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Pirate Pop

"It may not be anywhere near as fun as 13AM’s first published game with their in-house developed Runbow, but Pirate Pop Plus can still provide a good bit of fun anyways."
Pirate Pop Game Cover
62%Game Brain Score
gameplay, music
story, grinding
66% User Score Based on 117 reviews
Critic Score 54%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchLinuxPCWii UNintendo 3dsMac OSPhoneWiiiPadMobile PlatformiPhoneWindows
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Pirate Pop Game Cover

About

Pirate Pop is a single player casual shooter game. It was developed by Dadako and was released on November 4, 2016. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Retro-style Arcade Action! Join Pete Jr on his quest to defeat the nefarious Bubble Pirate! Dodge and pop bubbles with your anchor and collect coins to customize your pocket game with new faceplates, buttons, backlights, and more!

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Pirate Pop screenshot
Pirate Pop screenshot
Pirate Pop screenshot
Pirate Pop screenshot
Pirate Pop screenshot
Pirate Pop screenshot
Pirate Pop screenshot
Pirate Pop screenshot
Pirate Pop screenshot
Pirate Pop screenshot
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66%
Audience ScoreBased on 117 reviews
gameplay14 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • The game successfully captures a nostalgic retro vibe with its Gameboy-inspired graphics and chiptune soundtrack.
  • Gameplay is simple yet addictive, with a unique gravity-switching mechanic that adds a layer of challenge.
  • The inclusion of unlockable characters and cosmetic options provides some incentive for continued play.
  • The game quickly becomes repetitive, lacking depth and variety in gameplay, as it only features one mode and a single level.
  • Unlockable items and cosmetics are overpriced, making it frustrating for players to acquire them through gameplay.
  • The visuals can be hard to navigate due to the limited color palette, making it difficult to distinguish between bubbles and collectibles.
  • gameplay
    41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by its simple mechanics, primarily involving popping bubbles with a hook and a gravity-switching feature that adds a layer of chaos. While some players appreciate the nostalgic retro feel and the straightforward, fun nature of the gameplay, others criticize it for becoming repetitive and lacking depth, with limited mechanics and unlockables that do not significantly enhance the experience. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable arcade action and some interesting ideas, but it may not hold players' attention for long due to its monotony.

    • “The gameplay is extremely simple; you move and fire a hook upwards, which pops a bubble into smaller bubbles.”
    • “The main pull of the gameplay is the gravity switching mechanic, in which the bubble pirate will sometimes appear and switch gravity, causing Pete Jr. and the bubbles to head toward one of the other sides of the screen.”
    • “No denying this game is a simple one-button experience, but the core mechanics are refined and well-balanced to make it a fun one.”
    • “Even if it's only for a short time, repeatedly disorienting the player's sense of control or movement is enough to force errors into their gameplay.”
    • “You've seen it all after a minute or two of gameplay.”
    • “Rather than quickly gain difficulty like a game like Geometry Wars, which can be infinitely replayable and hypnotic, the game doesn't increase in difficulty at any speed, and the challenge comes from monotony rather than gameplay.”
  • music
    31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is primarily composed of chiptunes, which many players find enjoyable and fitting for its retro aesthetic. However, the limited number of tracks—only one by default and a few available for purchase—leads to repetitiveness over extended play sessions. While some players appreciate the option to unlock and buy additional music, others criticize the pricing and find the default soundtrack dull.

    • “The chip tune music is really good!”
    • “Cool retro styling and great music.”
    • “Super fun, simple, arcade game with great music!”
    • “There's only one repetitive music track by default, and three you can buy in-game.”
    • “Audio, however, is my main problem; I didn't like the music, nor the audio design.”
    • “Well, first the music is dull; the shop sells new music, and colors for the background, and colors for the sides of the screen, and colors for the button?”
  • graphics
    29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming retro aesthetic reminiscent of Game Boy titles, featuring pixel art that appeals to nostalgia. While the visuals are generally well-received for their smooth performance and vibrant color palettes, some players criticize the reliance on unlockable cosmetics, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game's graphics successfully evoke a classic arcade feel, though opinions vary on their depth and appeal.

    • “The graphics are pleasant to the eyes, and it's got a good 8-bit soundtrack to listen to while you play. The unlockables in the game can help if you want to change the colors of the sprites from green to blue or grey, for example.”
    • “Graphically, the game looks pretty good. I loved the pixel art style, and it reminded me of a lot of games from my childhood. All the extra color palettes work wonders.”
    • “The retro aesthetic is charming; it really feels like an old handheld arcade game.”
    • “It's a one-level score attack game with Atari 2600 controls and a Game Boy art style.”
    • “Overpriced, boring mechanics, and ugly graphics.”
    • “It's got literally zero depth, and the only progression there is unlocking new aesthetic changes for your console, most of which are fairly ugly.”
  • story
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is minimal and primarily serves as a backdrop for gameplay, featuring a villain who kidnaps villagers in bubbles but lacks follow-through, as players never rescue them. Reviewers note that the narrative is not a focal point, with the game being more about achieving high scores than delivering a compelling story. Overall, players should not expect a story-driven experience.

    • “You play as one of a few different characters with few differences in a quest to stop the bubble pirate from blowing bubbles.”
    • “There's a story scene about the villain kidnapping villagers by putting them in bubbles, but you don't rescue them or ever see any characters in bubbles ever again after that. Being able to rescue or collect villagers would have made the game way more interesting.”
    • “This is all the story the game has to offer, only needing to set up a framework for why the characters are doing what they are doing.”
    • “The game has a limited story, as mentioned earlier, and is mainly about getting a better high score.”
  • optimization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is well-optimized, running smoothly on lower-end devices like laptops and netbooks without performance issues. Players appreciate the integrated achievements and progression system, which enhances the overall experience. However, some feel the price could be lower given its performance capabilities.

    • “It runs smoothly, has integrated achievements, and features a rewards/advancement system in which you are able to unlock decals and other aesthetic changes to the game interface.”
    • “Earn money based on performance, and you buy stuff (good progression).”
    • “I think it should be a little cheaper for what it is, but it's a nice game to throw on a laptop/netbook and not worry about performance.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is highlighted through its amusingly named elements, like "inflatable hook" and "golden bubble," which add a lighthearted touch. However, players feel that the humor alone may not sustain the lengthy gameplay experience expected by the developers, with some finding the pricing of the soundtrack to be comically excessive.

    • “Many of them are humorously named, such as 'inflatable hook' and 'golden bubble'.”
    • “I just saw the soundtrack for this game is selling for 9 dollars, that's just... hilarious.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express frustration with the grinding mechanics in Ppp, highlighting a bleak experience where accumulating coins for cosmetic purchases requires significant effort, particularly if they are not skilled enough to excel in the hyper mode, which also demands coin expenditure to play.

    • “Ppp promises a bleak future where you’re grinding out coins to purchase cosmetics unless you’re extremely good at the hyper mode, which costs coins to attempt.”
    • “The constant grinding for resources feels more like a chore than an enjoyable part of the game.”
    • “I find myself spending hours grinding for levels, only to realize that the rewards aren't worth the time invested.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers a moderate level of replayability, but it suffers from a lack of increasing difficulty, leading to a sense of monotony rather than engaging gameplay. While it is short and enjoyable, its replay value may not be as high as other infinitely replayable titles.

    • “(this increases the replayability considerably)”
    • “A very short, but sweet game, with a moderate amount of replayability.”
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54%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

Pirate Pop is a casual shooter game.

Pirate Pop is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Phone and others.

Pirate Pop was released on November 4, 2016.

Pirate Pop was developed by Dadako.

Pirate Pop has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Pirate Pop is a single player game.

Similar games include The Bug Butcher, Bit Blaster XL, Downwell, PAC-MAN 256, One More Dungeon and others.