When I was small, I always wanted to be a Admiral of the Fleet. Look at the poise and power suggested by the title, the highest rank achievable in the UK Navy. US has Fleet Admiral, which is similar but not quite as cool. Sadly, it seems I’ll never get my chance to be Admiral of the Fleet in real life. However, Nexx Studio want to give me a chance to be one in my virtual life. Their brand new shiny app, Warship Solitaire, is a naval themed puzzler with some thrilling rules of engagement, and it’s out now for iOS.
Taking its cues from the wonderful 1960’s board game Battleship, which itself took cues from a game played by soldiers and sailors with pen and paper in World War 1, Warship Solitaire is the latest iteration in the ever-popular guessing game. Traditionally played with two players locked in head to head combat, Warship turns the format on its head by introducing the solitaire aspect. You play a series of predefined maps. There are no time limits, and no move is irreversible, which is a great move by the developers. You can really savour the challenge on this format; for those who always try to tackle the Tough Sudoku in the Sunday spreads, this long form puzzle gameplay will surely appeal.
Which is not to say you can’t have a couple of quick games too. Warship Solitaire has five levels of difficulty, Seaman, Lieutenant, Commander, Captain and Admiral. A competent player should be able to breeze through the early levels without problems, but the later boards do provide some serious challenges. The game helps you along by providing the location of one square of ship and one square of water before you begin playing. The gameplay is not unlike Sudoku now that I mention it; each column and row has an assigned number, corresponding to the number of ship parts in it. Each ship has three, two or one space assigned to it, though the game won’t tell you which type of ship you’ve landed; you have to figure that part out yourself, and only a complete grid will reveal all hiding places of the enemy.
It’s a seriously addictive game; I know that’s a term that gets bandied about quite a bit with these type of things, but with Warship Solitaire, it really does apply. Combine rapid-fire, intelligent gaming with a smooth, stylistic interface and bombastic soundtrack, and Warship Solitaire becomes quite the package. For fans of challenging games, and for long time fans of battleship (maybe even a few WWII veterans who’ve mastered the iPhone, you never know), this app is a must have.
Hoist anchor and set sail for the App Store to start sinking cruisers today!
