Ahoy there mateys, and avast!
Settle yerself down and I'll tell you a tale of piracy and video games...
To be sure, we're talking about the illegal kind of piracy - immoral, uncouth trampling
of the rights and property of others: you know, the one with the boats.
So let loose the mainsails and shiver your timbers: as we embark on an adventure through
the golden era of naval exploitation.
Or, to put it another way...
Yo ho ho, and a barrel of... fun?
It is mildly ironic that perhaps the first video game about pirates opens with a message
condemning the act of software piracy: even as far back as 1978, it was an issue.
Pirate Adventure was an early text-based game released for 8-bit home systems: in which
you are whisked off to a magical world of pirates and plunder.
Although crude by today's standards, text adventures mark the emergence of interactive
fiction - games with a focus on narrative and storytelling.
The fantasy world of pirates lends itself well to such adventures - a blend of escapism,
exploration and intrinsic peril.
Of course, the world was obsessed with Star Wars during this time - so celestial-themed
shoot 'em ups like Space Invaders were dominant by the 1980s.
1984's Booty bucked the trend, however: with this pirate-themed title proving an 8-bit
hit, becoming the first video game to shift a hundred thousand copies in the UK.
You play a cabin boy who takes it upon himself to plunder his own master's ship, navigating
a sequence of screens with platforms and puzzles - not to mention parrots and pirates.
Drawing straight from literature is Treasure Island from the same year: a top-down romp
through Robert Louis Stevenson's work.
Such tales travel, and indeed - pirates are not an exclusive phenomenon to the West, as
Japanese arcades saw Pirate Ship Higemaru bring nautical action to the maze genre.
Sailor Momotaro is able to pick up and roll barrels on deck, with the object of the game
being to defeat the pirate crew who roam the level.
The NES saw a sequel in 'Higemaru Makaijima - Nanatsu no Shima Daibōken': or 'Hell Island:
Great Adventure of 7 Islands', although the game was never released outside of Japan.
The expanded adventure mode saw the player explore the ocean in pursuit of seven keys
held by rival pirate captains.
There was similar skulduggery in Skull & Crossbones from Atari.
An Evil Wizard makes off with your booty, and over the course of the game it is your
quest to restock your holds with filthy lucre.
A ribald romp in romantic interactive fiction is Infocom's Plundered Hearts, which thrusts
you into the heroine's shoes amongst a cast of corsairs and other assorted ne'er-do-wells.
It was a adventurous attempt to bring a popular genre of fiction to interactive form, but
it would be Infocom's first and last attempt at doing so.
Far more successful was the work of a certain Sid Meier: the aptly titled 'Pirates!'
a change in direction from his earlier combat simulation games.
Most impressive was the sheer scope: it encompassed everything you might expect in a pirate's
career - from naval combat to fencing, politics and treasure hunting: the game was simply
too broad to do everything within a single playthrough.
Its open ended gameplay reflected the freedom you enjoy as a pirate: with the whole of the
Caribbean to explore, at least as long as your good health holds out.
Its breadth offered substantial replayability: and as far as pirate strategy games are concerned,
it would be a while before anything could match it.
8-bit eggy mascot Dizzy's second outing stranded him on a treasure island, with a sequence
of inventory-based puzzles needed to escape.
Brutally hard unless you knew what you were doing, as you only had one life - and a single
hit could kill.
Adventure games such as Dizzy represent the pinnacle of 8-bit graphic adventures - but
by the 90s, there was a new wave of more powerful 16-bit machines.
The Secret of Monkey Island was the first of a much-loved franchise, and is perhaps
where most minds wander when called to think of a game about pirates.
It did much to make the adventure genre more accessible - with its pirating premise, lavish
graphics, humorous writing - and perhaps most significantly: an absence of player death.
Previous games of the genre had a reputation for severely punishing mistakes: wander too
far off a cliff, or spend too long in the dark - and your game would come to an abrupt
halt.
Not so in Monkey Island, save for one exception: you could explore and interact with everything
with no ill consequences, encouraging experimentation within the compelling world.
The game's tone was light-hearted throughout - on Monkey Island, sword fights are not resolved
by violence - but instead by wit.
Insults are exchanged instead of blows - and the pirate with the best comebacks would emerge
the victor.
Its sequel, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, didn't disappoint either: with beautiful hand-painted
backdrops and an even more expansive piratical adventure spanning three major islands.
The humour remained - with a cast of colourful characters, and an array of piratical activities:
from entering a spitting contest, treasure huntery - and gatecrashing a Mardi Gras costume
party.
A diverse land of seafaring, zombie pirates, and voodoo - not to mention its fair share
of obtuse puzzles.
The JRPG equivalent to Sid Meier's Pirates, Uncharted Waters, puts the player in charge
of a ship and gives them free reign to explore the world.
The second instalment, Uncharted Waters: New Horizons was released a couple of years later,
this time giving you a choice of sailors - each with a different career.
The game took advantage of the 16-bit systems, too - with a more detailed world and an expansion
of the RPG elements, including ship-to-ship combat and duels with enemy captains.
Pirates are often used as go-to bad guys, such as in the Disney tie-in, Goof Troop.
After all, buccaneers are a pretty inoffensive villain that proves a perfect fit for any
island adventure.
The second in the popular Donkey Kong Country series, Diddy's Kong Quest leans heavily on
the pirate cliche, too - but it's a good fit for the colourful tone, tropical fruit and
quest for booty.
In the wake of Sid Meier's Pirates!
popularity, there were a slew of titles that tackled the strategy behind seafaring.
Games like Age of Sail, and High Seas Trader gave you the freedom of the oceans, with ship
and crew management set against a historical backdrop.
'97 saw the release of a third entry in the Monkey Island series, in The Curse of Monkey
Island.
An audiovisual upgrade on previous titles, the game ran at a higher resolution and was
the first in the series to feature voice acting: and although a departure in style from the
originals, the game retains the same light-hearted charm.
Overboard!, also known as Shipwreckers!
in North America, took a slightly different approach to piracy: with the top-down viewpoint
of a tactical ship combat game, but with the gameplay of an arcade shooter.
Captain Claw was a PC-exclusive platform game from Monolith that featured an anthropomorphic
feline pirate tackling canine foes - the 'Cocker-Spaniards', true to theme.
In an era when the FPS was king, it's odd to see a such a 2D title on PC - but with
smooth action, digitised speech and colourful graphics, it was an accomplished platformer.
Some might say the late 90s was a golden era for PC gaming - and no other platform supports
strategy games quite as well.
Corsairs from Microïds lets you lead a flotilla of privateers, and a letter of marque gives
charge to tackle enemy ports across the Caribbean, earning gold for upgrades as you go.
Cutthroats: Terror on the High Seas granted a similar level of freedom - a recurring trend
in pirate strategy, with the player free to forge their own story as they pillage the
Spanish Main.
Meanwhile, the Uncharted Waters series lived on, with a number of sequels released solely
in the east for the Playstation, Saturn and PC: known as the Daikoukai Jidai series, which
translates as 'Age of Discovery'
Within its native market, it attracted a great following - eventually leading to a MMORPG
in 2005.
The new millennium saw the release of the long-awaited fourth instalment of the Monkey
Island series: Escape from Monkey Island.
It took the leap to a fully 3-dimensional world - leaving the 2D SCUMM engine behind
in favour of a 3D one first used by Grim Fandango.
Its idiosyncratic controls and clunky interface drew some criticism: the simplicity of the
classic point and click interface somewhat lost.
Although it's not without charm, it is generally regarded as the weakest of the franchise.
Now, not every pirate-themed game is set on the ocean - with a touch of fantasy it's possible
to have pirates inhabit the sky.
While the focus in this video is the sea, it's hard to ignore the nautical influence
within the Skies of Arcadia.
The airships resemble conventional vessels, with sails, rigging and a crows nest atop
- it's just that they're borne on clouds rather than waves.
The Jules Verne style world serves as a charming base for the JRPG, with typical turn-based
combat and random encounters serving as the portions of gameplay between the narrative.
Sea Dogs is another RPG, this time of the western ilk: developed in Russia by studio
Akella.
Realistic in tone, it places you in the boots of a privateer and gives you free reign to
explore a fictional Caribbean archipelago.
The game was planned to have a sequel - Sea Dogs II - but eventually this was released
as a movie tie-in game for the Pirates of the Caribbean for the Xbox and PC in 2003.
Akella were also responsible for Age of Sail II - a more tactical ship combat simulator,
in which you command a formation of warships against another.
With a focus on realism and the accurate portrayal of naval combat, there are a host of ships
from the era - and a large number of historical scenarios to re-enact.
2002's The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker on the GameCube had a distinctly nautical
theme, with the overworld comprising a chain of islands.
The adventure starts after the rescue of pirate captain Tetra, after which it's all aboard
a pirate ship on a quest to save Link's sister.
Westwood Studios tried their hand at pirate action the same year, and with a female protagonist,
no less.
Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat's titular character is Katarina de Leon, on a quest
for vengeance and in search of her mother's grave.
The first in the Port Royale series was released this year, too - with a similar approach to
other pirate strategy games, but with an increased focus on trade, asset management and town-building.
More piratical town construction was had in the 2003 sequel to banana-republic-sim Tropico,
in Pirate Cove: in which you're given the keys to the stockade on a pirate-controlled
island.
Your management skills are put to the test as you must balance keeping your captive workers
terrified and productive, and your pirate chums happy and full o 'grog.
Puzzle Pirates is a free-to-play massively multiplayer game whose title adequately explains
its contents: plenty of puzzles, amidst a piratical theme.
Although the games are simple, players are rewarded with pieces of eight for each task
completed - eventually ranking up, and acquiring customisation items for their avatar and abode.
2004 saw Firaxis tackle a remake of Sid Meier's classic Pirates!
- With updated graphics and some added mini-games over the original, it was a fresh coat of
paint for a classic formula.
Similarly refreshed was Port Royale: with its sequel much in the same vein as the first:
with slightly improved presentation, and as strong a focus on a micromanaged economy as
ever.
Xbox exclusive title Galleon, designed by the original creator of Lara Croft, endured
a tortuous 7 years in development before finally emerging to lukewarm reviews.
Movie tie in games are an inevitability where large franchises are concerned - and with
the second and third of the Pirates of the Caribbean series emerging in 2006 and 2007,
there were a spate of games released across gen 6, gen 7 and the handhelds.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was one such game: a thoroughly average action-adventure
game featuring a familiar cast.
There was also an MMORPG released the same year - Pirates of the Caribbean Online - although
it has since closed.
In Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, you see the hopeful pirate Zack and his monkey
companion Wiki on a quest for long lost treasure.
The game takes heavy inspiration from earlier point and click adventures, with the Wiimote
put to good use in solving puzzles.
The game reviewed well across the board, but sadly lacklustre sales scuppered the chances
of any sequels.
Age of Booty hit the Xbox Live Arcade in 2008, a competitive resource-gathering strategy
multiplayer game in which you plunder ports and tackle your opponent's ships.
From the age of booty to the Quest for Booty, in the second title of the Ratchet and Clank
Future series: the nuts and bolts of this action platformer see the starring duo go
toe-to-toe with space pirates.
Pirates of the Burning Sea is one of a few pirate MMORPGs, with 4 factions to choose
from and a range of career paths in lieu of traditional classes.
It runs the full pirate gamut, From 'swashbuckling' PvP with a variety of swordfighting styles,
to naval trading and tactical combat.
Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships was released in 2009, and is the fourth of
the Corsairs series, as it's known in its native market - and a sequel to the earlier
Sea Dogs.
As with the prior titles, it's an open-ended Pirate RPG, in which you can wander from port
to port conducting a nautical career under your chosen banner.
Although the Monkey Island series had been long dormant by this point, Telltale Games
picked up the license in 2009 in order to produce an episodic adventure.
Certainly the better of the two 3D interpretations of Guybrush: Telltale might be one of few
developers able to successfully employ the episodic formula - and Tales at least proved
the potential for the series' return.
Monkey Island is held dear by many people, and there have been many adventure games which
borrow from the series' trademark humour.
One such title was Jolly Rover: in the traditional 2D point and click vein, the game tells the
tale of salty pirate dogs, and the struggles of the main protagonist: a dachshund named
Gaius James Rover.
The fourth Pirates of The Caribbean film screened in 2011, and this time a Lego game accompanied
it.
It sticks to the usual formula, with a host of characters from the films and drop-in,
drop-out cooperative puzzles to complete in a quest for studs.
The third entry in the Port Royale series, Pirates & Merchants, came to the gen 7 consoles
and PC in 2012.
Open ended in approach, the key focus was in trading, but more unsavoury paths such
as buccaneering are always viable too.
Borderlands 2 had an entire DLC devoted to Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty, although
it comes with a distinctly Borderlands-style approach.
Risen 2: Dark Waters is a western RPG that blends traditional fantasy with pirate adventure:
In which the eyepatch-wearing protagonist is called upon to defeat a mighty kraken by
means of a magic weapon.
It was a departure in theme from the first Risen, which was more for landlubbers - and
in a similar fashion, things took a nautical turn in Assassin's Creed IV.
Black Flag built on the nautical combat in 3 and expanded the game into a fully-fledged
exploration of the golden age of piracy.
The open-world formula of Assassins Creed was a good fit for a life of a pirate - it's
almost a shame there wasn't a purer focus on the piratical exploits.
There's something oddly comforting about captaining a ship: with the wind at your back, the waves
on your bow - and colourful sea shanties from your crew before you.
Arr, it's a pirate's life for me...
And thus we pull into a familiar port: our voyage of discovery through interactive pirate
adventures has come to a close.
Of all potential thematic settings, the golden age of piracy is amongst the most charming:
a romantic age of the new world, with conflict aplenty and booty for all.
Perhaps that's why it's a natural fit for video games: the freedom of the ocean; and
the discovery of a new world; all caught between fearsome pirates and naval forces; and the
promise of more filthy lucre than you could ever hope to plunder.
As ever, this video is not intended to be an exhaustive list: while I've done my research,
there are always a few titles that slip through the cracks or are simply impossible to record
- but I'm sure you'll let me know what you think are the most egregious omissions in
the comments.
In any case, thank you very much for watching - and until next time, farewell.