OMG! Pirates!
“Ha! Foolish Ninja! Behold the power of rum-powered technology!”
So says one of the pirate bosses in Mika Mobile’s newest game for the iPhone (and iPod touch). OMG! Pirates! is a heaping serving of awesome. Unless, of course, you side with the pirates, in which case you are a fool. In this game, you take the role of the lone ninja battling the pirates who have invaded the ninja village. Slash your way through wave after wave of pirates, taking the battle to their home turf, where you will face their ultimate weapon: … but of course I shouldn’t give it away. Suffice to say, it involves rum. And piracy.
Noah Bordner of Mika Mobile explains:
While the game definitely plays off the silly and absurd “Pirates vs. Ninjas” meme, I hope you’ll find that it’s also a solid action game first and foremost. As an old-school geek myself, games like Double Dragon and River City Ransom from the NES days were the core inspiration behind it. It’s a game of positioning, timing, and most of all careful defense (via jumping and blocking)—button mashing won’t get you very far!
The lone ninja
I got the chance to try it out, and I had a great time with it. The cartoon style of the graphics is fantastic, and when you unleash your “ultimate technique” it’s just a pleasure to watch. Unfortunately, there’s a limited number of enemy types, so it does get a little repetitive. However, as you play you also level up and gain different moves and better skills. “Ninja Vanish” was one of my favorites. Also, after you get through the nine levels and defeat the big bad boss, you unlock the Hard difficulty level as well as Survival mode, an all-you-can-fight buffet of pirate baddies.
A few minor quibbles: I wish that there were multiple player profiles, because when I let a friend play they were leveling up my ninja stats, and they didn’t get to start from scratch. Also, I did have a few problems with the controls from time to time but that may be my own clumsy fingers. Still, for the current $1.99 price, it’s a pretty good buy. In the week since I first downloaded it, I’ve logged nearly four hours and over 2,000 pirates slain.
Just a note for parents: while it is quite cartoony, the pirates do get hacked into pieces, so use your own judgment about whether it’s appropriate for younger kids.
Wired: One word: Ninja! (Oh, and great graphics and gameplay.)
Tired: Limited number of enemies; not recommended for pirate-o-philes.
Buy OMG! Pirates! from the iTunes Store.
