One of the most popular series of games for home consoles is Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed, in which a 21st Century cyberpunk is tasked with recovering memories of his ancestors from the past. The plot doesn’t make a lot of sense, frankly, but it doesn’t have to: it’s just the framing mechanism that allows players to take on the role of a number of assassins throughout history, from 15th Century Florence to ancient Jerusalem and Colonial America.
The latest game in the Assassin’s Creed series, Black Flag, brings the backstabbing and throat-slitting to the high seas, but it’s only available on the Xbox and PlayStation. No fear, though, because a companion game called Assassin’s Creed: Pirates has just been released on the App Store for iPhone and iPad users.
Featuring “groundbreaking 3D visuals,” Pirates puts players in the role of young Alonz Batilla, who is tasked with exploring the Caribbean to become the most feared pirate of the 17th Century. You can fight other ships in real-time battles, upgrade your ship with better sails and weapons, recruit new crew members to acquire perks to become a better captain, and even use swivel guns, cannons and mortars to rip other boats to shreds.
At first blush, Assassin’s Creed: Pirates looks a lot like Sid Meier’s Pirates, my favorite pirating simulator (and also available for iOS). It looks a heck of a lot prettier, though.
Assassin’s Creed: Pirates is now available on the iOS App Store for $4.99.
