Turn-based artillery game

Bears, tigers, pandas, penguins and more take turns to blow each other off a landscape that breaks apart under every blast. Aim, mind the wind, and fire.

Play now

Plays in any browser. No download, no sign-up.

A match on the construction site: a crane, mine carts, TECH barrels and a digger, with jarheads on the crane's arm

How to play

Pick a game. Single player against the computer, hotseat on one device, or online with friends.
Take your turn. Walk, jump, use the rope, jetpack or teleport, pick a weapon and aim.
Fire. The wind bends rockets and grenades; every blast digs into the ground.
Win. The last team standing wins, and teams are promoted from Private to General along the way.

Controls

On your turn only your active jarhead moves and shoots. The buttons are the same on every device; on a computer each one shows its key.

The game on a phone held sideways: left, jump and right bottom left; a big shoot button bottom right with the weapon and gear picker on top and aim up and down on its left

The left thumb's buttons: Left, Jump, Right and the settings cog — Left thumb

Left, Right: Walk. Hold the button; another finger can scroll the map meanwhile.
Jump: Always there, standing or walking. With the jetpack: fly up. On the rope: climb, and Down lets it out.
Cog: Settings: sound, music, full screen, leave the game.

The right thumb's buttons: the big Shoot button, the weapon and gear picker on top, Aim up and down on its left — Right thumb

Aim (up, down): Standing still: hold to turn the aim. They go while you walk: no aiming on the move.
Shoot: Hold to charge: the ring round it fills from green to red. Let go to fire.
Weapon · gear: On top of Shoot. Tap it, tap a weapon, or the jetpack, rope or teleport, in the honeycomb that pops out, then the green check.

Tap the map: Pick a target for the homing missile, the airstrike or the teleport.
Drag: Look round the level.
Pinch: Zoom in and out.

The move buttons with their keys: A Left, Space Jump, D Right — Move and jump

Shoot with Enter, the weapon and gear picker on top with Tab, aim up and down with W and S — Shoot, weapon and gear, aim

A D: Walk left and right (or the arrow keys)
W S: Aim up and down; fly or climb with the jetpack and rope
Space: Jump (on the rope: let go)
Enter: Hold to charge, let go to shoot
Tab G: Open the weapon and gear menu
1 … 9: Pick a weapon (Q and E: the one before and after); J jetpack, R rope, T teleport, Esc puts gear away
Click: Pick a target (homing missile, airstrike, teleport)
Drag Wheel: Look round the level and zoom; C centres on your jarhead
F: Full screen; N sound, M music

Reading the screen

The wind gauge blowing to the right, the turn clock at 113 seconds and Your turn — **Wind and clock** The gauge shows how hard and which way the wind blows; it bends rockets and grenades. The clock counts down your turn.

A team's card: its rank, 4 jarheads left, 400 health and its health bar — **Your team** Its rank, the jarheads left, the team's health and its bar. Every jarhead has its own health over its head.

Four teams, nine animals

Up to four teams of jarheads: bears, crocodiles, apes, tigers, elephants, giraffes, lions, pandas or penguins. Pick your animal in the menu; if someone has it already, your team wears shirts in its own colour. Each turn, the next jarhead of a team gets to move and shoot.

Weapons

Bazooka A rocket from the shoulder that the wind carries.
Homing missile Pick a target and it steers there.
Grenade Thrown, bouncing, with a fuse.
C4 Put it down, walk away, wait for the bang.
Airstrike Call in a row of missiles from the sky.
Shotgun, machine gun and flamethrower For close range.
Crowbar When the enemy is right next to you.

A bear with a bazooka on its shoulder — Bazooka

A bear holding a stick grenade — Grenade

Crates with health and ammo drop on the map, landmines wait to be stepped on, and burning barrels go off in chain reactions.

Levels

The Normandy level: hills, houses, a bridge and guns by the sea — **Normandy** Hills, houses, a bridge and big guns by the sea.

The construction site level: mine carts, rocks and TECH barrels in a valley — **Construction site** A crane, a digger and a valley of mine carts.

Or play on random hills: a new landscape every game. Pick a time of day (dawn, day, dusk or night) and the weather.

Play your way

Single player Against one to three computer teams, easy, normal or hard.
Hotseat Up to four teams on one device, taking turns.
Online Create a game and share its code; friends join from anywhere.
Over days Leave and come back later; the game waits, and tells you when it is your turn.
Any device Computer, tablet or phone, and installable as an app.

Start a game

Questions

What is SmicklePickle?

SmicklePickle is a turn-based artillery game you play in your browser: teams of jarheads (bears, crocodiles, apes, tigers, elephants, giraffes, lions, pandas and penguins) take turns to blow each other off a landscape that breaks apart under every blast.

Do I need to download or sign up?

No. It runs in your browser on a computer, tablet or phone. Pick a name and play. You can also install it as an app from the browser, and then single player and hotseat work offline too.

Can I play with friends online?

Yes. Create an online game, share its code or invite link, and your friends join from their own device. Up to four teams play, each taking its turn.

Can a game last more than one day?

Yes. The server keeps the game, so you can leave and come back later, on another day or another device. Your turn waits for you, and the installed app can tell you when it is your turn.

Can I play alone?

Yes: against one to three computer teams, easy, normal or hard. Or play hotseat: several teams on one device, passing it around.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. The controls are made for touch as well as for the keyboard and mouse, and the game turns to landscape in full screen.