Max’s Pirate Planet Is No Place For Landlubbers

Max's Pirate Planet - A Board Game Adventure ($2.99) by Slant Six Games Inc. is a 3-D pass-and-play game where you travel the globe, looking for treasure. Spin the wheel of bones to see how far you can go. If another pirate gets in your way, battle head-to-head to steal his booty.

Players start by picking from five different characters. You can play as Rusty the fox, Emma the girl, Skully the skeleton, Finn the shark, or Alex the boy. Whichever characters you don’t choose will become the computer-generated opponents.

To play the game, first spin the wheel to see how many moves you can make. Then, you will see the game board, which is represented by a small globe. You can chose your path and move the number of spaces that the wheel landed on.

Every time you play a turn, you will be presented with either a card to choose or a teleportation gate. You don’t have to pick one of the special bonuses. However, this makes the game more fun because you will never have a turn where nothing can happen at all.

If you pick a card, you might be able to move three additional spots, or be transported to the nearest treasure. If you are unlucky, you’ll lose a treasure and have to go back to your starting spot.

If you move to a teleportation gate, it will transport you to a random spot on the board. If you are nowhere near a treasure or opponent, the teleportation gate will get you to a new spot that may be more convenient for your next move.

If you land on a treasure chest, you will play a mini game in order to beat the monster that is protecting the loot. Mini games include tapping away spiders, swiping at octopi tentacles, and avoiding garbage while being chased by a whale. If you beat the monster, you win the treasure. The goal of the game is to collect four treasure chests.

If you land on the same spot as your opponent, you can battle head-to-head in a duel. Duels include sword fighting, using swipe action, and cannon ball attacks, using tapping action. The player who survives the round wins the battle and steals one of their opponent’s treasures. The loser is sent back to their starting spot with one less chest.

Once you’ve collected four treasure chests, you will fight a final mini game against Barnacle Bill. If you successfully knock him down with your cannonball, you will win the game. If not, you will have to try again on your next turn. The game ends when someone beats Barnacle Bill.

This is definitely a kids’ game. It is too simple for anyone over the age of 10 to enjoy. However, it is a great way to keep up to four youngsters occupied in a pass-and-play game.

There are a few things that could stand to be changed. First of all, since the game requires four players at all times, it fills in the missing players with computer-generated opponents. You should be allowed to speed up the CG opponents’ turns. Waiting for three other non-existent players to take their turn is excruciating. Additionally, there should be an option to adjust the level of intelligence and ability of the computer players. They make simple mistakes and can’t seem to beat you in a duel, no matter what.

Overall, this is a fun game for kids between the ages of 6 and 10. It is too simple to be a challenge for anyone older. However, for the younger ones, this is a fun game that lets them play with up to three of their friends in pass-and-play style gaming. The computer-generated opponents need some minor adjustments, but other than that, the game is solid. If you have kids, you may want to add this to their gaming folder. At only $2.99, it will keep them busy for most of your next road trip.