In an industry focused on creating increasingly complex games and pushing the boundaries of what can be done with the gaming medium, it can be nice sometimes to take a step back and play something that's just… simple. Pirate Pop Plus is one such game; there's not much to it on the surface, but it's one of the most engaging arcade games we've played in quite a while. It's focused on being fun, first and foremost, and that pays off in the long run.
The story of the game - like with most arcade games or, indeed, Mario platformers - is only included for the pleasure of it. Pete Jr. wakes up one day to see bubbles floating in the distance which, upon closer inspection, are found to contain the trapped villagers that live on the island. The dastardly Bubble Pirate is behind it all, so Pete Jr. grabs his anchor and sets about to pop those bubbles.
Gameplay is exceedingly simple, yet addictive once you get the hang of it. You move your character back and forth along one side of the square playing field, doing your best to pop bubbles while simultaneously dodging them. Popping larger bubbles creates a few smaller, faster bubbles which are harder to dodge and hit with your anchor. As if that's not enough, Bubble Pirate occasionally pops up in the middle of the screen to add another large bubble or to change the gravity to another wall. In a word it's chaotic, but it's also wonderful.
Once you to grips with the basic gameplay, you quickly see how deeper elements come into play. Consecutively hitting bubbles without missing builds a combo meter, which adds to your score and rewards you with more coins the higher it gets. Also, you can stomp on bubbles when the gravity changes, which helps greatly when you need to clear a screen that's gotten too busy. And to mix things up every once in a while, a popped bubble will occasionally drop bonus fruit or a power-up – such as a shield or a watch that stops time – that help you get closer to that high score.
As you play through games you'll gradually accumulate a horde of coins which can be spent on a variety of goodies at the shop. The main action is surrounded by a retro "Pocket Game" border that clearly draws inspiration from the Game Boy, and you can spend coins on different faceplates, screen colours, buttons, and so on. It's this shop that adds a nice layer of progression to the experience, as you'll always be playing games with the thought of these unlockables. Not only are you just trying to go for the high score, but you're also trying to collect the most coins you can on each attempt.
As if that weren't enough there's also an in-game achievement system that drives you to be the best you can. These achievements span various objectives – such as getting a 50 bubble combo – that will challenge even the most seasoned gamer, and they add yet another interesting layer to the core game. While chasing after high scores and coins, you may have a specific achievement in mind that you simply must unlock.
We'd be remiss to not mention the charming presentation as well. In addition to the cool retro border, the main action is well animated and the sprites are decently detailed. It manages to capture that authentic Game Boy feel; the graphics are simple, but it never feels like this is to the detriment of the gameplay. The soundtrack may be small, but what's there is absolutely stellar. You'll be hearing these tracks a lot via repeated attempts at getting higher scores, and all of the music manages to be catchy and upbeat; it vaguely reminded this writer of the Shovel Knight soundtrack.
And for those of you that can't decide whether or not you'd like to play it on the go, Pirate Pop Plus is a cross-buy compatible game, entitling you to both the New 3DS and Wii U versions with one purchase. This game is obviously much better suited to a portable format due to the quickfire nature of its gameplay, but it's still an equally engaging experience on a big HD screen. Whichever way you choose to play it, you'll be receiving the same experience.
Conclusion
It's not often that you encounter a game that manages to emulate the simple pleasure of old arcade games so effectively, but Pirate Pop Plus makes it look easy; this is everything you could want out of an arcade game. The gameplay is simple and addictive, it positively oozes charm through its presentation, and if the score chasing doesn't hook you, the coin collecting and achievement hunting surely will. We give Pirate Pop Plus a strong recommendation; this is a really fun game, and one that no retro gaming enthusiast will want to miss out on.
Comments (28)
I'll have to chek out some videos now.
You just sold the game to me:)
Playing the game at Gamescom I thought it was incredibly boring. Within the first few minutes I'd start to rack up combos, upgrading my arsenal and literally destroying everything on screen in no time without ANYTHING breaking up the repetition.
Reminds me of the knockoff Buck-a-Roo called Pop Up Pirate I had as a kid
No local multiplayer is a shame, even the Pang (Buster Bros.) has it.
Watched some videos and that gameplay could get old very quickly. The black and white graphics for me is an excuse to be lazy. Here's the official trailer:
Check out the rewards. Colour swap for your borders or change the hue of your screen? Wow. I couldn't give this a 9/10 from what I've seen. Looks like a cheap cash-in.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE The impression I have is that it's one of those games that grabs you when you play it. Both Ron with a preview and now Mitch with this review have fallen in love with it. A retro-styled arcade game isn't always the easiest pitch in a video.
I'm going to take a punt on it, anyway
Looks great and I love the cross-feature. I'll be sure to check it out when I have the spare money or as soon as it goes on sale.
I agree the music is very reminiscent of Shovel Knight. It would also be better for 3DS than Wii U. The bottom screen also displays art while you're playing.
Sounds like a fun little game to play in short bursts, though I may just wait until it goes on sale because I have yet to play the Satura DLC in Runbow. Definitely recommend that game if you have some friends to play with or you like going for 100% completion.
@Pahvi €5 I think or roughly £4.
Wow, the controller view is such a distracting novelty. What's the next retro feature we're going to needlessly throw into modern games? How about tape loading that takes 10 minutes. It must be fun because it's retro!
My other issue with this game is that whilst I loved my Game Boy I was aware even at the time that the graphics were pretty poor. Compared to the games I had played on Master System, Game Gear and Mega Drive they looked ugly. Game Boy won through on the playability of games like Zelda, Super Mario Land, Kirby, Wario Land etc. Why anyone would want to copy the Game Boy's aesthetic in 2016 is beyond me. I don't feel like this carries any of the retro charm of games aping the 8 and 16-bit home console graphics.
Doesn't look too bad. Seems more fitting on 3DS than on the Wii U, though, so I'll probably get that version.
I wish indie developers would start making games for the actual retro systems rather than games that look like they were made for the retro systems.
That would impress me, as Retro City Rampage did.
Cross buy has pretty much sold this to me.
@samuelvictor you, sir, were one lucky kid!
This is $5 in America, by the way.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Retro graphics like this tends to give the impression of being easy to do. But getting the right aesthetic is actually a big challenge. This one nailed it for me.
Ugh, purposely restricting the color palette is never a good thing! Also the graphics in general are too pixelated and dull. A retro aestetic is one thing, but when you take it too far like this it's just ugly.
As for the gameplay, I can see how it can be charming and addictive, but it's just too simple for my tastes. I'll pass.
@LegendOfPokemon There most definitely is cross-buy. Says right there in the review. And the trailer
I'll wait on the 3DS review before I make any monetary judgments, but my interest has already been peaked.
Seems fun but a bit monotonous, if you ask me.
@LegendOfPokemon
Looks fun, and at $5 it seems like a decent deal, but I agree, it looks like it could get quite repetitive.
I'll buy that for a dollar!!
Nice review and nice score. Might download someday.
I see the reviewer has a fetish for that really strange music video "Bubble Butt": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_Butt
Wow lots of negative nancy's in the comments here! I've only seen and heard awesome things about this game and its only EUR 4.49 for both Wii U and 3DS. Btw the music is FANTASTIC and having different color palettes, characters and other stuff to unlock is actually something me and a lot of others love.
disregarding every game with retro gameboy aesthetics feels like a shame. It has nothing to do with the quality of the game or how much work a dev has put into this, for all you know tight & fun gameplay and fantastic music was their priority.
Boiught it day one as i love the original Gameboy DMG style. this game is fantastic, everyone shopuld play it. I wish these guys would make a shooter4 in the same style.
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