Overall 9 Graphics 7 Sound 6 Addictive 8 Story 2 Depth 4 Difficulty 4
6
Sea Trader - Rise of Taipan Review bearaholic
Sea Trader – Rise of Taipan, according to its description, is a “unique commodities trading game
that’s set in the backdrop of the 1840’s Opium Wars between Britain and China”
where the player’s goal is to make profit, but how does it fare compared to
other trading games?
Graphics: 7
-For the GameBoy Advance, the graphics are fairly good. The comic styling is refreshing from many of the
GBA’s pixelated and art. The game is played in first person, but it’s rarely noticeable once you play.
Sound: 6
-The music sounds nice and enlightens the mood of each action, but there isn't anything special. It may
get repetitive over time.
Addictive: 8
-There’s something about wanting to see numbers; specifically money, go up high for greedy minded people like
myself. What really makes this game exciting to play is to get a high score, or high amount of money, before the end of the term.
Story: 2
-Unfortunately, there isn’t any real story behind this game. The basic goal is to merchant your way
by traveling around cities from China all the way to the Caribbean; purchasing
goods for a low price and selling them off for a much higher price in another
city. If anything, the introduction after the game screen describes why the
player became a merchant in the first place; however, that’s really all there
is to it.
Depth: 4
-Aside from buying low and selling high, there are a total of 8 awards in this game that can be earned. The
player can also choose their first mate in the beginning of the game, each one
of them having a special attribute. There are also different terms a player can
play in; Quick Trade being the shortest, Market Venture being in the middle,
and Trade Empire being the longest of the three. However, I feel that the depth
is really lacking in Sea Trader; the awards are easily obtainable (when playing
in Trade Empire mode) and all first mate character have the same personality.
Difficulty: 4
-For a strategy game, Sea Trader is definitely too easy. One might have a difficult time in the beginning
where the player starts out with a low budget, but it gets easier once they
start making a profit. There are pirates in this game that will try to steal
your goods, but are effortlessly beatable if the player upgrades their ship
frequently. In my opinion, the game is mainly based on luck if the goal is to
get the highest score possible.
Overall: 6
-While this game is not the greatest merchant game ever made, it is a great way to get an idea of how
other trading games are. Sea Trader is much easier than other games in the like;
such as the Tradewinds series.
Final: Not a bad game, but not so spectacular either. Great for getting to know what trading games are
like.
Graphics 7 Sound 6 Addictive 8 Story 2 Depth 4 Difficulty 4
Review Rating: 4.5/5
Submitted: 06-22-13
Review Replies: 0
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