Game Reviews

ChartFight

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ChartFight

You have to question just whether we need all the technology at our fingertips today. When camera phones became all the rage just a few years ago, I asked myself just why anyone would ever need a camera on hand 24/7. Now, I'm not too stubborn to admit that hardly a day goes by when I'm not snapping a picture of some view.

If I had to justify that purchase to my old self, however, I think I'd struggle to find the words to explain just why I now couldn't do without my trusty new gadget. In truth, we love this technology simply because it's there. If it disappeared tomorrow, we'd survive – but boy, we'd miss it.

Some games appear, at least at first, to be guilty of this too. I mean, just why would anyone want to play Battleship on their mobile phone when a pad and pen would do the job quite adequately?

Battleship-on-your-mobile is exactly what ChartFight represents and, when it's put like that, you'd wonder just why anyone would fork out £2.99/$4.99 to play an age-old game on their new piece of kit. Nevertheless, Mutant Piano sails against that wind and has set about including the odd feature or two to set it apart from its tried-and-true inspiration.

The most obvious, of course, is the control method, and in this respect, ChartFight couldn't be simpler. The aim, of course, is to try and sink all of your enemy's ships before they sink yours. Doing so is a case of guesswork, as you take it in turns to fire on specific squares on your rival's maps though ships only become visible once you've actually hit them. Anyone who knows the game of Battleship will be instantly familiar with this set-up, as the developer has made no attempt to alter the foundations of the game.

Both your own map and that of your rival is clearly displayed on the screen (its default state is to show the latter – the map you're attacking – much larger), with a mere tap required to switch between the two. Attacking is done in a similar manner. Targeting a space involves moving the cross-hairs by sliding your finger around the map. Once a space is selected, you just tap the square or touch the big 'Fire' button situated in the bottom-right corner.

The number and class of ships your rival commands are listed in the information screen, but other than that you're left to your own devices. As with Battleship, you're free to contrive your own strategies to outwit an opponent, yet the game essentially relies on educated guesswork – checking every square for signs of life at sea.

The very placement of your own vessels is determined by shaking your phone before play. In truth, it simply mixes the ships around routinely and doesn't respond directly to your shakes, but it's a nice touch, nonetheless.

ChartFight is a golden opportunity for multiplayer, of course, which makes the lack of wi-fi support akin to a sailor with scurvy – the experience isn't full bodied. It's possible to take on friends via a local wireless connection, but wi-fi multiplayer would obviously be preferable.

Which, in itself, is a fair summation of Mutant Piano's stab at Battleship. ChartFight works perfectly fine, but whether it's worth a purchase – even for such a insignificant price – comes down to just how desperate you are to blow a buddy's boat out of the digital waters.

ChartFight

Entirely proficient, if a little plain, ChartFight sails through familiar territory
Score
Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.