Naval battles, for the most part, really haven’t been done well on the iPad, but Crimson: Steam Pirates is a wonderful exception to that rule, offering one of the most polished, surprising adventures to hit the app store in a long time. The game deftly balances story and gameplay and throws in a number of surprises to keep players engaged.

Taking a page from Sid Meier’s Pirates (the only other stellar pirate game app), the game uses a top-down view of the sea battles, but also folds in ship boardings and a local multiplayer mode. It’s the story that’s the real surprise, though. Instead of being an afterthought that’s not worth your time, it’s funny and thrilling. Having to pay for extra chapters is a bit frustrating, as it feels like there could be two versions of this game — a free a la carte one and a premium one with all content unlocked — but that’s quibbling. Crimson has become the must-have app for strategy fans, assuming they’re not too young.

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