Jacksmith: the blacksmith game where a sloppy pour loses the battle
Jacksmith came out of Flipline Studios in 2012, the same studio behind the Papa's restaurant games, and it takes their order-and-craft loop somewhere new. Jack is a donkey with a travelling forge. A band of warriors follows him across the map, and before every fight each of them files an order: a knight wants a sword, an archer wants a bow, someone else wants a shield, an axe, a mace or a pike. You build every one of those by hand. Pick the ore, heat it in the crucible until it flows, pour it into the mould and stop at the line, hammer the blade where the marks light up, then fit the grip and any extras. Each step is a little dexterity test, and the star rating the warrior gives you is the sum of how cleanly you did them all.
Then the day flips into a battle you do not control directly. Your troops march at the enemy with whatever you forged, and the better the weapons, the faster they win. Your job during the fight is to click the loot: coins, gems and chunks of ore drop from every fallen enemy and disappear if you leave them, and that ore is what you forge with tomorrow. The port on jacksmith.lol is the HTML5 conversion of the original Flash game, so it runs in the page with no plug-in; it draws on WebGL, which every current browser has, and a mouse or trackpad is the comfortable way to play.
Controls & mechanics
| Action | Control | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Pick and melt ore | Drag ore to the crucible | Different ores give different stats; heat until the metal runs before you pour |
| Pour the mould | Hold the mouse button, release at the line | Steady fill to the mark; overfilling or stopping short costs stars |
| Hammer the blade | Click the marks as they appear | Accuracy sets the shape score; missed or late hits dent the rating |
| Fit the grip | Drag handle, guard or string into place | Snap the parts to their outlines; the choice of grip changes the weapon's bonus |
| Collect loot | Click coins, gems and ore during the battle | Anything you do not click before it fades is gone for good |
Getting five-star weapons and richer battles
- Match the ore to the enemy, not just the warrior: Ores carry elemental strengths and the enemies on each stop have weaknesses. Check the scouting report before you forge and pick the ore that hits hardest there, even if it is not your rarest.
- Pour slowly near the line: The pour is the step most players rush. Fill fast for the first three quarters, then ease off and let go right at the mark. A clean pour is worth more stars than a fancy grip.
- Watch the battle, not the warriors: You cannot help the fight, so keep the cursor moving over the ground where enemies fall. Loot lands in bursts; clicking in a sweep across the drop zone catches more than chasing single coins.
Key features
- Six weapon lines: Swords, bows, shields, axes, maces and pikes, each forged through its own sequence of moulding, hammering and fitting.
- A campaign across the map: Every stop brings new enemies, new ore and new warriors who join the caravan with new orders of their own.
- Craft, then cash in: The loot you click during battle is tomorrow's raw material, so good forging and sharp clicking feed each other.
Game info
- Title: Jacksmith
- Developer: Flipline Studios
- Category: Craft and Shop Sims
- Platform: Web browser (HTML5)
- Released: 2012, Flash original by Flipline Studios; this is the HTML5 conversion
Pro tip: Warriors judge each weapon on every stage of its making, so a rare ore poured badly scores lower than plain iron poured perfectly. When you are short on good metal, spend your rare ore on the warrior who does the most damage and forge the rest cleanly from what you have; a caravan of solid four-star weapons wins battles that one showpiece and five blunt blades will not.
Frequently asked questions
What is Jacksmith?
A crafting and strategy game by Flipline Studios from 2012. You play Jack, a donkey blacksmith who forges a weapon for each warrior in his caravan, then watches them fight and collects the loot that drops.
How is the game played?
Entirely with the mouse. You drag ore into the crucible, hold to pour the mould, click the marks to hammer the blade and drag grips into place. During the battle you click coins, gems and ore as they fall.
Is Jacksmith a Flash game?
The original was Flash. The version on jacksmith.lol is the HTML5 conversion, which runs in the page on WebGL with no plug-in and no download.
Does my progress save?
Yes. The game keeps its save in your browser's storage on this site, so return on the same browser and your caravan, ore and unlocked weapons are where you left them.
Does it work on a phone?
It loads on phones and tablets, but the pour and hammer stages were designed for a mouse and are far easier with one. A laptop or desktop is the comfortable way to play.
