Beautiful sunsets, a foreign animal- and plant-world, the scent of fine spices is in the air. The Far East has always magically attracted adventurers, soldiers of fortune, and explorers as well as traders and merchants.

For about 400 years merchants in different countries organized themselves into companies in order to send large shipping fleets to the Far East.

They expected rich profits from these trips, because spices such as pepper and nutmeg were worth their weight in gold.

Batavia takes the players to the Golden Age of the East India companies. Whoever can travel to the stations with the most lucrative goods can get the best varieties and rake in the gold by the end of the game.