The main concept of Pirates is similar to the two previous games from the series. Once again, you are a pirate who tries to become famous throughout the Caribbean. However, this time, the game has an interesting scenario which is revealed through a very beautiful introduction. The story begins with a family celebration which turns into a nightmare. An evil Marquis invades your house and captures your family. You are the only one who manages to escape. Ten years later, you embark on a ship where you "convince" the captain to surrender control of the vessel to you. Starting from zero, you have to rescue your family from slavery, reak revenge on the villains who put them there and reclaim your lost fortune.

In the beginning, you must create a character, choose a skill for him (there are five skills varying from fencing to wit and charm), select the historical era you prefer, and finally, set a difficulty level. From that moment on, you are ready to start your career in the Caribbean. While the game allows you to take on many different roles (you can be a pirate hunter, a pirate or even a merchant who tries to increase his profits by selling goods to the colonies), it is better to start as a privateer (a private captain who holds a “Letter of Marque” which enables him to legally attack his nation's enemy ships and towns) choosing your side between English, French, Dutch or Spanish.

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