Curse of Pirates Review Summary

A charming pirate roguelike with addictive horde combat, great pixel art and music, but poor progression, unbalanced difficulty, UI issues, and technical bugs lead to frustrating deaths.

Engaging pirate theme: The old school pirate atmosphere and sea theme are well received, with reviewers enjoying the colorful, lively pirate world. The combination of genre and setting is considered cool.

Pleasant and engaging gameplay: Gameplay is described as straightforward but engaging and very pleasant, with dynamic and fun action. The game throws players into action from the very first seconds with sea monsters and undead.

Great pixel graphics: The game features nice pixel art and bright pixel graphics, with great 1900 style graphics and vibrant visuals full of personality. The look makes players want to keep playing.

Addictive roguelike loop: The roguelike loop is super addictive and easy to lose track of time, with addictive survival-action gameplay. The game is a great time killer and addictive from the first 5 minutes.

Good pacing and action: The pacing keeps things moving without dragging, and the action gets intense fast. Brisk battles in runs keep the experience dynamic and fun.

Poor progression system: The meta progression is seen as unbalanced and frustrating, with slow gold accumulation and expensive quests. Players feel the hero doesn't get stronger, only new run options, which is unsatisfying.

Unbalanced difficulty: The game's difficulty is widely criticized as unbalanced, with relentless enemy swarms and early-game spikes that make progress feel unfair. Players often die within minutes due to overwhelming spawns.

UI and readability issues: The interface is poorly structured, unintuitive, and not controller-friendly, with readability problems in many scenes. Some text is untranslated, showing raw strings.

Lack of content: Players report that the game currently has very little content, with only one level and can be completed in under three hours. This is a common complaint across multiple clusters.

Enemy swarm and stun issues: Enemies swarm and surround the player, with grappling and rope attacks that stun and slow to zero, leading to unavoidable deaths. This is especially problematic in a 2D game.

Vampire Survivors clone with ships: The game is frequently described as a Vampire Survivors-like roguelike, but with a nautical and pirate theme. Players control a ship, fight hordes of enemies, and upgrade their vessel.

Roguelike with progression systems: The game is a roguelike where players die and repeat runs, with progression systems that unlock skills and upgrades. Meta progression persists through gold and achievements, while in-run progression resets.

Horde combat with upgrades: Players destroy hordes of enemies, with waves increasing over time. The ship starts with cannons and gains new skills and passive upgrades as it levels up.

Fast-paced action gameplay: The game is fast-paced with constant action, featuring endless waves and brutal bosses. It is a bullet-hell roguelike that keeps players engaged with chaotic battles.

Resource and inventory systems: Players collect resources on the map and spend them in special places for additional upgrades. The game also has an inventory system and a marking system for managing items.

Steam Deck support lacking: Players report that the game lacks full Steam Deck support and requires an update. One user experienced a 50% chance of freezing completely on startup, with input delays of tens of seconds.

Mixed reception overall: Reviews are split between strong recommendations and warnings to wait. Some players praise the game while others advise against playing until fixes are released.

Recommended for roguelike fans: Players who enjoy roguelikes and pirate themes find the game appealing. It is specifically recommended for fans of Vampire Survivors and those who like short, energetic sessions.

Advise waiting for fixes: Several reviewers suggest waiting for the full release or for developers to fix issues before playing. This indicates current bugs or incomplete state are a concern.

Not worth full price: Some players feel the game is not worth its current price, recommending to buy it on sale instead. This suggests value concerns relative to content.

Worth trying early: Some reviewers recommend trying the game while it is still in early access, suggesting potential for growth and enjoyment despite current state.

Game completion: 3.0h.

Story completion: 3.0h.

Session length: 2.0h.

The game hooks players immediately with fast-paced action and addictive roguelike loops, but enjoyment drops after roughly 48 deaths due to repetition and lack of meta progression, while early friction includes a sparse tutorial and difficulty imbalance.

Friction: sparse tutorial; early game difficulty imbalance; lack of meta progression.

Comparisons to popular roguelites: Players frequently compare the game to established titles like Vampire Survivors, Death Must Die, Hades, and Sea of Thieves, noting both similarities and differences in gameplay pacing and mechanics.

Early access concerns: Several reviewers express that the game is in early development and not ready for release, with some planning to uninstall, refund, or wait for future updates before returning.

Demo version differences: Players note that the current build differs significantly from the demo, with changes to progression and overall difficulty, leading to mixed feelings about the direction.

Missing features and content: Reviewers mention unvoiced patrons, lack of trials, and limited ship variety, with hopes that future updates will add these elements.

Content length concerns: The game can be completed in about two hours, which some players find too short for the price, though it may suit portable play sessions.