Stoneship Review

Stoneship comes from the makers of Myst, which makes it all the surprising just how lightweight the game is. Fortunately this is hugely to its benefit as it makes for an entertaining turn based strategy game that's simple to drop in and out of as you please.

You play ship-based adventurers who must explore each level while vanquishing all the pirates and monsters. To achieve this you must explore the map by tapping on each available square. Along the way you can find harbors that can increase the number of crew members as well as weaponry and treasure to boost your score and firepower.

It's a simple little game to get the hang of. The key to success is clearly to acquire as many crew members as possible before the time limit runs out and the pirate ship appears for you to defeat. Once a battle does occur, gameplay switches to somewhat of a rhythm game, whereby tapping the respective fire buttons quickly is the name of the game.

It's not an overly deep game: providing you memorize the pattern to each level, you can always return to earlier stages in order to acquire better high scores and medals. You can also unlock 'first mates,' which provide additional bonuses -- these come in handy at later stages. Its visuals are very charming and cartoon-like which further enhance the casual nature of the game.

Stoneship makes a wonderfully light distraction. It's the kind of game you plan to play for five minutes then realise an hour has passed already. The promise of future updates offering new levels and first mates just makes it all the more appetizing a product.