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Game
Game2014
Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising
Developer Rage Software
Hostile Waters, released as Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising in North America, is a 2001 hybrid vehicle and strategy game developed and published by Rage Software for Microsoft Windows. It was inspired by Carrier Command (1988). The game won several awards and one unofficial award from Rock Paper Shotgun as a "lost classic" or "the best game you've never played". From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
204 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Oct 31, 2026 · last updated Oct 31, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
80
LovedLoved
141 positive · 35 negative
95% range 74–85%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 141 | 35 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 6 | 0 | 11 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 4 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
166 of 208 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
80% recommend · 144 yes, 37 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 181 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (365 of 476 positive).
Players praise the game's unique blend of RTS and action, along with its deep story and memorable characters. [1][2][3] Many note that the graphics and controls are dated, but consider it a classic worth playing. [4][5][6] Some reviewers criticize technical issues on modern systems and the game's convoluted interface. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
Pro: Looks pretty good for a 2001 3D game. Great intro cinematic (narrated by Dr. Who). Solid voice acting. Pretty decent attempt at worldbuilding. Interesting mechanics. Con: It's a 3D game from 2001. Awful controls. Gameplay feels convoluted and needlessly fussy. Conclusion Hostile Waters is certainly a very interesting game and something i would like to have played back when i could've dealt with its clumsy …
- [1]
A perfect mix of a strategy and action game. A maximum of 10 units (usually 6-7 being used) active at once, along with the strategic view always pausing the game, makes it a much more enjoyable experience for those hating micromanagement (like me). The story is fantastic, it could very well come from an A-rated movie. The characters here have a soul and their constant banter makes you feel as if you weren't playing …
- [2]
This is one of the best games of all time. A seamless blend of tactical RTS and vehicle simulator, it pits you, a naval carrier/factory and a crew of dead soldier stored on computer chips against a mad Cabal of arms dealers and evil politicians hellbent on making war against a world that has been completely demilitarized. Your journey takes you through a chicane of 20 islands in the South Pacific as you investigate …
- [3]
One of the most criminally underrated and unknown games out there. You play as the last functional Adaptive Cruiser, the Antaeus - a vessel capable of building combat units from scratch with its on-board Creation Engine - fighting on behalf of the global utopian society that had abolished war. Your advesaries are the Cabal, the "old guard" of tyrants that had once ruled the world, and seek to do so again. Pros: - …
- [4]
A classic! Sure outdated and aged. Clunky graphics and (camera) controls. But you cant beat this classic story driven adventure of a lone captain and his digital crew. Deserves a remake for sure. Extra: Please bump up my review so people can read the following; Steam puts the game in compatibility mode causing FPS to tank and stutter. Sollution: Go to game directory and put BOTH .exe files into compatibilty mode for …
Summarised from 34 of the 208 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising talk about unique combination of strategy and action gameplay; those who didn't talk about outdated graphics and clunky controls. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The game received "favourable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Carla Harker of NextGen said, "You'll feel like a real battlefield general when you take to the field in Antaeus Rising." Jake The Snake of GamePro said, "If the usual game categories leave you unscathed, get bloodied in these Hostile Waters." Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 204 · most liked firstA classic! Sure outdated and aged. Clunky graphics and (camera) controls. But you cant beat this classic story driven adventure of a lone captain and his digital crew. Deserves a remake for sure. Extra: Please bump up my review so people can read the following; Steam puts the game in compatibility mode causing FPS to tank and stutter. Sollution: Go to game directory and put BOTH .exe files into compatibilty mode for windows 8 FOR ALL USERS! (again FOR ALL USERS, else steam will overide the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Back in the day, I remember the story of the action-strategy game Hostile Waters seemed improbable. In the near future, the invention of nanotech promises a scarcity-free future. So the world's entire ruling class goes to war against their own people to maintain control. Now it feels prescient.
positive · AI labelView post →A perfect mix of a strategy and action game. A maximum of 10 units (usually 6-7 being used) active at once, along with the strategic view always pausing the game, makes it a much more enjoyable experience for those hating micromanagement (like me). The story is fantastic, it could very well come from an A-rated movie. The characters here have a soul and their constant banter makes you feel as if you weren't playing alone. It truly gives you the feeling of being a captain who is in constant…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →F this company. They took down the Hostile Waters Remake just because some people were doing something they loved and wanted to make things better. "Fun"box media came along and took it all down. And what they are going to do with this game? NOTHING. Are they developing it or planning to make new missions or vehicles for it? NO. They are just lazy greedy bastards who want to ruin people's fun. This game is 23 years old yet they still think they could profit out of it and don't true fans to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →(Despite my short playtime, I've owned the disc since 2001) It's been over a decade since this game was released. I thank my dad for buying me this game. The game was well presented. The story was very powerful, and the narrator had you at the edge of your seat. As for graphics, they will obviously be ugly compared to those of more modern games, but, hey, this game was made in 2001, so give it a break. It was great at the time. Now for the gameplay. What a wonderful combination of real-time…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"My name... is Ransom." Ignore all the children complaining in negative reviews here who barely went past 'main menu' screen and threw a hissy fit: "Ugh bad graphics" "Such old and bad game" "No reason to play this" If you're looking for a game with very unique gameplay mechanics (some of which are rarely seen in today's games), very good story with interesting plot twists, quite good music, various different ways to achieve your objectives and you don't care about "next gen graphics" then…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising is a 2001 strategy game, similar to the original Command and Conquer, where you create and use a variety of ground and air defense units, collect resources, while battling an enemy on an island in the ocean. The story puts you in the middle of a world rebuilt after a war that nearly destroyed everything. The people of this new world once again find themselves in a conflict, this time against the leaders of the old world who escaped into hiding after losing the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've got a couple games that maybe fit this category. * *[Kerbal Space Program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerbal_Space_Program).* This *had* a sequel coming out that apparently wasn't going very well and was cancelled, so right now, the possibility of a complete additional game isn't that great. Spaceflight simulator, where one can design and craft spacecraft and amospheric craft, as well as space bases. One can fly to other planets, set up bases, set up satellite networks, etc. There…
neutral · AI labelView post →Every time some gamer talks about how games weren’t political in the past I think about the 20 year old game Antaeus Rising: Hostile Waters, which posited that a global anarchist revolution creates a utopia by overthrowing every world government
neutral · AI labelView post →This is one of the best games of all time. A seamless blend of tactical RTS and vehicle simulator, it pits you, a naval carrier/factory and a crew of dead soldier stored on computer chips against a mad Cabal of arms dealers and evil politicians hellbent on making war against a world that has been completely demilitarized. Your journey takes you through a chicane of 20 islands in the South Pacific as you investigate and dismantle the Cabal's operations. The storyline, written by famous…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pro: Looks pretty good for a 2001 3D game. Great intro cinematic (narrated by Dr. Who). Solid voice acting. Pretty decent attempt at worldbuilding. Interesting mechanics. Con: It's a 3D game from 2001. Awful controls. Gameplay feels convoluted and needlessly fussy. Conclusion Hostile Waters is certainly a very interesting game and something i would like to have played back when i could've dealt with its clumsy controls. I can't in good faith recommend this to anyone with games like…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the most criminally underrated and unknown games out there. You play as the last functional Adaptive Cruiser, the Antaeus - a vessel capable of building combat units from scratch with its on-board Creation Engine - fighting on behalf of the global utopian society that had abolished war. Your advesaries are the Cabal, the "old guard" of tyrants that had once ruled the world, and seek to do so again. Pros: - Great voice acting, the characters... have character. They'll chat to one another…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good Game, it hard i long game, you need to think tactic you need to plan your strategy, every level you gain something new, new character or Weapon. you can always do it fast or slow the level
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The memories of playing it 10 years ago left something to the imagination. Playing it now is like getting glasses and finding out your girlfriend is actually a 6/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →pugio in averso belli Indeed. This game is one of the underrated crown jewls in the gaming world. A game that showed how earth could be in the future and what greed can produce if not stoped. With a Story better than most games today, a gameplay that mixes action, RTS and RPG elements as well as ressorce managing and micro management, an awesome ost for it's time (allone the main menu theme rocks!)(not on par with homeworld but as close as a game from an underrated development studio could…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best control schemes in a strategic/tactical game with unique gameplay which I've been waiting for 20 years for a modern game to replicate. Still waiting. To run this well in Windows 10 you'll need to set the compatibility mode on the HostileWaters.exe and HostileSetup.exe to Windows 8 to achieve higher resolutions than 1280x1024. Highest it goes to this way is 2048x1536 for me. Running the game through Steam resets the compatibility mode to Windows 98/Me, which you can prevent by…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The memories of playing it 15 years ago left something to the imagination. Playing it now is like getting glasses and finding out your girlfriend is actually a 6/10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →absolutely love it! a great combination of top-down strategy game and first person shooter.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →all right, time to brush my teeth and go to sleep I actually did once...have...an idea, I don't know if it's mechasploitation, but it is cool! Basically, I was inspired by a niche RTS/Action game, Antaeus Rising: Hostile Waters!
positive · AI labelView post →A timeless classic, sadly forgotten. Rage software wasn't the most innovative company back in the late 90's/early 2000's, but this game really stands out as a classic. It's a real successor to Carrier Command (and it's a lot better than the last Carrier Command game, which isn't bad but somehow has worse AI than this game, even though Bohemia's CC is from last year) It's a shame that people didn't buy this title when it was released, because I'd have loved to play a sequel.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What’s your “no one remembers but me” game? Hostile Waters Anteus Rising A carrier command sequel/successor with body horror narrated by Tom Wilson and the best command queue control system ever
positive · AI labelView post →come on guys soon I will make Luke write a deep dive on why Hostile Waters : Antaeus Rising was the best game of its era
neutral · AI labelView post →Graphics are a bit rough but it's a sweet strategy game. You can control a lot more than most strategy games and you command units while fighting as sweet vehicles. Many things to upgrade and a fun story mode.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the few games that I played all the way through. Always wanting to push ahead to see what was coming next. Issue orders to your team or take control yourself. Your team will give you attitude if you place them in the wrong vehicle and you can also turn harsh language on/off in menu. I loved playing this game. Catchy menu tune, narrated by Tom Baker (The best Dr Who!) what's not to like. Buy it now!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game brings back so many memories, I got this when it first game out, I read reviews back on the old Funcoland Website and i rushed out to get it. The game play was very fun and engaging and the A.I. made the game great. Cursing and each one having their own personality made this game a gem of its time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Im 34 years old, I'v finished countless games, Im playing since i was 4 years old, I finished Hostile waters around 6 times more then 100h on this game (even before steam was established) and yet one of the BEST GAMES EVER!!! just love it!! the diffrent style the player can use, every time the need to think and plan. the sory line is amasing this game is LEGENDARY!! funny to think about it i think i still have the original CD lost in my room...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Everyone claiming " this game is too old " ... " the graphics are outdated " ... " it doesn't use 2020's steam integrated features " ... " doesn't use cloud-based save storage " deserves to be slapped in the face ... with a shovel. Yes. it needs some tweaks and compatibility work before it actually works on modern PCs. Spending 15 minutes googling the damn fixes would open up an amazing experience of a game filled with some of the best sci-fi ever put across in the video-game media.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Purchased it for the nostalgia, still as good as I remembered it. Back when games weren't as good as they are now, this one was a gem (and it still is a gem in comparison to a lot of games from 2017 lol). The story - I loved it. The gameplay - I loved it. The graphics - I used to love them (I only noticed how dated they are in recent years) The "input feel" - sharp af Repetitivity - nonexistant.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dumb, overly convoluted interface. Ugly graphics and poor controls. None of the buttons make sense what they do and there are so many different ones it is annoying to try to remember what each random key does. No thanks game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Truthfully my favorite strategy game. I played this back when it was new and am amazed it has held up so well. It isn't a game where you just tell your units what to do and kick back, you have to adapt to the situation and at times be a pilot yourself (I piloted in most if not all missions, It just feels so much more involved). You learn what each soul is good at and surprisingly they do have fairly decent AI, if nothing else for the time the game is from. The banter gets a bit repetitive…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Possibly one of my all-time favorite games. I have bought this game 3 times by now, for one reason or another. The story is rather unique and the setting you find yourself in is like few others I have ever seen. The fact that this game came out in the age of giant PC game boxes and has continued to be sold non-stop even up until today is saying something in and of itself. However, the feel of the game and its re-playability have been key reasons for why I just keep coming back to it. From…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of those old gems for me. It is old school RTS wih a twist. It's one of those games where even the flaws seem to become somehow endeering. The voice acting - meh. The story - B movie. The gameplay - Enjoyable and only frustrating for mostly all the right reasons. The sound - It exists, but you wont think about it. It just feels natural. The graphics - 2001 The difficulty - from "not too bad" to "OH GOD PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" if you let the AI push forward. This for me is just…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →That's a lot of different categories. I like naval warfare games, but I tend towards the sim side, not the "experience being someone there" sort. The naval warfare game that I have played the most of recently is [*Rule the Waves 3*](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2008100/Rule_the_Waves_3/). That's definitely not an eye candy game, but it models the design and development of warships from 1880 into the Cold War, the construction of fleets, and the tactics when they meet, has a lot of…
neutral · AI labelView post →Welp as promised The game is Hostile Waters : Antaeus Rising I will not be taking questions
neutral · AI labelView post →Unfortunately i cannot recommend the Steam version of this game if you want to use Steam integrated functions. For some, to me unknown, reason the game on Steam is forced to run via its launcher with forced Win98 compat. settings while confirmed working option is up to WinXPSP3. This causes number of problems ranging from no startup param. support (meaning no windowed mode), no higher screen res than 1280x1024 and the worst is that it causes a lot of stuttering due to excessive CPU core0…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Underrated. Unknown (for it's importance). Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising brought the shooter, the vehicular combat, the RTS and the vehicle building/customizing games all together in a, not quite glorious, but rather a gritty, dark world where your team of professional uploaded-mind fighters chat commenting on their kills or just make small talk while each is playing his part in saving the world. During a typical game you'll be commanding from a large navy ship that functions also as a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ignore all the children complaining in negative reviews here who barely went past 'main menu' screen and threw a hissy fit: "Ugh bad graphics" "Such old and bad game" "No reason to play this" If you're looking for a game with very unique gameplay mechanics (some of which are rarely seen in today's games), very good story with interesting plot twists, quite good music, various different ways to achieve your objectives and you don't care about "next gen graphics" then Hostile Waters: Antaeus…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, one of my favorites - 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Script by Warren Ellis creator of The Authority, Global Frequency, RED and Planetary. Narrated by the fourth doctor Tom Baker Performed by Blake's 7 actors Paul Darrow (Avon) and Glynis Barber (Soolin). Control biochipped crewmembers and defeat an archepeligo stronghold of warmongers. Warning this game is 15 years old but did try something different and at $0.99 it is a steal.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My childhood right here, played this on a Pentium 4 with some ViA integrated GPU, ran crappy. Re-played this recently on an i5 with a HD 7750 GPU, still ran crappy, still finished it. And I am picky when it comes to framerate. AI is kinda bad too, especially your AI... most frustrating moments were because my AI screwed up badly. Someone did tell me that it runs way better in windowed mode but it was too late, already finished it xD I can't remember if I finished it the first time I played,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved this game when it was first released and it holds up just as well as I remember. The graphics, physics, gameplay, and story are all top notch, despite its age. I highly recommend this game and giving it at least a few levels before you make your decision about it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To say that hostile waters is an underrecognised game would be an understatement TLDR: A vehicular action/strategy game that stands the test of time, with solid controls and graphics and a story with a poingnant setting that is more than meets the eye Interestingly enough, Hostile Waters is a game that has withstood the test of time. From a graphics perspective, it is a product of its time and budget. It came out in 2001. At that year, games like aquanox, Halo CE and a slew of other games…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is rare but sometimes you can find a game with plot that inspire player to make our world better. Hostile Waters is one of these. Steam can't show true time which I spend on playing this absorbing game. However it's old title which I love to come back and play once again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Actually enjoyed playing this game. love 2000 games! If you can get past the old graphics then you will love this game, Each level is new which brings weapons and units. Pro: voice acting. Day/night cycle Strategy Interesting mechanics. Con: Controls
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, too bad it doesn't have multiplayer co-op but it's understandable since this was made back in 2000. It's a great fundation and deserves a proper modern remake.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you don't own this BUY IT NOW, Especially when it goes on sale for a few dollars or less. You will definatley get you money's worth and it's one of the very few Hybrid Strategy games that acctually works.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you are reading this then you are wasting time that could be better spent playing this fine ass game. There are only two bad things about this game: 1) No multiplayer. 2) No skirmish mode. Other than that, you can play the hell out of this game and will be a better person for having done so.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I sadly cannot launch this game anymore, but I used to play this all the time when I was younger. I inherited a few items from my uncle and this game was something that was with it. Why do I recommend it, my own emotional attachments aside? It is a gem of its time, and ahead of its time as well. The setting is one where world peace was achieved, a utopia exists, but the old powers want to retake it. You are a resurrected soldier, with a roster of others through a sophisticated program to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First released in 2001, Hostile Waters is a hybrid action/RTS style game where you command a large warship and try to save the world. Unfortunately the game has dated... a lot. No widescreen and a very limited selection of resolutions, clunky controls, and low poly models that have aged badly. Sometimes, you can't go home again.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Still good after all these years
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gameplay (1/5) History (1/5) Graphics (1/5) Soundtrack (2/5) Characters (1/5) Setting (1/5) Multiplayer / Co-op (-/-) Difficulty (2/5) Fun (1/5)
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simple...simply good! I can't even imagine how blockbuster this must've been in 2001, but it's absolutely "fun". I hear about problems with pathfinding, and I can't confirm or dispell them, so keep an eye out for that. So far so good. There's only "campaign" mode which is unfortunately linear, not particularly many ways to go about "use helicopters, assault base", but it does instance you in various areas and just say "go", not ridiculously handholding past the first few operations. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This old remix of Carrier Command is a fantastic blend of first-person vehicle combat and real-time-strategy. Although it starts slow (2 or 3 tutorial missions), the complexity builds gradually, till you are ordering multiple units whilst simultaneously fighting/driving yourself. The great voice-work is fun too ("I'm an aviator : A-V-I-A-T-O-R") Good times
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →20+ years on, still the best game no one played. A unique masterpiece.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising (2001) Classic oldschool game by today's standards. Antaeus Rising is a mix between a strategy game where you control a vehicle. As you go through the missions you get new vehicles to use. The cinematics and music in the game is also spot on. It is an old game so it might take you a while to get used to it and once you do its a great game to play. I haven't played this back in 2001 but I can say its a worth your money if your looking for something different.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome game, played this so many times on and off over the years. I only wish that I had just found this game so it was brand new to me so I didn't know the story backwards! 10/10 recommend - a long forgotten hidden gem.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →realy good game, even after 17 years, wish there was more strategy/action games like this
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For 2001 this was gold.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Adolescence: The age between puberty and adultery.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've played this dozens of times and It will never get old :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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