With the goal of approaching the console market, Port Royale 3 has simplified too many of its mechanics, resulting in a step back in the strategy genre.
Port Royale 3 feels bound by the traditions of this time-proven series
and gets all the basics right. However, it never really strays from
the path you had imagined it would take, even before you ever played
the game.
Well-thought-out, transparent gameplay rules make Port Royale 3 a title that can keep you entertained for hours. It's a shame that naval battles are so simplified and the story is presented so unattractively. [July 2012, p.76]
A complex strategy game from the Wild West Indies that's looking absolutely stunning at first glance. However, the game fails completely in many regards. Its controls are overly complicated, the game's mechanics are rather dull and the battles are quite annoying. In the end you are supposed to stare at numbers and drink your real rum, which is a need.
I occasionally caught glimpses of a competent simulation underneath the bugs, poor instruction, and rage-inducing interface, but not even the best of today's strategy games would be tolerable to play if subject to the malfunctioning saves, crashes, and sloppy presentation of Port Royale 3.