how to play
Pirate Ring is an iOS game for iPad, developed by Secret Base Design. It can be played in two-player mode or in single-player mode against an A1 opponent. You can set three levels of difficulty. At this time, Pirate Ring is not available for Android devices or Windows/PC.
ARE YOU GAME ENOUGH?
Many players tell us they cannot beat the game in Captain mode, and a survey of the Leaderboard over the last few years confirms this. How can Pirate Ring, with such a simple playboard—8 pieces total, only 11 spaces to move them—be so difficult to unlock and win? That’s exactly what a PuzzleNation reviewer discovered. “I played the one-player mode, and the A1 opponent was a Beast!” was the finding of the blogger’s review. “If you want a game that really taxes your brain, this is a good one to play.”
Pirate Ring is a formidable challenge. To stand a chance to win, you’ll need to carefully select your moves. It’s as if someone took a grandmaster’s Chess match and configured it like a puzzle by jumping ahead to endgame, just a few pieces left in play… then dropped you into the opponent’s chair. The Captain would glare at you and offer a stern warning, “Arr, your ships’ll soon be mine!” Using your wits, patience, and the discovery of new tactics, you might just eventually prevail, but not before you’ve lost much of your fleet to the merciless Captain.
The beginner/intermediate modes allow you to ramp up and grasp the finer details of Pirate Ring. There’s also a reward screen with levels and goals to achieve. Each game is short and compact, a perfect refinement of all the ‘good stuff’ from turn-based classics that are innovated here into something we think is novel and new: a fast-play puzzler that’s so brainteasing you might think it’s an IQ test.
In Pirate Ring, your very first move thrusts you into danger. The potential to win or lose is always right there before you, a condition of the vulnerable and unique way the game is ended. The center Dreadnay is conveniently reached by more than half the spaces on the board, so it’s not some faraway, fortified position. But to move there and win, that’s the challenge. Let’s explain. Since you only have four pieces, the one you move to the center is effectively pushed out-of-play. It no longer helps you score or defend. That means you have to first carefully maneuver to win with just three pieces—as you sacrifice the fourth to the Dreadnay. Players who take the biggest risks will find the greatest rewards, but it’s a trade-off because your fortunes can turn quickly in the Pirate Ring.
“As advertised, the game is very puzzle-esque and dominated by tactics. However, the tactics are diverse enough to give the game high replayability and enjoyability ratings.”
GAME DESIGNERS
Pirate Ring is designed and animated by Tom Klein, who also makes the game available as a wooden board game (limited independent distribution). The digital app is programmed by Patrick Madden and illustrated by Marcela Cabrera. To learn more, watch Tom offer a game tutorial for beginners. Pirate Ring is registered on the App Store by Secret Base Design.