After the type II, VII and IX U-Boats in the Atlantic from Silent Hunter 3 it's back to the roots of the series for Silent Hunter 4; specifically back to being a commander on an American submarine hunting down Japanese ships in the Pacific. Hunting silently, of course, as the name suggests. You'll be taking down ships from the mighty Yamato to the lowly gunboat and from large tankers down to fisherboats until the sea is but a graveyard for ships sunk by your torpedos. But watch out - the enemy will fight back with depth charges, minefields and planes. You may also be given specific missions to complete, like rescuing pilots or deploying commandos behind enemy lines. Special missions and the actual hunting down of ships are part of a dynamic campaign, where you may receive new orders and updates on the course of the war via radio.
From the old S-Class through the P-, Salmon-, Tambor- and up to the modern Gato- and Balao-class subs you'll be commanding every submarine that the United States Navy has to offer. You'll also be meeting friendly vessels out there, so check before opening fire.
Technically speaking Silent Hunter 4 is a very powerful game. The damage model has been massively refined over the previous games as well as having a real visual upgrade. Now if you hit a target you'll leave gaping holes in the hulls of the victims so big and detailed that you can literally see through to the ship's interior.
The controls have been simplified, the damage management remade and especially the crew handling restructured to make for a more realistic game that now automatically changes watches once you have assigned your men to their posts. The degree of realism can be changed thanks to a host of options, making a game that is a full on Sim for veterans, but also a nice stating point for gamers who want to get into the genre.
Looks-wise, Silent Hunter 4 is just possibly the game with the best water graphics (there is a lot of it after all) with wave effects, reflections and light refraction under water. The ships are really detailed with crew members running around on deck or manning the weapons, Morse lanterns flashing signals, searchlights and flares illuminating the night, damaged ships starting to burn and finally exploding or simply slipping below the surface in various fashions. Coastal areas and Islands are fully recreated with well-known landmarks and even with working cranes! And you'll see some of the most magnificent skies with sunrises, moon cycles, realistic starry skies and weather effects to complete the atmosphere that is Silent Hunter 4.

Say what you think about this game
Chat about this game on the Forum