Chartward is an adventure game that blends open-world pirate themes with incremental progression on PC. Players begin with almost nothing in the slums and gradually build toward owning a ship and recruiting a crew. The experience emphasizes freedom in charting a personal path across uncharted seas while incorporating elements of resource management, exploration, and permanent advancement across multiple playthroughs.
Gameplay
The core loop revolves around rising from humble origins through careful planning and risk-taking. Early efforts focus on gathering basic resources and skills in the slums before venturing onto the water. Sailing leads to encounters with vessels that can be boarded for valuables, alongside searches for treasure on islands, settlements, and hidden locations. Underwater dives require air management to investigate submerged areas and confront bosses that present unique challenges.
Skill development plays a central role. Training improves capabilities, while equipment and supplies influence success rates on dice-based checks during risky situations. Discoveries accumulate knowledge that opens shortcuts and new routes. Quests and objectives yield keepsakes that provide lasting upgrades, allowing progress to carry over and expand what becomes possible in subsequent attempts. This creates a history of adventures that shapes future runs.
Automation features support longer-term play. Familiar routes and actions can be saved as courses that handle routine tasks and travel independently. Time accumulated while away accelerates progress upon return, blending active decision-making with passive advancement. The system rewards refining routines while scouting the next expedition.
Game Modes
Chartward operates as a single-player adventure without separate named modes. The experience centers on an open-world structure where players choose the order of challenges and destinations. Incremental elements integrate directly into the main loop, allowing the same world and systems to support repeated playthroughs with growing capabilities from prior keepsakes and discoveries.
Exploration remains flexible throughout. Players decide routes, tackle objectives in preferred sequences, and adapt based on available skills and resources. The absence of rigid mode divisions keeps focus on personal course charting and incremental growth rather than switching between distinct formats.
Progression and Upgrades
Permanent upgrades form a key layer of depth. Completing quests and objectives unlocks keepsakes that enhance future lives, turning one-time successes into ongoing advantages. Each discovery can chain into additional opportunities, building momentum across runs. This setup suits players who enjoy seeing long-term investment pay off through expanded options and improved odds on checks.
Preparation matters as much as location. Bringing the right equipment and supplies affects survival and rewards during dives, boardings, and boss encounters. Skill training compounds these benefits, creating meaningful differences between early and later play sessions.
Is It Worth Playing?
Chartward appeals to those interested in pirate-themed adventure combined with incremental systems. The progression from slums to ship ownership, coupled with open exploration and automation tools, provides a steady sense of advancement without requiring constant active input. Players who value flexible route planning, skill-based risk management, and carryover upgrades across attempts will find the structure engaging.
The game suits single-player sessions focused on personal discovery and optimization. Its emphasis on learning the world, refining courses, and leveraging past progress supports both short bursts of activity and longer planning. Those drawn to open-world freedom in an adventure context with built-in replay incentives through keepsakes may find it a strong fit.