Nokia N-Gage High Seize

It’s been a while since I’ve covered an N-Gage title, and this time I want to highlight High Seize! If the GBA had the Advance Wars series, then during its brief lifespan the N-Gage had High Seize as its answer to turn-based strategy.

If Sid Meier’s Pirates! and Advance Wars had a child, it would be High Seize. A pirate-age themed strategy game doesn’t sound like it should work, but High Seize proves otherwise. Developed by RedLynx, the same studio behind Pathway to Glory - the game delivers a surprisingly polished strategy experience wrapped in swashbuckling charm.

High Seize even features a full storyline, something not commonly expected from N-Gage titles, and it’s a solid one considering the platform’s limitations. You play as the son of a disgraced noble, seeking revenge for your father’s murder by becoming a privateer, gathering allies, and even finding a bit of romance along the way.

As a strategy game, High Seize offers both land and sea battles, each with its own mechanics and layers of depth, not bad at all for the N-Gage. The game even includes its own version of CO powers, though not as varied as those in Advance Wars.

Ultimately, High Seize offers a glimpse of the quality the N-Gage library might have reached if the platform had been more successful. Despite the odds stacked against it, this title stands out as one of the N-Gage’s most worthwhile games. Definitely worth revisiting for anyone curious about what the system had to offer.