The Golden Age of Piracy is one of the most fascinating time periods in history. This long period saw the rise of prominent figures like Stede Bonnet, Edward Teach, Charles Vane, and Anne Bonny. It was known for pirates roaming the high seas as they fought against the navies of the world and tried to build their own Republic of Pirates. The stories told about this period have led to numerous series over the years, including Pirates of the Caribbean. The age has also lent itself to video games as well, but they are few and far between.
Pirates have been the subject of multiple games over the years, but there need to be a lot more. Gamers have been able to tell their own pirate tales in Sea of Thieves, they have gone on adventures with fictional pirates like Edward Kenway through Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, and they got to explore the world of Pirates of the Caribbean through a LEGO game of the same name. These experiences have been great for fans of pirates, but they are really the only significant pirate games to come out in the last couple of years. The Golden Age of Piracy is rife with storytelling potential, and the video game industry needs to explore it further.
There Have Been a Couple Great Pirate Games
There have been a couple of good Pirate-based games that have given players the ability to live out their pirate fantasies. However, the majority of these pirate games have followed pirates in fictional worlds. GreedFall brought players to a monster-filled world and put them in control of a pirate-like character, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker put a pirate spin on the Zelda formula, and LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean gave fans a chance to play through the adventures of Jack Sparrow. These games have given players a taste of the pirate life, but the industry could do so much more with the age of pirates.
The Assassin's Creed series took a trip to the age of pirates with Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, and it is still one of the best pirate games ever made. The game put players in the shoes of a fictional pirate named Edward Kenway, and then surrounded him with real-life pirates. Players were able to sail across the Caribbean and interact with some of the most infamous pirates. As of now, the title has come the closest to capturing the real-life pirate feel.
The only other game that has come close to capturing the pirate feel is Sea of Thieves. Unlike Assassin's Creed 4, Sea of Thieves has players tell their own pirate story. The game is a multiplayer-focused title that lets players join a crew of their friends and set sail for adventure. They can go on long journeys across the sea to discover treasure, fight skeleton pirates, and destroy other players' ships. The game is not set in the real-world of pirates, but instead it is a pirate-themed sandbox that players can run wild in.
The Golden Age of Piracy Needs to be Explored Further
Some of the biggest pirate games are a ton of fun for fans of swashbuckling adventures, but they only do so much. Sea of Thieves is a great time, but the pirate world is entirely fictional and is missing that real-world element. The same thing can be said for games like GreedFall and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean at least involves some real-world locations and a couple real pirates, but the story is entirely fictional and not based on actual events. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag comes the closest to emulating the Golden Age of Piracy as its story is still somewhat based in reality.
The Golden Age of Piracy is an expansive age filled to the brim with infamous figures and interesting stories just waiting to be told. Players want to be able to board their own ship and sail the high seas as they wreak havoc on anyone that comes close. Sometimes, they would also prefer to do it in a single-player title like Assassin's Creed 4. There are many strong single-player studios that could deliver on that want, and the industry should really deliver.
The age of pirates is just waiting to be exploited further by the industry, and many players are eager to sail the high seas in another high-stakes single-player title. While pirate fans may have Skull and Bones to look forward to, pirates are long overdue for even more AAA pirate-themed games that have no connection to Pirates of the Caribbean. It has been eight years since the last AAA single-player pirate game set in a version of history, and now is the time for many more.