Taipan

About Taipan

Taipan is a single player action game. It received positive reviews from players.

TAIPAN ! A game based on the China trade of the 1800's.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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Reviews

82%Audience ScoreBased on 434 reviews

replayability1 positive mentions

monetization10 negative mentions

Faithful remake of the original 1980s Apple II game that brings strong nostalgia.
Simple and addictive gameplay with engaging trading and naval combat mechanics.
Free to play with an authentic retro green-and-black text interface.

Lack of a reliable save feature causes frequent loss of progress and game resets.
Game balance issues with overwhelmingly frequent pirate attacks and difficulty spikes.
Limited opportunities to buy or upgrade guns, making battles frustrating and unfair.

monetization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 91% negative mentions
The game is free and enjoyable, but users widely criticize intrusive ads and excessive app permissions. Many express a desire for a paid option to remove ads, which currently feels unavailable, leading to a diminished experience and even app uninstalls.
- “Free, no ads, extremely fun.”
- “Please dump the ads; I will happily pay for the app. The ads ruin the experience.”
- “My only complaint is the ads with no ability to purchase to remove them.”
- “The app permissions seem to be very unnecessary considering my old Apple IIe did not require any of them to operate the game. I would not mind spending $2 to remove the ads and the permissions.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 89% negative mentions
The game's stability is inconsistent, with many users experiencing frequent glitches, loss of saved progress, and reset issues, especially when switching apps. While some appreciate its faithful classic implementation with minimal problems, the majority find the bugs and save game issues significantly impact playability.
- “Classic great game, runs great, no problems ever, thanks!”
- “Opening another app causes all progress to be lost, which is the biggest issue. It also loses saved games and has minor glitches.”
- “App has been buggy for years, constantly losing game progress between uses.”
- “Buggy as hell with issues saving the game; the latest version tends to delete progress if you switch to another app.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43% positive mentions, 14% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions
The gameplay is challenging and can feel unfair early on due to difficult enemy encounters and sudden loss of in-game money. Additionally, frequent issues with the game resetting and not saving progress detract from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, the gameplay remains enjoyable but could benefit from more interactive choices.
- “But the gameplay is brutal, especially when starting out, and a little unfair when a large number of enemies attack you within the first few turns and the antagonist decides he needs all your money just as you're starting out.”
- “Gameplay not exactly the same as original but still fun.”
- “I will rate this better once more interactive choices are added to gameplay.”
- “But the gameplay is brutal especially when starting out and a little unfair when a large number of enemies attack you within the first few turns and the antagonist decides he needs all your money just as you're starting out.”
- “The game randomly starts over, not saving previous gameplay.”
- “Sometimes when I open the game, my previous gameplay disappears, and I have to start over.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60% positive mentions, -20% neutral mentions, 60% negative mentions
The graphics are simple and retro, featuring a nostalgic green-and-black color scheme that reflects the early 80s computer era. While some appreciate the classic, minimalist style, others suggest adding more visual variety or a toggle option for updated graphics. Overall, the graphics contribute to the game's old-school charm and appeal.
- “I love how simple the graphics are, just green and black.”
- “Love it... a wonderful mix of fun and frustration, love the old school green graphics.”
- “Cool graphics, retro style!”
- “The graphics are nothing but you've got to remember that this game came out in the early 80s when computers were in their infancy.”
- “Amazingly nostalgic .. reminds me of Tradewinds Legends by Bigfish ... please add more graphics or perhaps a toggle for them.”
- “I would definitely recommend and I love how simple the graphics are, just green and black.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game is considered highly replayable by users, though some find certain elements, like the character Li Yuen, to be frustrating. Overall, its replay value remains strong despite occasional annoyances.
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Users praise the story as superb but express a desire for a revamped version that includes more features and an expanded storyline.