Review: Stoneship - Conquer The Open Seas
by Felix Xiao
October 13, 2010
Overview
A thousands islands are yours for the taking, and you must conquer them with only a stoneship and a loyal first mate. Stoneship lets you explore the seven seas one piece at a time, discovering lucrative treasures and protecting your island ports from pirate invasions. As the game progress, fewer turns, viciously comical monsters, and stronger enemies are introduced.
Features
Stoneship includes 83 levels split into 4 chapters and a challenge mode with 20 levels. Each level has variations that make it slightly different every time you play through it and 3 medals that are earned from completing it with more efficiency. By completing key levels, you meet and unlock several first mates that provide different bonuses during gameplay. During your adventure, you will occasionally find treasure and weapons scattered on islands. There are also unique names for all the pirates and sea monsters faced during battles.The Good
At the start of most levels, you are presented with a map that is entirely unknown except for a single piece that shows an area with water. You are given a certain number of turns to do whatever you want to before the pirates attack, whether it be uncovering more pieces, collecting treasure, or expanding ports. The extensive amount of freedom in the game feels perfect and allows you to experiment with different strategies.
Battling enemies requires you to improve those reaction skills. After you use up all the provided turns, the game shows you which port the pirates will attack first. You then have 10 seconds to transfer sailors from connected ports to the target of attack. In the actual battle, all you have to do is tap the "Fire" button that appears in the proximity of your ship's cannons and damage the enemy before they send you to the bottom of the ocean. If defeated, you'll get another chance to attack at the closest port.
Stoneship has many levels, and you can receive either a bronze, silver, or gold medal on each one. Challenge mode adds a new height of difficulty with 2 pirate invasions per level. It'll take a while to get through the entire campaign, and developer Cyan Worlds has stated in the app description that additional content will be coming soon. The game has nice and light graphics with polished icons on all the levels.
