Introduction:

Sea Trader is a really obscure GBA game. I only bought it because I saw it used for $5. I had seen it about a year before. You might have a hard time finding this game and I wouldn't advise spending over $20 on it. But it is an addicting strategy game.

Story:

There isn't a story to Sea Trader. Basically you choose how long you want your game to last (1,3,or 10 years) and then you name yourself and your ship. The point of the game is to travel the world buying and selling goods to make money.

Gameplay:

When you first start Sea Trader you can only travel around South China, but as you progress through the game you can buy new maps (N. China, India, UK etc.). So, you travel from town to town buying goods like silk or porcelain in one port, and selling it in another for profit. Along the way you meet pirates, traders, and inspectors. You can fire cannons or flee from any ship, and if you defeat it you might find stuff onboard. If you happen to meet a trader you can trade with him. You can upgrade your ship to make it tougher or buy better cannons, crew, cargoholds and masts.

I give the gameplay: 7/10

Graphics:

Sea Trader has pretty good graphics but it isn't very detailed and each port is almost identical. The battle scenes don't really flow. First you'll see a scene with your boat and a pirate ship. Then a menu will pop up asking what you want to do. If you choose to fire, another picture scene will appear with the pirate ship having damage. Not exactly up to par, is it?

I give the graphics: 6/10

Sound:

Sea Trader actually doesn't have as bad sound as I thought it would have. It's pretty limited, but it could be worse. Just don't crank the volume all the way. The game music does hit some high notes that are unbearable. If you are really into game music this one might tick you off a little because it doesn't even compare to Zelda or Castlevania.

I give the sound: 6/10

Replayability:

This is the kind of game that you could replay forever. It gets boring fast, usually within 45 minutes, but you can play it in short intervals. It can't really be beat so finishing a 10 year game won't really matter, you can just start a new game.

I give the replayability: 9/10

Challenge:

Sea Trader isn't hard, but can be frustrating. Sometimes pirates can be really hard if your farther in the game. If one defeats you the game sends you back to the last port you were at and you have to redo everything you did there before.

Value:

This game is fun, but how fun? $30 fun? No way. Maybe 20, but personally I wouldn't spend over 15. It's just not a high quality game. If you have to choose between this and say, Fire Emblem, I would choose the latter.

I give the value: 7/10

Overall:

Sea Trader is a very different game, but it doesn't pull it off as well as Nintendo or Natsume or another more experienced developer could.

I give Sea Trader: Rise of Taipan: 6.75/10

Conclusion:

Sea Trader is fun but think of how much better it could be. Almost every aspect of this game could be improved. The idea is great, but it gets a little dragged down by the bland environments and sound.

Written By: Amatatomba

Date Submitted: April 17th, 2005

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