Pirates Outlaws

Pirate Outlaws is an engrossing deck builder, with plenty of cards to unlock and multiple challenges to endure through fluid gameplay.

79%Game Brain Score

gameplay, monetization

grinding, stability

80% User Score Based on 3,220 reviews

Critic Score 77%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

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About

Pirates Outlaws is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by Fabled Game and was released on April 13, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Pirates Outlaws is an indie roguelike card game, offering single-player adventure with marvelous mechanics and good graphics. The beautiful soundtrack, coupled with hilarious moments, ensures perfect replayability. However, be prepared for some serious grinding to fully enjoy this casual gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,220 reviews

gameplay171 positive mentions

grinding233 negative mentions

Great game with a lot of content and replayability.
Fun mechanics and engaging gameplay, reminiscent of Slay the Spire.
Beautiful art style and smooth controls.

Progression is very slow, requiring excessive grinding or in-app purchases.
Forced to take a card after battles, leading to bloated decks.
Some bosses and enemies feel unbalanced and overly punishing.

gameplay
382 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
5%
The gameplay is generally engaging and smooth, featuring a variety of mechanics that encourage strategic deck-building and character exploration, reminiscent of "Slay the Spire." However, many players express frustration with the steep progression curve, grindy nature, and the presence of pay-to-win elements that hinder enjoyment. While the art style and unique mechanics are praised, the overall balance and fairness of gameplay are often criticized, leading to mixed feelings about its long-term appeal.
- “The gameplay is smooth and the response times are quick.”
- “Arguably my favorite card battler of all time, tied with Monster Train, this game has depth, mechanics, unique characters and playstyle options, a great pace for rounds, and a beautiful art style.”
- “The gameplay is fun and interesting, but the currency is hard to obtain, which leads to way more grinding than a pay-to-play game should have.”
- “There are also tons of game mechanics one has to figure out (or read about online) in order to progress beyond the first two stages.”
- “The amount of loot gained is in great misalignment with the steep resources needed to advance in the storyline, unlock new heroes, etc. Often this means some pay-to-win mechanic, but even here the ratio is very uneven.”
- “The gameplay is deliberately crippled to encourage spending money in the shop on ridiculously expensive items.”
grinding
234 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
100%
The reviews indicate that the game is excessively grindy, requiring significant time investment to unlock characters and content, often leading to frustration among players. While some appreciate the grind as part of the gameplay experience, many feel it detracts from overall enjoyment, especially given the presence of microtransactions that can expedite progress. Overall, the consensus is that the grinding aspect is a major drawback, making the game feel tedious and repetitive, particularly for a paid title.
- “No grinding whatsoever, and everything is very much affordable without any pay.”
- “The game strikes a perfect balance, allowing players to progress without excessive grinding.”
- “I appreciate how the game rewards dedication without making grinding feel tedious.”
- “The only real complaint is how grindy it is.”
- “It's fun, but grindy as hell.”
- “It's frustrating and grindy but those moments of clutch victory, perfectly executed strategy, getting the exact hand you needed, or walking out from a fight completely unscathed make you feel like 3000 IQ.”
monetization
187 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
60%
18%
The monetization model of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over the presence of in-app purchases in a paid game. While some appreciate the lack of ads and find the microtransactions optional and reasonably priced, others feel that the slow progression system forces players to spend money to enjoy the game fully, leading to perceptions of it being a cash grab. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game is enjoyable, its monetization strategy detracts from the experience.
- “This is an example of doing free-to-play the right way - no ads, and in-app purchases are very reasonably priced.”
- “Not pay-to-win: there are in-app purchases, but you can play this and advance without buying anything.”
- “Great game, in-app purchases are totally optional and it has a unique take on Slay the Spire.”
- “The game has an upfront cost, but still has game mechanics that rely heavily on in-app purchases.”
- “It's a paid app with forced microtransactions and a pay-to-win shop.”
- “Great game ruined with an intentionally slow progression to force you into microtransactions.”
graphics
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
25%
2%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their beautiful and unique art style, which enhances the overall aesthetic experience. Players appreciate the colorful visuals and smooth animations, often highlighting the charming pirate theme and the game's ability to maintain a cohesive design. However, some users note that while the graphics are appealing, the gameplay can become repetitive and grindy, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- “The art style of the game is marvelous.”
- “Graphics are beautiful, just lovely aesthetics.”
- “The graphics are amazing.”
- “Only disappointing thing is that some skins don't change the aesthetic of the unique starter cards.”
- “The graphics and gameplay are fine but there are better choices out there until they figure out a balance and make it less grindy.”
- “Graphics are ok, matches pirate settings.”
replayability
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
38%
3%
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, with many players highlighting the depth of mechanics, variety of characters, and extensive content that encourages repeated play. While some users noted concerns about grinding and the potential for repetitive gameplay, the majority found the experience enjoyable and addictive, making it well worth the investment. The combination of roguelike elements and deck-building features contributes significantly to its replay value, ensuring players can engage with the game for extended periods.
- “The combat is as deep as you allow it to be, the replayability is off the charts, and it is all offline!”
- “Replayability is infinite, because of the mechanics and the variety of heroes.”
- “This game is a blast to play and has lots of potential for its replayability.”
- “I rate it 4-stars because it lacks depth of combos and honestly the replayability is much lower than I was expecting.”
- “Not that interesting and very tedious; to be honest, it would be better if we could pick our own paths, add more coins at the end of each battle, add more enemies. The game isn't bad, it's just underdeveloped and doesn't have any replay value.”
- “This lowers the game replayability because you may have almost identical decks even when playing different characters.”
story
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
75%
12%
The game's story aspect is generally perceived as lacking depth, with many players noting that it feels more like a series of challenging quests rather than a cohesive narrative. While there are numerous quests and character backstories, the execution can be frustrating due to unclear objectives, bugs, and a grind-heavy progression system that often leads to feelings of repetitiveness and imbalance in rewards. Overall, the quests add replayability, but many players desire a more engaging and polished storytelling experience.
- “The outlaw is pretty interesting; they have a good backstory.”
- “Besides the cool character art style, I really like how this game designs failure as a part of the progress rather than a consequence, and the little story is adorable too.”
- “Plenty of quests and content with simple yet increasingly challenging gameplay.”
- “The quests are super stupid and don't really make sense.”
- “Some quests are impossible to do.”
- “There's not much of a story, it's more of a beat the high score kind of game.”
music
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
30%
8%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its quality and atmospheric fit within the gameplay. However, some users note that the soundtrack can become repetitive over time and express a desire for additional tracks to enhance the experience. Overall, the music complements the game's art style and gameplay, contributing to its appeal, though there are suggestions for improvement in variety.
- “The game is pretty and the songs are good.”
- “An excellent card-based roguelike with beautiful pirate-themed art and music and addictive gameplay with loads of depth and strategy.”
- “Very good game and incredible music!”
- “Now when I open the app, it shows a sync message and the music stops.”
- “I wish they would add a few more soundtracks so that when I set the phone down to fall asleep, I don't get bored of one track on loop.”
- “Moreover, the soundtrack becomes really repetitive over time.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its innovation and fun mechanics, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience. Players appreciate the colorful graphics and the comedic elements, particularly in the gameplay and character design. While some suggest that the humor could be further refined, it remains a standout feature that enhances the game's appeal.
- “Funny and innovative; I almost never buy mobile games, but this one seemed nice, and it is!”
- “A great game in all aspects - mechanics, style, visuals, characters, humor, etc.”
- “This game is absolutely funny and amazing. To be honest, it's one of my favorite games; the artistic style and the pirate theme is a great combination.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
89%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many players report harmless glitches and enjoyable gameplay, significant issues such as freezing and bugs affecting progression have been noted. Some users experienced frustrating bugs that required restarting the game, while others found that recent updates have resolved previous glitches. Despite these challenges, the game is still considered fun and engaging by many.
- “Awesome game, no glitches, and a hearty adventure for a long, long time!”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it allows me to fully immerse myself in the story.”
- “Great game, only 4 stars because I found a bug: when you have relics that give you cards on enemy death and that enemy dies from injury on enemy turn, the game just freezes.”
- “Buggy and grindy, it keeps freezing and I have to minimize and open it again repeatedly to get it to work. This is on a Pixel 4a, so not an old phone.”
- “Instead of the ship moving, the game freezes and I must force stop the game.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews. While some users report good performance on mid-tier devices and appreciate battery optimization, others highlight significant issues such as frame rate drops in specific scenes and problems with app background performance, indicating that further improvements are needed for a smoother experience on lower-end phones.
- “Aesthetic yet simple UI, high performance on my mid-tier phone, and most importantly it is replayable and does not shove ads or in-game purchases in your face.”
- “Optimized for my battery, easier to minimize and switch to other apps.”
- “Maybe better optimization could help.”
- “Devs: there are some serious optimization issues with certain scenes; the frame rate drops significantly on the map selection scene and sometimes on the lobby page. Pressing on the shop bugs out occasionally.”
- “Does 'optimization of game loading' after this update mean crashing after trying to load?”
- “Any way it can be optimized? It really drains the battery.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere effectively immerses players in the adventurous world of pirates, enhanced by appealing visuals and atmospheric music. Its rogue-like elements and high replayability draw comparisons to "Slay the Spire," but the unique pirate theme sets it apart, making it a fun experience on mobile.
- “The game's atmosphere makes you feel like an adventurous pirate.”
- “Super fun roguelike, with an easy-on-the-eyes but pretty art style, atmospheric music, and immense replayability.”
- “The pirate atmosphere is new and refreshing, making it a unique experience.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game features impressive character development, highlighted by intuitive designs and a strong narrative message, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Players appreciate the depth and uniqueness of the characters, contributing to its status as a top card battler.
- “Best card battler I've played, absolutely amazing gameplay, great characters, great message, and intuitive character designs.”
- “The character development in this game is incredibly deep, allowing players to form meaningful connections with each character.”
- “I love how each character evolves throughout the game, making every decision feel impactful and rewarding.”