Broadside — Sail a Wooden Ship and Sink Sea Monsters

The short answer

Broadside is a free Android game where you sail a wooden ship and sink sea monsters at the end of every voyage. Its doubloons are earned by playing and spent on the ship, and they can't be bought or cashed out. There's no iPhone version yet; on an iPhone it plays in the browser, free and without ads.

Screenshots

The title screen, which is the first voyage sailing itself, with Set sail and the ways to the chart, the Shipwright and the logbook

The first voyage: hearts, castaways and doubloons along the top, jellyfish and flying fish coming down the sea

A broadside: the ship swings side-on and both rails fire at once

The kraken at the end of the first voyage, glowing before it throws, with its health bar along the top

Everything for Broadside

Play Broadside in your browser: no download, no ads.
Broadside coloring pages: free to print.
Mazes and drawing pages: including an island maze and a sea monster.
Ocean math worksheet: count, add and take away sea animals, with answers.
Games like Galaxy Attack: what each shooter costs.
Broadside on IndieDB: screenshots and update news.

About Broadside

Broadside is an arcade shooter in the shape of the old top-down plane games. Google Play lists it for players nine and up. You sail a 1700s wooden ship up the screen. The cannons fire on their own, so all you do is steer, by dragging anywhere on the sea. Round, big-eyed sea creatures come down at you, and some of them throw things. Every voyage ends with a sea monster: a kraken, a leviathan, a hydra, a dragon turtle, and a sea dragon to close each of the five seas. You can play it in this browser before you install anything.

It is free on Google Play for Android phones and tablets. There is no iPhone version yet, so on an iPhone the browser version is the way to play.

There are twenty-five voyages across five seas, from sunny shallows to a midnight sea, and each has its own scenery. Some are shoals, full of fish and easy doubloons; some are treasure voyages with chests to find; some have rows of rocks to steer between. Each has three stars: one for winning, one for rescuing every castaway, and one for sinking nearly every creature.

Twice a voyage you can fire a broadside: the ship swings side-on and both rails fire at once, clearing the water. Bonuses ride on the creatures' backs: more cannons, hearts, a powder keg for another broadside, two parrot wingmen, a bubble that takes a hit, and a magnet for doubloons.

Doubloons buy a stronger hull, heavier shot, more cannons and faster powder at the Shipwright, and paint for the hull, sails and flag. You win them at sea and spend them on the ship, and that’s all they do. Money can’t buy them and they never leave the game, unlike the coins in our reward apps, which come out as PayPal cash.

The seas come in three settings. Calm is for the youngest, Rough is the game as it is meant to be, and Stormy is for a child who has beaten it. A setting called Broadside to the rescue, on by default, fires a broadside by itself when a hit would sink your ship. The browser version has no ads and no analytics. Your progress is kept in this browser’s storage. The game has a privacy policy of its own.

How it plays

Steer. Drag anywhere on the sea, or use the arrow keys. The cannons fire on their own.
Keep clear. Creatures and what they throw cost a heart. Red is only ever your own hearts, never something to dodge.
Pick things up. Doubloons, bonuses on the creatures' backs, and three castaways to rescue on every voyage.
Fire a broadside. The big button, or Space. You get two a voyage, and the ship cannot be hurt while it fires.
Sink the sea monster. Its mouth glows before it throws, and a ball in the glow does double damage. Then spend your doubloons at the Shipwright.

Features

Twenty-five voyages across five seas, each ending with a sea monster
Steer and nothing else: the cannons fire on their own
Two broadsides a voyage, and a setting that fires one to save your last heart
Three stars a voyage, for winning, rescuing and sinking
Four upgrades and a paint locker, bought with doubloons, never with money
Calm, Rough and Stormy seas, and a left-handed layout
No account and no purchases; no ads in the browser version
Progress kept on your phone, or in this browser

Frequently asked questions

Is there an iPhone version?

Not yet. Broadside is on Google Play only. On an iPhone you can play it in the browser, free, with nothing to install.

Does Broadside pay me anything?

No. You earn doubloons by playing and spend them at the Shipwright on upgrades and paint. Nobody can buy them, and outside the game they’re worth nothing. For an app that does pay, see our apps page.

Who is it for?

Google Play lists it for players nine and up, and rates it Everyone with a Mild Fantasy Violence descriptor. The cannons fire on their own, so steering is the whole game, and the seas can be set to Calm, Rough or Stormy in Settings. Calm suits a younger sailor. Stormy is for someone who's already beaten it. Nothing is locked behind a purchase or an ad: winning a voyage is the only key to the next.

Is it violent?

Only in the cartoon sense: cannonballs at cartoon sea creatures, which tip over and sink. Nothing bleeds.

Does Broadside have ads?

The Android version does. A banner sits under the menu screens, never over the sea while you sail. Leaving the summary after a boss fight can show a full-screen ad. Two short videos are optional: one doubles a voyage's doubloons, and one opens a chest once a day. Nothing in the game is behind an ad. The browser version has none, because the ad network doesn't run in a browser.

Does it save my progress?

Yes. On Android, voyages won, stars, doubloons, upgrades and paint stay on the phone, with no account. In the browser they stay in that one browser. A private window, or clearing your site data, starts you over.

How does it compare to Galaxy Attack: Alien Shooter?

Galaxy Attack is far bigger, with 655,823 App Store ratings, and its own listings show loot boxes, in-app purchases up to $29.99 and a battle pass. Broadside has no in-app purchases. We compared the two, and five other vertical shooters, in games like Galaxy Attack, with our interest declared at the top.