The tables have turned, the hunter has become the hunted. In this naval simulation you'll have the opportunity to experience the sheer tension involving the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean during World War Two within an Allied supply convoy heading for Great Britain.

Not on a vulnerable Liberty Ship carrying vital cargo, but on a fast-moving Fletcher-class destroyer which protects convoys by intercepting Kriegsmarine U-boats and sending them towards watery graves.

A rather novel concept on Steam, given its precise topic and while it's the proper debut for developer Iron Wolf Studio, it's worth pointing out their F2P companion app for the U-BOOT board game in 2019. It can't hold a candle to what we're discussing now.

Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter (henceforth referred to as DUBH) focuses on the simulated command of its titular vessel and it's far more in-depth than a broader naval sim such as War on the Sea. Publisher Daedalic Entertainment keeps expanding its genre portofolio quite successfully so far.

WW2 maritime video games aren't new on the market or to me, since I thoroughly enjoyed the Silent Hunter series (once the pride of Ubisoft Romania, now a distant memory almost forgotten by the parent company). The demand for this niche is palpable, we already have dozens of titles focusing on aerial and land combat.

Switching perspectives is refreshing, I raked hundreds of hours in SH3 and 4 before arriving on Steam yet I have no qualms hunting down U-boats now instead of being part of a submarine wolf pack. Their "Happy Times" are truly over.

DUBH does an excellent job at introducing players to its historical context right from the opening cinematic which uses WW2 footage. At the start of 1942, the Oberkommando der Marine greenlights "Operation Drumbeat" targeting US & Canadian convoys in the Atlantic.

The Kriegsmarine seemed invincible below the waves. German submarines think it'll be like shooting fish in a barrel, yet a very nasty surprise is awaiting them. Allied forces learned from their blunders at sea, even if it took them over two years of uncontested U-boat dominance.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2872111923

The newly devised Allied convoy system makes use of rapid destroyers as well as air support which was ironically even more feared by German submariners than the launching of depth charges. You see, U-boats mostly navigated on the surface with the help of diesel engines. They had limited range and low speed on the electric engines when submerging.

Unlike contemporary submarines which have nuclear propulsion and can remain underwater for months if they have ample food supplies, a German WW2 "rust bucket" had to resurface daily in order to recharge its batteries and eliminate the otherwise deadly levels of carbon monoxide, a byproduct of breathing in that closed, cramped space.

You have naval guns on deck, yet the aforementioned depth charges will be your bread and butter, so to speak. As challenging as it may be for newcomers, it's highly satisfying to pinpoint the submerged enemy on the sonar, maneuver on top of them and unleash your terrible payload once the firing solution has been agreed upon.

Death from above either way, as your destroyer ship will make short work out of enemy subs just as efficiently as air strafing achieves with a surfaced U-boat. It properly shows the amount of team work necessary for those tasks. It will never be "point and shoot" until we allow Artificial Intelligence to subvert the human factor. I hope that day never comes.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends!" The Unity Engine, of course. No hint of irony there, I am mostly pleased with the performance and the stability was never questioned either. DUBH looks the part, beautiful interiors and external view of the ship. In-game cinematics at the start of the missions further showcase the crew taking position, from the comissioned officers on the bridge, to the sailors on deck bracing themselves for the inevitable confrontation.

In-between are the petty officers operating the naval instruments crucial for detecting and eliminating any threats to the convoy you're escorting. Visually pleasing overall, even the static interface of the various rooms is well simulated with plenty of details and explanations. My only gripe so far, is not being able to disable any HUD elements "clogging" the view at all times.

Screenshots have to suffer as a result. Not a deal breaker for anyone, I reckon. It certainly didn't deter me from a gameplay perspective. It just stiffled my ability to squeeze proper images worthy of a desktop background. Hopefully this deficiency of a HUDless design will get addressed sooner rather than later.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2871697964

All commands and responses are fully voiced. The acting is adequate, it's more akin to reading a grocery list than a dialogue filled with raw emotion. Understandable for this subgenre and topic. Remaining calm in combat situations is expected regardless of rank. The soundtrack made me long for my U-boat gramophone though. Non-intrusive, is how I'd sum it up.

You musn't feel intimidated by a "steep learning curve". DUBH's tutorial will accommodate you just fine. I played the demo version precisely one year ago on Steam and the in-game lessons within Destroyer have now been fleshed out in the Early Access version. They are practical and manual input for every single command is no longer required, with the help of certain automated processes which simulate players receiving feedback and assistance from fellow crew members.

Just like Silent Hunter 5 on the opposite side of the "war spectrum", DUBH has a challenge to offer for actual navy personnel as well as enthusiasts with dry feet. Bathtub admirals shall not be neglected. Don't expect ship-on-ship volleys however, this isn't World of Warships. You roleplay as the crews of several Fletcher-class destoyers, since you can command nearby allies to intercept the submarines not within your immediate vicinity.

A U-boat wolf pack is efficiently organised, so the collective effort of the convoy protectors must present an equal response. After you've breezed through the recommended tutorial, self-standing battles will provide the entertainment until we get a veritable campaign, further down DUBH's road map. I hope it will be dynamic and cover as much of the Atlantic as possible.

The ability to customise the single missions from unit sizes to weather conditions, will offer replay value until a certain point at which the campaign must reveal itself through a subsequent update. Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter is properly labelled as Early Access and I have no reason to doubt its dev team might shirk from their duty in further expanding the content until the retail release finally gets implemented.

Only a matter of time and you should be used with this by now. After all, U-boat hunting is a waiting game with final consequences. The prey must not be startled, the hunter will remain patiently determined to succeed. Eternal Father, Strong to Save!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2872112008

+ Complex simulation.
+ Steam Trading cards.
+ Beautiful graphics and sounds.
+ Replay value through customization.

- No Steam Achievements.

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