FunPirate

It is a bubble shooter. There is a cannon, a great many coloured orbs, and a captain called Grog who is far more interested in treasure than in seamanship. You supply the aim. Drag anywhere on the deck and the cannon swings. A dotted rope shows where the orb will land, bank off the hull included. Let go, and if three or more of a colour meet, they burst. The trick, once you spot it, is not the bursting at all: it is working out which orb is holding an entire section up, and cutting that one instead. The rest falls into the sea, and the sea pays considerably better. WHAT IS ACTUALLY IN IT 120 islands, laid out across four seas: Lagoon Isle, Palm Cove, Coral Reef and the Kraken's Deep. They are not 120 versions of the same board. Six different things can be asked of you - empty the cluster, free every chest, drop a set number of orbs, shear off every barnacle, or simply hold out while the ceiling comes down on you. Every chapter ends with the Kraken. It takes hold of the ceiling with its tentacles, and the only way onward is to work each one loose until it lets go and the whole cluster comes down with it. Four islands are missing from the chart entirely. Crack every chest on the right boards, collect a chapter's five map fragments, and one of them turns up. THE CANNON, AND WHAT GOES IN IT The Kraken Cannon is the good one: a charged broadside that takes a hole straight through the cluster. It is not for sale, at any price. Combos fill the meter and nothing else does. Beyond that there are barnacle orbs that want hitting twice, chests that spill doubloons, powder kegs, rainbow orbs that pass for any colour, and Kraken ink that will not budge for anything short of an explosion. Four consumables can be bought mid-board with doubloons you have earned, and the ship's hold sells permanent upgrades, five cannon skins and five sets of orbs. Loot the macaw sits on the cannon. Hesitate for a bit and he will point out a decent shot. He does this for nothing, as often as you need, and takes no view on your ability. AFTER THE 120 Daily Blast gives you one board a day, and it is the same board for everyone, which makes it worth mentioning to a friend. Endless Plunder gives you unlimited orbs and no ending whatsoever; the tide sees you off eventually. NO INTERNET, NO ACCOUNT, NO CATCH The entire game is on your phone. There is nothing to sign into, no connection needed at any point, and nothing collected or sent anywhere. It works perfectly well on the Tube, on a plane, or somewhere the signal has simply given up. There is one currency and you earn it by playing. Nothing costs real money, nothing is on a timer, and there are no adverts between boards. READABLE, IF YOU NEED IT TO BE Colour-blind marks stamp a distinct silhouette on every orb colour. The aim rope can be turned off if you would rather judge it yourself. Reduced flash calms the sparks down, and sound, music and haptics each have a switch of their own. Game text is in English. Load the cannon. Cut the anchor. Watch it all go.