Yesterday a new nautical Multiplayer online battle arena has gracefully beached itself upon the PSN store in the form of “Pirates: Treasure Hunters“. The title is a free, swashbuckling effort from Spanish developer “Virtual Toys” who’ve attempted to create a new genre of game by splicing the D.N.A of Dota, with Sid Meier’s Pirates, something I’m describing as the”Maritime Moba“. The game is exclusive to the Playstation 4 and will be available in both Europe and America… if this compass reads correctly that is.
The idea of battling on galleons across the seven seas is actually a very enticing prospect as it’s not something that’s really been visited since Black Flag was released. Tropical locations and beautiful beaches are just some of the places you’ll find yourself staging wonderful deathmatches, which will be a nice change of pace from the fairy tale forests of other games in the genre. We can also expect our fair share of peg legs and parrots within the character design, I’d imagine it’s difficult to make a unique looking pirate but the cast of characters is actually pretty striking, each having their own dastardly look and style making them easy to pick apart on the battlefield. Like any Moba you each pick a character and work as a team of six to dismantle your opponents towers with the ultimate goal of stealing their loot and rum, not necessarily in that order. What is genuinely interesting about this particular Moba however, is it’s use of “cooperative vehicles” how cool does that sound? Perhaps we can expect a Guns of Icarus style gameplay with the ability to board your opponent’s ships or make repairs whilst manning the cannons? This is the part that will be dragging me away from Dota for the day.
Like many Moba’s, this one is free to play from the get go, you don’t even need Playstation Plus! the multiplayer is available to all which is unheard of! If you do have Playstation Plus however, you can expect a few little goodies in the form of: one extra character with an additional outfit, a seven day XP boost to help you reach the rank of admiral, and 2000 silver coins (which is probably the premium currency in this free to play game). Many people are rightfully wary of a Moba that forces you to have a controller in your hands, I’m one of them. “Pirates: Treasure Hunters” however, a game that takes place in a historical setting rather than a fantasy one, has definitely grabbed my attention and its addition of vehicles is just the kind of originality the genre needs.
It truly takes a lot to pry people away from Moba’s that they’ve invested a lot of time into but hopefully this will be a great new entry point for casual players or those who’ve never touched the genre before. If your a fan of Moba’s or pirates, don your captains hat and beard and give this one a download from the PSN store, it’s free!
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