How to Navigate the Harsh Seas of Dubloon Disaster

Step 1

The first thing you need to do is have your game set up correctly. No, I don't mean to just get the game up and going; I mean it's time to visit the settings in the game. Take a look at the screenshot below.

You want to go ahead and turn the water effects off. This tends to add a little lag to the game and can also act as a distraction. You should find it a little easier to just have it turned off. Don’t forget to save the changes, either.

Now that you're all set up, you're ready to start playing. But before I give you the grand plan of action, I need to address that there are two rather common strategies for this game. I will, of course, cover them both.

Step 2 A

The strategy I personally use is the herding approach. The main benefit to this strategy is that the likelihood of a new mine popping up right in front of you, only to lead you to an untimely doom, is greatly minimized. At any point in the game, there can be no more than nine mines present at the same time. If you have all nine up on the screen already, there is no need to worry about one popping up right in front of you.

If you choose to follow the herding approach, all you need to do is, like the name suggests, herd the mines together.

As demonstrated in the screenshot above, I have two mines rather far apart from each other. To get them closer, all I need to do is sit right in between them. Eventually they will become closer to each other in their attempt to get to me. Be sure to get your timing right, though. As the mines get closer to you, they also get a little faster.

However, in the event that you have two mines close together, but not close enough, just scoot right on by without stopping.

Keep up the herding strategy until all nine mines have finally appeared.

Step 2 B

The other popular strategy is to explode the mines as they come. The easiest way to do so is to wait for two mines to appear and lure them towards each other, like demonstrated in step 2A. The only difference is to wait longer.

This strategy is overall rather simple. There is only one step to it, and that’s exploding the mines once you have two on the screen.

Which strategy is better, you may ask? Both have their benefits, and both have drawbacks. I personally prefer the first strategy. However, that may not be the one for you. I know people who use the herding strategy, and I know people who use the exploding strategy. It’s all about preference. I suggest you try them both. Then after, continue on with whichever strategy you felt more comfortable using.

Step 3

Now you know how to bunch the mines into a herd. But look! A dubloon has just popped up dangerously close or even right inside a pack of mines. You may think game over, but you would be mistaken. Believe it or not, you can make those mines move away from the dubloon.

If you ever find that a dubloon has popped up in an inopportune place, lure the herd of mines further away from the dubloon. To do so, just do as the screenshot above illustrates. There you can see me slowly leading the mines away from the dubloon. When you feel like you have enough room, you can circle around and nab that pesky dubloon.

Step 4

Now that you know the fundamentals of the game, it’s time to teach you about possible emergency scenarios. Whirlpools like to spring up unannounced. And when they do arrive, they will drag the mines and you towards it.

To avoid a disastrous outcome, all you need to do is move in the exact opposite direction. Your paddle power is stronger than the current the whirlpool has. Your only challenge now is to avoid the mines being pulled towards the whirlpool. It is often safer to aim for a corner of the screen if possible. If not, simply try to paddle as far away from the whirlpool as possible.

After the whirlpool disappears, it’s time to continue on with whichever strategy you chose to go with. If you chose the first, you must repeat step 2A until all 9 mines appear again.

Though whirlpools can be quite a hiccup in your plans to achieve a high score in this game, a mine popping up close to you would be worse. In most cases, it does mean game over. However, did you know that you have a very small window of time before it even activates?

If a mine pops up either right on top of you or right in front of you, don’t hesitate. Keep going, full power, straight ahead. It is crucial that you don’t stop and try to turn around. That will be the end of the game. If you hesitate, you will waste the little time you had to get away. If you turn around, the mine will come after you. It will also be too close and it will catch you.

In any other case, if a mine pops up close to you, but not right in front of you, don’t turn right around. Time is of the essence, and veering off a little would be the better course of action. Just make sure you aren’t veering off into a herd of mines.

A few words to remember

1. This game requires time if you want a high score. If you’re going for the avatar or trophy, you should set aside some time for yourself to get it. The last thing you want is to be interrupted during the middle of the game.

2. If you ever need to take a little break, you could do so by purposefully exploding the mines. Just make sure you don’t pick up any more dubloons until you’re ready to continue.

3. Like any other game, Dubloon Disaster requires practice. Don’t get upset if you don’t get it on your first try, if you keep following my steps, it will only be a matter of time before you can achieve your goal.

Good luck!