Yarr! Thar' she blows, the first game from the brand new mobile developer Bungie Aerospace. Bungie recently passed their control of the Halo Universe over to 343 Industries and have been teasing fans with their mobile gaming venture Bungie Aerospace for a few months.

Today we get to experience what Bungie Aerospace is capable of - as it launches it's first game into the Apple App Store for the iPad. Crimson: Steam Pirates is an enjoyable, turn-based pirate ship battle game with just the right amount of pirate plot but arr! thar' be a few scallywag bugs to swab.

You begin as a novice pirate given your own ship that you barely know how to use. The title play ramps up perfectly introducing players to the gameplay and strategy that must be used to navigate ships and activate power-ups properly in the eight free missions. Plundering and boarding will net you new ships and crew as you grow into your role as a pirate captain.

The power ups that each ship can use once a turn include "Full Steam" for a boost in speed or "Double Power" for double the range on the cannons. Submarines and airships require special weaponry to destroy. Some forts and ships can be boarded and commandeered or simply ransacked for their gold. In the in-app purchase missions additional ships and power-ups are introduced giving the pirates more power and variety to wage their war on the sea. Bungie Aerospace promised additional chapters to be released in the future on top of Chapter 2 which is already available as an in-app purchase.

The whole game can be experienced in a few of hours but with scoring based on the the amount of turns it takes for players to complete each, as well as for each destroyed enemy ship, there is definitely replay value in the single player mode. The pair of pass-and-play two-player modes, "VIP Defense" and "Shipwreck!" are quick and simple - making them easy for anyone to pick up and play. Lastly, the multiplayer isn't an epic turn-based battle of wits but it definitely makes for an enjoyable way to kill ten or twenty minutes.

However, Crimson: Steam Pirates has a tendency to crash somewhat often, sometimes during key moments, or deep into a mission, causing lost progress. It wasn't enough to write-off the game altogether, but frequent enough to warrant waiting for bug fixes in the App Store before getting too involved. That said, overall, Crimson: Steam Pirates offers a fun, well designed gameplay experience that many will enjoy.

Have you tried out Crimson: Steam Pirates yet? What do you think of Bungie Aerospace's first game?

Crimson: Steam Pirates Chapter 1 is free for the iPad in the Apple App Store and Chapter 2 is available as an in-app purchase for $1.99.