take to the seas once again. Build up your own ship, raise a crew and plot your course. During the game you’ll go whaling, make some profit, face off against pirates and possibly even eat your cat. Poor mittens.

Picaresque studios give a quick overview of the key features of Nantucket over on the official site. But, here they are as well:

• Set sail and explore the seas: Set sail around the world, visit cities, and increase your prestige by hunting whales, landing jobs, and searching for new adventures.
• Be the captain you want to be: Develop your character in true RPG fashion, by increasing your stats, choosing your reactions, and developing your seafaring skills.
• Manage your ship and crew: Hire and manage your crew, give them tasks on your ship, and improve your ship with new compartments, expanding your ship’s capabilities.
• Live the golden age of whaling: Experience more than a thousand unique events tailored around your choices and face the results of your actions.
• Hunt whales and fight pirates: Discover new whaling areas, hunt whales for blubber, and protect your ship from pirates using a turn-based combat system.
• Chase after Moby Dick: Follow an original story line and complete quests to unveil the secrets behind Moby Dick and dissolve Ahab’s curse.

An original story set following the events of Moby Dick certainly intrigues me. In addition, as much as I’m sure it annoys the PETA lot, the economics behind the setting (pirates, trading, whaling) certainly interests me. If anything, it’s making me think that this could be my new Sid Meier’s Pirates.

The blend of RPG, strategy and simulation intrigues me a lot. Managing your crew, equipping and managing your ship and then the actual whaling. I’m looking forward to Nantucket, if that wasn’t clear. Hopefully it’ll be a game I love to drop in and explore while managing my own little fiefdom in the sea.