Fighting Steel

Fighting Steel focused on the surface battles of the Second World War between battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, unlike most submarine simulators that dominated the market at the time. The player commanded individual vessels or entire task forces in historically inspired and fictional engagements, and had to handle maneuvering, aiming the main guns at long range, and deciding how to divide the deck and crew between firefighting measures and manning weapons whenever the ship took a hit.

The game offered a fairly detailed model of ballistics and damage, where individual hits could damage specific parts of the ship, from the main gun turrets through the engine room to steering, which gave surface battles a realistic unpredictability. The graphical rendering of the sea and ship models was convincing for its time, especially when viewed from the deck watching incoming shells and a burning enemy vessel, and the audio, with the rumble of main gun salvos and officers' reports, did a good job of evoking the atmosphere of a great naval battle. The campaign and individual scenarios also let the player experience several key types of battles typical of naval warfare.

Fighting Steel is often remembered as one of the few simulators of its time devoted to classic surface ship battles instead of the dominant theme of submarine warfare, and so it remained popular with a narrow but loyal group of naval history fans. Today the game is appreciated especially by players interested in the tactics of naval gunnery duels and the technical details of Second World War battleships, even though its pace is rather deliberate compared to later, more action-oriented titles and requires patience while following long maneuvers. It is precisely this deliberateness and emphasis on precise gunnery that remain the main reason genre fans return to the game even after many years.

Why play it: Fans of naval gunnery duels and the technical details of Second World War battleships will find a deliberate but rewarding pace that keeps genre enthusiasts coming back even after years.