Pirates Ahoy! Review

Costas Stephanides’s Review

A pirate game with balls... cannonballs.

After reading the developer's description I wasn't sure what to expect. Was the game going to be a frantic chase across the seven seas or a simple game of Battleships. It's actually a little bit of both; but at its heart, it is a turn-based strategy game.

Not another one I hear you cry. Do not despair, this is not the usual two player turn-based war game. Pirates Ahoy can be played with up to four players (on the same handset).

Once you have chosen the number of players, the Pirat-O-Mat will randomly select a captain/ship for you. I'm not sure if different shipd have different strengths/weakness but some do tend to dish out more damaging shots than others. The AI of the ships does definitely vary. Check out the help section to get the full lowdon on enemy tactics.

Battle takes place in the Carribbean sea and the map is randomly generated each time. The graphics are very good, the colours are bright and bold and there is a fun feel to the game.

The aim is to move your ship around the seas to get in range of the enemy and exchange cannon shots. There has a been a bit of hype relating to the one-thumb controls and deservedly so.

One button does indeed control everything. Its definitely not the first to do this, however, the difference here is that it can be any button at any time - there is no need to set a designated button. No longer is the 'action' button the ubiquitous 5 or centre button, it can be practically any of the main buttons. If you have a worn out handset or a sticky D-pad, this is a great way to work around the problem. Also, if the dreaded RSI sets in you can readily change your hand position.

To move the ship, you have to select a direction and then the power. In the top corner, there is a meter to show the wind speed and direction. You do need to take this account before you choose your direction. Your choice of direction is limited to one of eight directions but by using the wind you can drift to any angle. Once you are close enough to a rival ship, you will automatically fire your cannon. You have no control over its accuracy but it will generally hit the target. That is the end of your turn. You can now sit next to your opponent like a sitting duck and exchange blows.

Damage is calculated in percentages. After every turn, all the percentages are displayed. Also, any ships with low percentages tend to smoke and look a bit worse for wear. One way to get your craft ship-shape is to collect power-ups.

The sea contains a number of floating crates, sail over these to collect your bounty. Usually you will get a power-up; double shots, boat repair and stronger sails are all available. Be careful because the crates can contain bombs which will damage you.

In a multiplayer game, full strength is restored when you destroy an enemy ship. Sometimes going for kamikaze on a weak ship will pay dividends. If you are feeling particularly evil, you can barge the ship thereby damaging both ships. You will then automatically fire and if the enemy is weak enough it will sink and you will be boosted back to 100%.

In multiplayer games, you can specify the total number of battles. Points are awarded for sinking ships and bonus points for being the last surviving ship. After all the battles, the points are added and a winner is declared.

It is a great multiplayer game and worth getting if you can get a few mates to join in.