In a new MMO on Steam, you must face the struggle for survival in a flooded world. However, there are currently some negative reviews due to paid bonuses and a premium edition.
What game is this about? Age of Water is a new MMO on Steam that launched in Early Access on April 25, 2024. The game was developed by the indie studio Three Whales, and published by Gaijin Network Ltd.
After the world was almost completely flooded, the few survivors of humanity are trying to adapt to this new situation. Floating settlements have formed on the water, and individuals are trying to survive on ships by collecting scrap, smuggling, trading, and defending against pirates.
After the tutorial, you can build your own ship and a base, and tackle quests either solo or with your friends. Age of Water offers you PvP gameplay, although the developers have already noted that this is not crucial for the game. Players who want to play without PvP can do so without disadvantages.
The game is currently in Early Access. It is not yet determined how long this phase will last. Instead, the developers want to decide at some point when the game is finished and will deliver new updates with more story content and make changes based on feedback until then.
What criticism is there already? Graphically, Age of Water does not look bad at first glance, and the concept sounds relatively interesting. Nevertheless, the rating on Steam is only 58 percent, which is barely balanced. These bad reviews have a relatively simple reason.
Players accuse the game of Pay2Win
Shortly after the release, players complained about various bonuses that can be obtained for a fee in a shop. There were also complaints about the more expensive premium edition, which also includes some extra bonuses.
This concerns, for example, in-game currency, skins, and ship upgrades. Some players labeled the option to receive these bonuses for a fee as Pay2Win and justified their bad reviews with it. (via steamcommunity.com)
How are the developers responding? In fact, the developers responded to the complaints of players on the very day of the release and provided a statement on their official website regarding the bonuses and the premium edition:
All bonuses in the premium edition were designed to provide a starting boost as assistance for the first few hours in PvE, and not to influence success in PvP or PvE beyond the first few gameplay hours.
(via ageofwater.net)
It is their wish, the devs continue, that success in combat lies with the players themselves and cannot be bought with money. They also claim to keep an eye on whether the bonuses work as they should. If not, they would address “the necessary changes” as a top priority.
“Currently, the team is thoroughly studying your feedback and the statistics,” it also states in the official statement. It was promised beforehand that the feedback would be decisive for further development. Whether and how the shop and the premium edition will change remains to be seen.
Paid content that provides special bonuses and advantages is constantly a hot topic among players: Steam MMORPG breaks promises and announces Pay2Win feature, the community is furious
