What the hell is Pirate Kings and why are you inviting me to play?

It’s been a while since Facebook users got spammed with game invites. In fact, the last time I remember that happening was when Candy Crush Saga first hit smartphones. Before that, it was games like Farmville and the very early yet stupidly fun social game, Mafia Wars. These games ended up big. So when everyone starts spamming you with game invites – as has been the case recently with people across Singapore, Malaysia, and even the US – you kind of know you’re looking at the next big thing.

So just what, exactly, is Pirate Kings?

Spin to win

It’s a very simple Facebook game that requires you to spin a wheel to earn gold, pick up defensive bubbles, and attack other players. But it’s also a one-button game with a bit more depth than your usual Flappy Bird clone. With the riches you earn from the wheel, you can build up your own island.

You don’t get many options by way of customization: there are just five different objects that can be placed on your island as targets for attackers, and these can be upgraded just five times. Occasionally, your wheel spin will net you more spins, or you’ll be able to play a mini guessing game and steal all the money from an unfortunate player who has been selected at random by the game.

And where is it from?

Pirate Kings appears to have been developed in Israel, and we’ve reached out to the studio for confirmation. Ultimately, the game has got got some pretty simple mechanics that are both fun and effective in retaining players. I, for one, know what app I’m going to pull up when I’m done with this story. (Your spins regenerate every five minutes up to a maximum of 100!)

See: What Singapore entrepreneurs can learn from Israel

Pirate Kings is a browser and smartphone game. Maybe now you might want to accept that invite.