Plunder Pirates

Ahoy there me hearties, here be treasure!

Launched on iOS last year, Midoki’s seafaring strategy MMO has finally landed on Android shores. It plays identically and you can even continue your existing iOS game on Android by entering a special code – a nice touch for those who are juggling devices.

Plunder Pirates offers a well-balanced combination of resource building, maritime exploration and good-oldfashioned plundering of rival bases. The early focus is on building up your island base, unlocking new structures and upgrading your defences and attacking capabilities. Key to all of this action is the production of gold and grog, from mines and distilleries respectively.

The third currency in the Plunder Pirates universe is gems; these are more difficult to source, found occasionally while seafaring or earned via certain achievements. Fortunately, while IAP bundles are available to speed up things such as building, the freemium aspect never becomes overbearing. Indeed, you can play the game perfectly happily without ever needing to shell out any of your real gold.

Merrily sailing around the high seas is the other main part of the game. Your ship’s crew is recruited from the tavern; the pirates come in various types and can be trained up in order to give them special powers for when you are in battle. In addition to attacking all of the AI bases on the map, you can act like a real pirate and plunder those of other players to earn gold and grog. You only get three minutes to mount your attack, with a bonus earned for achieving 100% destruction. Naturally, this means that your own base may be targeted by others, so an essential part of the gameplay is to build some serious defences such as cannons, mines and walls.

A friendlier aspect is the guild system, enabling you to team up with other players to chat, gain bonus perks and battle rival guilds in the newly added rumbles. It adds an extra facet to a fun, compulsive experience with a decent amount of strategy. The only slight, but obviously necessary, downside is the inability to play it offline.