Pirates Outlaws | PS4 Review

It's high rolling high sea adventures with Blitwork's and Fabled Game's latest console port of the seafaring roguelike, "Pirates Outlaws"!!! A deckbuilding turn based battle for booty!!! Featuring class and ability based pirates and outlaws banking it all on bountiful boss fight laden excursions filled with all sorts of lucrative opportunities. Whether you're scouting for bounties, completing quests, or building upon your reputation you'll find plenty to satiate your unquenchable thirst for more on your journey out into the wild blue yonder. 

Starting Off ...

Featuring 17 playable and unlockable character classes whose abilities will change the way you manage or approach your card decks along with three modes of play filled with their own rules to follow, "Pirates Outlaws" brings to the player plenty of things to do and places to go. All previous content updates from the mobile and PC ports carrying over here, but minus the microtransactions ... 

You'll start off the adventure in 'Pirates Outlaws' with a short lived tutorial out the gate explaining away basic mechanics, and staple features. Shortly thereafter taking the helm as the initially available gunner as you help him to navigate the high seas facing off against infamous pirates and outlaws for repute by putting to use all that you have learned. Repute, itself, is the big time console currency with which all features are gradually made available in 'Pirates Outlaws'. No need to pay to unlock anything! Such things as playable character classes, themed card deck packages, modes, and perks open up the more you play, and the more you win at the mapped out battles set before you. No loss goes unrewarded either, and experience/repute is gifted for simply trying. Allowing you to unlock new features as you hit milestones along the way.

The Characters ...

Character classes in 'Pirates Outlaws' feature pirate-like job classes, captain stereotypes, Eastern mystics, primates, the undead, a chicken, and even the cursed among others. Bringing with them starter health, coin, and an ammo count specific to their role. That, and perk based abilities that change the way the game is played. You'll find among the host of unlockable characters classes that are ranged, melee focused, curse card focused, and beneficial in a variety of different ways such as with card usage or gameplay enhancements. Earning repute by playing through the game's modes while playing as each character will, in turn, allow you to unlock other character classes for use later on. All characters also have unlockable cosmetic skins that can additionally be bought using earned repute as you advance through the main modes of play. 

The Experience ...

Outside of the character classes, and available to all, is a turn based deckbuilding experience that utilizes an ammo, melee, and skill system. Ammo, in particular, is the amount of actions you get before the turn is handed over to the enemy in a battle, and each ranged card in the game requires a certain amount of said ammo to use. Ranged cards, as they are, can hit any target and even multiple targets depending upon the card. Dealing damage according to attack value. Melee, on the other hand, is for frontline enemies only and is free to use not costing any ammo at all. Melee attacks involving the fist, broken bottles, and stat afflicting darts are among the assortment available for dealing damage as well as negative status effects if connected. 

Lastly, skill cards allow for things like health regen, combat boosts, and defensive boosts. Sometimes even affecting the enemies, negatively. Giving way to different approaches to battle through on hand selections. Thus you must, at all times, carefully manage and use your five cards on hand per draw in a way that will both deal the damage that needs to be done, and defend your chosen character when the enemy takes their shot. Taking in account ailment affliction, and stat boosts or nerfs as you do so.

Cards that are available or obtained often times come in different forms with tacked on status ailments, and damage values that will affect both the player and the enemies alike. Things like rage, drunk, and weaken can be used to inflict even more damage upon targeted enemies, or alternatively to negate any damage that might be inflicted upon your character. Further allowing a trade off or sacrifice for bigger damage dealt or the chance at a better drawing of cards. When it comes to winning any battle the last character/s standing are the winners, and if your character wins you get to pick from bonus cards or relics for efforts rendered. These, of course, are things that carry over into the next battle in line until death do you part.

The Modes of Play ...

Within the Navigate mode, which acts as Pirates Outlaws' mainstay single player mode, you'll play a randomized upward branching layout of points of interest spanning across several different named and themed locales or maps. Everything from battles to merchants, to taverns, and even events are placed randomly in these locations, leading upwards towards a final boss fight. 

The catch is that you only have 100 action points when you set sail with which to navigate the branching points of interest in each mapped location. Each point of interest also comes with an action cost to access, and the only way to circumvent this fee is to refill it by spending coin earned from battles. Coins that are earned allow you to pay to fully refill your action points, and your HP as well as buy new cards, relics, and partake of the card upgrade service per specific vendor. Cards can be sold for coins as well, and used on those same things. Leaving things like multiple choice gambling events to reward you free of cost, but randomly so, and at a risk. 

By effectively using cards, and relics (or baubles with buff based benefits) you can shoot, loot, and carry over your winnings to the next series of mapped locations towards their respective boss fights. There are, in any given Navigate playthrough, a set amount of boss battle inclusive maps that will need to be conquered to fully complete the run. This along with optional quest fulfillment requirements, and marked bounties will bring you closer to fortune and infamy. Quests, themselves, gift the player experience and loot for checklist feats that are completed. Bounties, in contrast, being a lucrative bounty hunt for infamous characters taken on at the cost of repute.

Beyond the Navigate mode lies a true test of mettle known as Arena that carries over collected/unlocked cards with which players can challenge a gauntlet of 100 increasingly difficult tiers of enemies. Here you can choose the character class beforehand, and carefully strategize your way to victory one arena at a time. In addition to Navigate, and Arena there's also Tavern Brawl. A series of five fights done up in battle fashion leading up to a final powerful boss encounter. Before you begin you get to choose from unlocked packages or themed decks, and relics that will be used in the following fight/s. After each sectional series of battles you get to choose these items up until the final boss.

The Presentation ...

Visually, 'Pirates outlaws' is a cartoonish cell-shaded indie game. It features sideways facing animations of characters, and top down views of mapped out points of interests alongside other modes' menu system layouts. On console the UI is very user friendly, and makes proper use of the hardware given it was originally a mobile game. Sound-wise the game comes chock full of all those instrumental pirate themes one might imagine. Evoking a sense of the fantasy built around pirate legends, and seafaring mythology. A complimentary soundtrack with some vocals, and adequate sound effects applied for card based combat.

The Verdict ...

I had no idea this was previously a mobile game. I wouldn't have known it to look at it. It's a proper deckbuilding roguelike experience with a pirate theme fit perfectly for the PS4. Through and through. All the features are thankfully unlockable through progress made instead of real money paid as well. Adding to the game's worth, and making the $20 asking price fair. It's the full package deal with all current expansions and added features tacked on. Leaving an opening for future DLC if the console port does well enough. Personally, I liked my time with "Pirates Outlaws", and can tell the replay value is immense. That the strategy is deeply involved, and layered through the systems of character classes, cards, and relics. It makes for a different experience every time you play it. Making it a worthwhile investment for roguelike enthusiasts, especially those into deckbuilding games.