Daedalic, I am glad you are still around even after the release of Gollum. You’ve tried to make something aimed at way too many people, with a bloated development budget, forcing you to water down the experience in order to appeal to a wider demographic, only to please no one as a result. I guess the logical conclusion was to start doing the complete and utter opposite of what a mainstream game based on a fictional character was: a painfully niche title based on actual history. And thus Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter was born.

That is not something you’ll see very often.

Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter is a game in which you play as the captain of a World War 2 destroyer-class warship, fighting against German submarines, known as u-boats. Before you think this might be an accessible warship simulator, let me clarify that you are looking for World of Warships. Destroyer doesn’t want to be accessible, it wants to be realistic and deep (pun not intended). It wants to be equal parts actual warship simulator and History Channel documentary about how Allied ships managed to fool and defeat Adolf’s army of underwater menaces.

You need to use both your radar and sonar in order to locate subs which are on the surface or submersed, respectively. You need to line up your ship accordingly, paying attention to what your fellow seamen are shouting via the speakers, properly adjusting your angle, position on the map, and speed. You need to decide when to use a payload of submarine bombs, and if you decide to use them, you need to figure out the proper time to unload them, as it takes time for them to sink, explode, and (possibly) hit an enemy ship.

THIS is.

If that sounds a bit too convoluted, it sure is, and by design. I legitimately don’t think Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter is an appealing idea for anyone but two very specific demographics: people who are completed obsessed about warships (and aren’t already spending tons of whale money on World of Warships), and people who actually want to join the Navy someday. This is probably a game that could be used as a training simulator for becoming a warship sailor. Unlike Flight Simulator, however, the gameplay is complicated by design, even if the tutorial accompanying the game is detailed, and the controls responsive enough.

It’s also not exactly exciting in the presentation department. It looks fine enough when there’s actual action onscreen, but you’ll spend most of your time looking at rudimentary computers, compasses, and old machinery. Again, if you want action, World of Warships it is. The tremendous amount of voice acting included in it is actually a double-edged sword, as half of it is comprised of actual good performances, of people narrating battles and specifications about World War 2-era ships. The other half is comprised of your sailors obeying your orders, repeating coordinates as if were in an automated hotline or an airport.

Learn a bit of naval lingo with a game you will only truly purchase if you already know a lot about naval lingo.

Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter is excessively detailed and specific to the point that it feels less like a pasttime or a piece of entertainment, and more like something which should only be recommended or played by people who actually want to join the Navy. This is the kind of game that deserves a thousand dollar, warship deck controller meant to please the minuscule, borderline unprofitable demographic this game is striving for. I commend Daedalic for releasing something so completely anti-mainstream as this, but just like THQ Nordic’s DCL: The Game, it is aimed at a demographic so specific, they might not even feel enticed to play a Steam game based on their hobby. They might already have a much more detailed simulator to waste their time on.

Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter is available now on PC.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter was provided by the publisher.