Pirate Pop Plus Reviews

Pirate Pop Plus is ranked in the 34th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.5 / 10.0
Oct 18, 2016

Pirate Pop Plus emits Game Boy nostalgia in its purest form. From its simplicity in story and gameplay to its retro graphics and sound, Pirate Pop Plus fits right in with other games on that old system. While the game can get repetitive and does have a few design problems, especially when it comes to sound design and control with the Wii U gamepad, for only $4.99, any Game Boy or Pang fan owes it to themselves to pick up this game.

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Evan Norris
Top Critic
Unscored
Oct 19, 2016

Despite a scarcity of game modes, Pirate Pop Plus is a winner.

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Oct 19, 2016

I was very pleased with my time with Pirate Pop Plus. It takes a simple arcade game premise and fleshes it out with style, substance and lots of replay value. There is just enough nuance to the gameplay to keep things interesting, and with all the unlockable content, you’ll be coming back again and again for more bubble popping fun. This game has done what I thought impossible and captivated me just like the classic games of my past. For $4.99, you’d be foolish not to pick it up, especially considering it will also be releasing on Wii U and Steam. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more coins to gather and more stuff to unlock!

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7.5 / 10.0
Oct 19, 2016

Pirate Pop Plus is a simple arcade-style action game with tight controls and a fully realized 8-bit aesthetic.

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3 / 10.0
Oct 19, 2016

Pirate Pop Plus feels more like something you'd have found near the release of the Game Boy than something that should be asking for money in 2016 considering there are full-length Game Boy games with a plethora of content available on the eShop for less money, and tons of even cheaper mobile games that put this to shame. If you don't care about unlocking all the customizations, achievements, high scores, or the few characters that hardly change the gameplay, then you'll probably get bored of this within 20 minutes. Even at a lower price, I wouldn't recommend it. Pop your money elsewhere.

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55 / 100
Oct 19, 2016

While addictive in short bursts, Pirate Pop Plus doesn’t have the staying power to compete with the new retro classics in the market today.

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9 / 10
Oct 19, 2016

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.

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Oct 19, 2016

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.

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7 / 10.0
Oct 19, 2016

Pirate Pop Plus is an arcade game that could be on par with something like a Geometry Wars in my eyes, but it feels like it’s the Geometry Wars that was a throwaway bonus in Project Gotham Racing 2, not the Geometry Wars that is arguably one of the best game on the Xbox 360. If you’re hankering for a bite-sized arcade experience that is heavy on fun and light on content, Pirate Pop Plus is fantastic. And hey - maybe they’ll make Pirate Pop Plus: Retro Evolved or something and it’ll be incredible.

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7 / 10.0
Oct 19, 2016

Pirate Pop Plus is an enjoyable little game that takes a proven formula and transforms it into something fresh and exciting.

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70 / 100
Oct 20, 2016

While this game didn't really do much to impress me, it isn't bad. If they could patch it on the 3DS to allow full-screen it would make the game much more playable and enjoyable.

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8.8 / 10.0
Oct 21, 2016

Pirate Pop Plus is a game where fans of the classics will likely enjoy it, especially fans of Pang and Buster Bros.  If you’re not normally fan of arcade-style games, you might want to check out Pang first, then decide if five dollars is worth spending on a game that resembles Pang with a couple of other mechanics thrown in.

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90%
Oct 25, 2016

The music and sound effects instantly take you back to a simpler time in gaming, which while it might be a little lost on a younger generation I 100% could appreciate its authenticity. There is so much to unlock as well, additional characters with unique stats, new panels (for the side of your screen to look like an old handheld), new color schemes for your screen (I prefer the pea green hue from my Gameboy just fine), and tons more. This game gives you more than enough reasons to go back again and again to try and beat your high score.

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60 / 100
Oct 26, 2016

Decorate your device with stickers, change the colour of its button, change the faceplate of the entire system, or even manipulate the backlight.

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6.5 / 10.0
Nov 4, 2016

A game that tries to bring us back to the 80's arcade glory, but doesn't succed because of it lack of variety.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

7 / 10
Nov 5, 2016

Pirate Pop Plus is a fun bubble-popping game with a fun gameplay that manages to stand out from its similar counterparts and with a fitting visual and sound environment. Its lifespan might be put to test, as the game relies on customization to keep its long-term appeal but Pirate Pop Plus should easily find a spot with nearly any player.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Drew Leachman
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Nov 7, 2016

Pirate Pop Plus is a neat little game. There’s no going around that. The gameplay is simple but still tight and fun, the progression is there, but runs out of steam within five longer sessions. This is the kind of game that would be a nice time waster every once in a while, but most certainly not for longer sessions. Even then, with the gameplay being so simplistic, players may find themselves bored after two or three sessions. But there are some decently fun times to be had.

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6.5 / 10.0
Nov 7, 2016

Pirate Pop Plus has its simple pleasures, but in the face of superior competition like Pang Adventures, it comes up just a bit short. Game Boy fans may want to give it a look, especially for its cheap price tag and entertaining gameplay, but don’t expect a fantastic voyage across the sea.

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7 / 10
Nov 12, 2016

Playing a Game Boy-inspired game that keeps things mechanically simple and fun is a breath of fresh air.

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4 / 5.0
Nov 14, 2016

Pirate Pop Plus is an incredibly addictive arcade game that proves there is still a place for games that exist for the sake of gameplay.

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