Blackbeard's Assault

Game Description: Help Blackbeard avenge his father and defeat the sea serpent and his Ninja master. It's time to set sail for the open seas in this highly addictive action puzzler.

How to Play Blackbeard's Assault:

• This free demo version of Blackbeard's Assault has the first 10 levels of play.
• Click the 'Play Blackbeard's Assault' button.
• If this is your first time playing you will be asked to enter a name in the 'New User' box. You must type in something in order to play the game. This can be a nickname, your first name, or just a letter of the alphabet. Don't worry about this. You are the only one who can see it. By the way, if you happen to type in several different names this means that several of your games will be saved, instead of just one.
• Click 'Adventure Mode'. ('Survival Mode' cannot be played here at Richard's Game Reviews).
• Click 'Episode 1'. ('Episode 2' contains levels 11-20 and cannot be played on my site).
• Select your difficulty: Easy, Normal, or Hard.
• Use your mouse to aim the cannon.
• Left click to fire.
• Each level has more than one cannon for you to use.
• To switch cannons: click on another cannon with your mouse, press your Spacebar, or use your mouse wheel.
• Create matches of 3 or more like-colored balls to destroy them.
• Don't let any balls get to the X!
• If you get in trouble use your fireable Power Ups.
• Your fireable Power Ups are shown as icons at the top of the screen. You are allowed to have up to three.
• To use a fireable Power Up, just click on an icon or use your number keys 1-3 before aiming and firing the cannon.
• There are four kinds of fireable Power Ups. They are: Color Remover, Bomb, Mult-Shot, and Chain-Shot.
• Color Remover -- probably your most effective fireable Power Up. It destroys all balls of the color it hits.
• Bomb -- It destroys a large number of balls in the area it hits.
• Mult-Shot -- This Power Up fires a spread of shrapnel, destroying any ball it hits.
• Chain-Shot -- It ricochets around destroying anything in its path.
• Watch for spinning crates. Each spinning crate has a fireable powerup inside. If you can shoot a spinning crate you may earn an additional powerup. (You can store up to three). For instance, if you shoot a spinning crate with a Color Remover inside, you could earn another Color Remover. Shoot a spinning crate with a Bomb inside of it, and you could earn another Bomb and so forth.
• In addition to fireable Power Ups, there are five other types of Power Ups you can use. They are: Riptide, Dead Eye, Bomb, Sea Serpent, and Anchors Away! These five Power Ups are built into special balls. To use these Power Ups you simply destroy the special ball with the Power Up by matching it with 3 or more like-colored balls.
• Riptide -- You can recognize a Riptide ball because it will have an arrow inside of it. When the Riptide ball is destroyed it creates a strong current and pushes the cannonball line back.
• Dead Eye -- The Dead Eye ball has a circle inside of it. Destroy the Dead Eye ball to increase your cannon firing speed and accuracy.
• Bomb -- The Bomb ball, as you might expect, has the picture of a bomb inside of it. Destroy the Bomb ball and it explodes, destroying nearby balls.
• Sea Serpent -- This unusual ball has the picture of a sea serpent inside of it. Destroy the Sea Serpent ball to call a monster to fight for you.
• Anchors Away! This ball has the picture of an anchor inside of it. Destroy the Anchors Away! ball and it slows the cannonballs.
• Watch your Power Meter. (It looks like a sword and is at the top of the screen). When you score points your Power Meter fills. Once it is full, no more balls will enter the screen.
• Pieces of Eight -- Shoot these coins and gain 500 points. This helps get your Power Meter full faster!
• You begin level 1 with 3 lives. Your lives are depicted by the cannons at the upper left corner. (You can never have more than 3 lives).
• You begin level 1 with 3 fireable Power Ups: 1 Color Remover, 1 Bomb, and 1 Mult-Shot. (You can never have more than 3 fireable Power Ups).
• Each time the balls reach the X, you lose 1 life.
• Sometimes, when you start a new level you may only have 1 or 2 lives remaining. If you have used some of your fireable Power Ups, you may have less than 3. You may even have none.
• Please read this very carefully: If you lose all 3 of your lives, Blackbeard's Assault will show you a 'Game Over' screen. Don't believe it! There is absolutely no possible way you can lose this game. (What this really means is this. You have to repeat the last level you were on). Click the 'Continue' button and something wonderful will happen. Not only do you get to repeat the last level you were on but you also get 3 brand new lives and 3 fireable Power Ups (1 Color Remover, 1 Bomb, and 1 Mult-Shot) are restored!
• Your game progress is saved automatically after each level.
• You can pause the game by clicking the 'Menu' button located at the upper right corner, or by pressing 'P'.
• You can save your game progress in the middle of a level from the Pause menu.
• If you wish to continue a saved game, you can come back here to Richard's Game Reviews and pick up where you last left off. (You must use the same computer as before, to open your saved game).

Blackbeard's Assault Game Options: The game options can be accessed from the Pause menu. (Again, you can pause the game by clicking the 'Menu' button located at the upper right corner, or by pressing 'P').

• The Music Volume may be adjusted.
• The Sound Effects Volume may be adjusted.

Blackbeard's Assault Playing Tips:

• Switch cannons as needed.
• Look for chain reactions and combos. For instance, if you have the following sequence of balls: yellow, yellow, blue, blue, yellow, and yellow; you could fire a blue ball at the two adjoining blue balls and all 6 balls will be destroyed! (Your shot would take out the 2 blue balls because the blue ball you fired creates a match of 3 blue balls. And, the 2 yellow balls to the left of the 2 blue balls, would join with the 2 yellow balls to the right, forming a combination of 4 yellow balls.) Once you become a little bit experienced, you will easily learn how to recognize these combinations.
• Earn a chain bonus. If you keep getting matches in a row you will get a chain bonus. The more consecutive matches, the more points.
• Shoot pieces of eight to earn 500 quick points.
• Remember that points are important. Points fill up your Power Meter. And once your Power Meter fills up, no new balls will be added to the screen.
• If you do not see a match for a ball, or have no clear shot, what should you do? Well, there are two things you possibly can do. First, if you have a clear path to any edge of the game screen you may want to simply fire the ball 'off the screen' where it will harmlessly disappear. Another option would be to fire it next to a ball of the same color, thereby setting it up for a future match.
• Learn to recognize those 5 ball Power Ups and what they can do.
• Use your fireable Power Ups when necessary.

Richard's Rating: 4 out of 5.

Comments: Blackbeard's Assault has a great story, great sounds and music, and great action. It is absolutely outstanding in every way possible!