Kindle Apps Blog

Pirate Stash is part of Amazon’s own collection of free Kindle games.  So, this game works very nicely with the Kindle platform.

The object of Pirate Stash is to push a treasure chest full of gold to the “X” on a different part of the board.  It is a lot like navigating a maze.  Be careful about getting trapped in the corner!  The good news is, you can always hit the back button to undo your last move.

The puzzles start out super easy, but they get harder pretty quickly.  There are beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert levels.  In between you’ll find introduction and training to get you acclimated to the way the game is played.  I tried out the advanced and expert levels.  Those take some major strategic thinking skills.  The number of treasure chests you have to push increases as you advance through the levels as well.

Amazon has done a good job with the graphics.  They’re very clear and designed in a way that compliments the game.

Pirate Stash will keep you busy for awhile.  It includes a good sized collection of puzzles.  In order to move the treasure chest, you just use the Kindle’s 5-way toggle button.  One minor frustration for me was that the treasure chest got away from me because the toggle went faster than I intended.  Just be careful and don’t over use it.

You really can’t go wrong with downloading Pirate Stash.  It is a great quality game, and best of all, it is free.  Amazon also has a fair number of other good quality free Kindle games available to download.

Fun game for all ages!

kt simms

“I really like logical and strategic games and this is a great but simple one. The graphics are very clear – right down to his peg leg and his footprints in the sand. There are 118 puzzles (if you count the introduction and advanced training puzzles) in 7 different categories, with each category growing progressively more challenging to solve. It includes the standard game features (restart, undo, timer, reveal solution, leave the game and return to it, etc.). The “Undo” is great in that you can reverse move after move rather than only being able to undo the last one. I also like that the timer doesn’t start until you make your first move, giving you a bit of time to assess the board and plan your moves. ”

Pirate Stash is now compatible with the latest generation keyboardless Kindle.

Dusk World has been around since Amazon started offering games on the Kindle. So, it is interesting to compare it to some of the other interactive fiction games out there and see how the games have improved over time.

Dusk World is an interactive adventure book where you determine the outcome of the story. The main character is Agent Patriot. Agent Patriot was convicted of a crime he has no memory of committing. the goal of the game/story is to figure out who actually committed the crime and who framed the agent.

The story is mostly white on black, which is unusual, and fits the overall mood of the Dusk World. Navigation is pretty simple. You just have to follow the lead of the story as it asks you questions on what choices to make. There’s a few comic like pictures that are mixed in. Always good to have some pictures in there to give a better idea of what you’re working with. Some of them are quite scary!

If you really like interactive game books, you should also check out the Fighting Fantasy series. They have a number of good stories to choose from. Another set of game books to try is the Choice of Games selection.

The only major downside to these games are that they are all pretty short. The good news is that there is a growing collection of them. So, they may be short, but there is a good variety.

Interactive fiction is a great way to get kids to read who otherwise would not show any interest. It engages them in a way that most traditional books can’t do. They also have a video game like quality to them, that can really draw you in.

So, great game for a good price. Dusk World has started an interactive fiction revolution.

tonya

“Love this interactive graphic novel! I will agree with some of the other reviews…the story and interactive content is a bit thin, but I see great potential for future books. The novelty of it has won me over (it brings back my childhood love of comics) and I think the younger readers could be drawn to this type of Kindle book (with the right content, of course). Writers/artists…get cracking!! ”

Rover

“I expected this to be more of a straight up choose your own adventure type book, but it is more complex than that. It is like a mashup between a comic book, those old text interactive fiction games, and a choose your own adventure book. Not only can you choose what to do, you can make a lot of choices about who you talk to and what you say. There are even combat sequences (sort of)!”