REVIEW – A year after its PC release, the game from Deep Water Studio and Ultimate Games has finally surfaced on consoles. The publisher, PlayWay S.A., is the same company that, about fifteen years ago, flooded Eastern European newsstands with budget titles under the names PlayPaper and/or PlayPublishing (including such legendary gems as Agent 008). This game isn’t quite at that level, but it’s only a notch higher — still, it manages to be entertaining…

Set during World War II, those familiar with Silent Hunter will immediately know what to expect.

Simulation Under the Waves

UBOAT (finally, no need to abbreviate its name) demands patience. Let’s make that clear right from the start — it comes with a steep learning curve. This holds for both PC and console versions, though the latter also has to deal with its unusual control scheme. No joke: if you don’t have a decent PC nearby, you might want to plug in a keyboard and mouse instead. On PlayStation 5, this setup works just fine — the mouse wheel zooms, the space bar pauses the action, and so on. It might sound ridiculous, but this game is far too complex for the DualSense to provide a fully intuitive, ergonomic control layout. The game lets us visit several different moments of World War II, meaning the North Sea can be under varying control depending on the period. As the title suggests, you’re seeing events through the eyes of Nazi Germany. The mission won’t be easy — you’ll have to plot your course, track enemies, torpedo them at the right moment, and manage every ounce of your resources. One crewmember listens for enemy ships through the hydrophone, another uses the periscope to identify them. Once that’s done, you’ll still have to keep an eye on fuel, morale, air quality, and electrical power.

All of these things must be managed manually, and a controller simply doesn’t cut it. This is hardcore simulation territory, and players won’t master it in a hurry. There are menus, gauges, and sliders everywhere, and it’s easy to get lost in the details. Automation won’t please everyone either. However, those who love micromanagement (and yes, that includes a healthy dose of “why do I do this to myself?”) will find a game that truly opens up once you sink your teeth into it. It’s strongly recommended to complete the tutorials — even if the clunky controls will already test your patience. No, UBOAT won’t be pleasant at first, even when you start landing clean torpedo hits on enemy ships (sorry, Uncle Tibi). You’ll need to factor in distance, speed, and direction — and at higher difficulties, precision becomes essential. You’ll be measuring angles with protractors and rulers, stopwatch in hand, calculating your target’s speed like a true submarine officer…

Care for a Peek Through My Periscope?

The gameplay starts to shine when your training finally pays off — when you begin commanding effectively, making the right calls under pressure, and escaping danger by a hair’s breadth. You’ll encounter plenty of such moments throughout the story, and before long you’ll find yourself mastering every aspect of submarine command. Meanwhile, your crewmates grow too, unlocking new abilities as you upgrade your U-boat to face tougher upcoming missions. However, the constant back-and-forth between icons and menus with a controller slightly breaks immersion. Uboat spent nearly five years (maybe even longer) in early access on PC before finally launching last August. Graphically, it’s average — not ugly, but nothing to brag about either.

The interface is clean and functional, offering tons of data even during the heat of battle (though the greenish color scheme could use a bit more contrast). Crew animations are serviceable, but that’s hardly the game’s selling point — and frankly, you won’t be focusing on them much anyway. Performance on consoles is surprisingly solid; you won’t need a PlayStation 5 Pro for this one (though a keyboard and mouse are still highly recommended). Audio-wise, it feels a bit subdued — but considering that you’ll spend most of your time deep underwater, don’t expect an audio fireworks show.

Where Does the Ship Sail Through Stormy Waters? (Answer: Back to Port!)

If there’s any game that deserves two separate ratings, it’s UBOAT. Those looking for a detailed, true-to-life submarine simulator will find exactly what they want — for them, this is a solid 7.5/10. For the average player, however, there’s an overwhelming amount to learn, and the controller makes navigation clunky and awkward. And like many games in this genre, it eventually becomes repetitive and monotonous — UBOAT is no exception.

-V-

Developer: Deep Water Studio
Publisher: PlayWay S.A./Ultimate Games
Release Date: PC – August 2, 2024 / Xbox Series – August 27, 2025 / PlayStation 5 – September 17, 2025
Genre: Submarine Simulation