Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific
A World War II submarine simulation set in the Pacific theater.
Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific, also released in the United States as Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific, is a 2007 Windows submarine simulation from Ubisoft Bucharest and Ubisoft. Players command a U.S. Navy submarine in the Pacific during World War II. The game features career, single war patrol, and single battle modes. A 2008 expansion, The U-Boat Missions, followed.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Ubisoft Bucharest
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Producer
- Emil Gheorghe
- Designer
- Dan Dimitrescu; Tudor Serban
- Released
- March 20, 2007 (NA)
- March 22, 2007 (PAL)
- March 23, 2007 (UK)
- Genre
- Submarine simulator
- Modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Platforms
- Windows
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The simulation employs detailed 3D graphics to immerse the player in a World War II submarine environment, with largely functional vessel systems exposing many aspects of submarine warfare. Players can adjust realism and challenge levels, allowing newcomers to master basic gameplay while experienced users manually control crew management, torpedo allocation, radar, sonar, and target trigonometry. A dynamic campaign, similar to Silent Hunter 3, provides varied mission objectives and unique rewards, with major Pacific naval battles like the Battle of Midway re-enacted and communicated via in-game radio messages. Unlike its predecessor, the campaign includes more specific and varied objectives such as rescues, reconnaissance, and agent insertions rather than only patrol areas. Until server shutdown in 2013, an online adversarial mode let up to eight players command Japanese destroyers against US submarines in scripted or generated missions.
Critical reception
The game received generally favorable reviews according to Metacritic. The original release awarded players fictional decorations that did not resemble actual United States military awards, due to concerns about the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 and U.S. federal laws regarding depictions of the Medal of Honor. This drew heavy criticism from players, leading to mods that altered the game to display actual decorations. The original shelf version was never updated, and all versions including those on Steam continue to show fictional awards.
Expansion pack
Ubisoft announced The U-Boat Missions add-on on October 31, 2007, releasing it in Europe on February 29, 2008 and in North America on March 24, 2008. The expansion focuses on the German U-boat campaign in the Indian Ocean (the Monsun Gruppe), adding new strategic elements, playable submarines, an improved navigation map, and an improved upgrade system. In the German campaign, players gain control over additional strategic resources such as scout planes, which can help locate enemies or directly attack them. These auxiliary units are unlocked based on the player's rank, achieved through successful patrols and renown. Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific Gold, including the main game and expansion, was released on October 11, 2008.
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