OMG Pirates!

We don't know who started the war between pirates and ninjas, but thank god they did, because without their dedication to this noble cause, we'd miss out on playing OMG Pirates! on the iPhone. Mika Mobile, creators of the equally entertaining Zombieville USA, produced a fun 2-D hack-an-slash adventure with plenty of blood, peg-legged sea captains and one angry, pajama-wearing ninja. With multiple levels of mayhem, attractive visuals and a $1.99 asking price, it's one of the best apps you can buy.

For whatever reason, a bunch of angry pirates invade the land of ninjas and do the unthinkable: set the village on fire. Powered by revenge, a lone ninja warrior (that's you) sets off on a quest to dismember each rum swilling buccaneer with his trusty blade. That, of course, is easier said than done, since the pirates come in different types. There are sword-carrying crewmembers, bomb-throwing buccaneers, pirates with rifles, meat cleavers and even huge bosses, one of which uses a barrel of rum as a rocket pack. They also have a nasty habit of surrounding the hero and scoring cheap hits, something that makes OMG Pirates! rather difficult. Fortunately, the game restarts you on the last board, and will automatically save your progress after quitting.

You'll respond to this threat by mashing the onscreen red button like crazy, unleashing a barrage of sword slashes. In addition, you can jump with the green button and not take damage, and over time, your ninja will earn new maneuvers, like a mid-air slash and advanced three-button combo. Finally, there's good old-fashioned ninja magic, achieved by filling up a blue orb.

It's all very enjoyable, especially when the ninja parries and then unleashes a finishing move that decimates those annoying pirates. Plus, Mika Mobile did excellent work with the graphics and audio. All of the characters sport cute animations, and the various backgrounds (burning ninja village, forest, tavern) look wonderful. As for the music, the upbeat tracks are a nice contrast to the carnage, while the various sword clangs and slicing noises will pull you further into the game.

There's not much wrong with the experience, other than the buttons sometimes failing to respond after several rapid presses. But that's a small issue compared to the game's overall quality. OMG Pirates!, especially at $1.99, is one of the iPhone's most entertaining apps, and worth downloading immediately.