Port Royale 4 review - it's a trader's life for me
It's been almost a decade since we strategy gamers had a proper Pirates of the Caribbean-style economic simulator to play with. Sure, you've got your Tropicos here and there, but these are banana republic city-builder games. The release of previous Port Royale game -- Port Royale 3 -- happened in 2013. Finally after eight years, Kalypso has deigned to give us a sequel.
Port Royale 4 is a trade and management sim set in the Age of Sail, on a very large map encompassing the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico in the 17th century. The map is dotted with colonies in what are now Mexico, Cuba, the Bahamas, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and the US state of Florida, along with dozens of other smaller countries and islands.
At the time these would have been divided up between the major powers of England, Spain, France, and the Netherlands, and as the player you will play a character from one of these nations. It is your job to set up trade routes in the Caribbean and improve the colonies for the good of Queen/King and country. Or just for yourself.