Hydro Battle! is an electronic variant of Battleship published by Pressman in 1999. Each player secretly places their fleet on a grid board, then takes turns calling shots to find and sink the opponent’s ships. The twist: when you score a hit, a laser missile launcher triggers a light water mist that sprays the opponent. The game also features electronic sound effects including explosions for added excitement.
Components
2 Side-by-side boards per player (1 for your fleet, 1 for tracking shots)
Ship pieces (various sizes)
Peg markers (hit and miss)
Laser Missile Launcher mechanism (water spray)
Water reservoir
Electronic sound module
Batteries
Setup
Each player sits behind their pair of boards.
Fill the water reservoir.
Insert batteries for electronic sound effects.
Secretly place your ships on the left board (your fleet board) in any configuration:
Ships must be placed horizontally or vertically.
Ships cannot overlap or extend off the grid.
Keep the right board (tracking board) empty for recording shots.
Turn Structure
Players alternate turns:
Call a shot — Name a grid coordinate (e.g., “B-5”).
Opponent checks — The opponent checks if the coordinate hits one of their ships.
Announce result — “Hit” or “Miss.”
Mark the result — Both players mark the coordinate on their respective boards.
Water spray — On a hit, the Laser Missile Launcher activates and sprays the opponent with a light mist of water. Electronic explosion sounds play.
Actions
Calling Shots
Name a grid coordinate on your turn.
Track hits and misses on your tracking board.
Placing Pegs
White/light pegs for misses.
Red/dark pegs for hits.
Mark both your tracking board and your fleet board.
Sinking Ships
When all squares of a ship are hit, the ship is sunk.
Announce “You sank my [ship name]!”
Scoring / Victory Conditions
The first player to sink all of the opponent’s ships wins.
No scoring system — it is a pure elimination game.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
Water spray: Hitting an opponent’s ship triggers a water mist spray via the Laser Missile Launcher. This is a cosmetic/fun effect with no gameplay impact.
Sound effects: Electronic sounds play on hits and misses, adding atmosphere.
Ship sizes: Ships vary in length (number of grid squares they occupy), matching traditional Battleship fleet compositions.
No diagonal placement: Ships must be placed horizontally or vertically only.
One shot per turn: Each player fires one shot per turn (no bonus shots for hits in the standard version).