More browsing paths
Play Pirates! (Europe edition · English) Online
Pirates!
Play Pirates! online for NES. Sail the Caribbean, trade cargo, battle ships, duel captains and build a fortune with a crew of your own.
Browser play
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) / Famicom — EmulatorJS controls
Default Player 1 keyboard mapping. Change keys in Controller Settings.
| Console button | Keyboard |
|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ / ← / → | ↑ / ↓ / ← / → |
| A / B | Z / X |
| START / SELECT | Enter / V |
Open Controller Settings to configure your keyboard or gamepad. Touch controls are available on mobile.
How to Play Pirates!
Quick start
Press START at the title and choose a new career. Move the sword cursor with the D-pad and confirm choices with A or SELECT. For a first game, decline a special period to use 1660, choose the English buccaneer and Apprentice difficulty, then pick a special skill. Enter your name with A or SELECT, erase a letter with B and finish at END. Visit a friendly port for crew, provisions and information. Learn to turn with left/right and watch the wind before seeking a fight.
Controls
Menus: D-pad selects; A or SELECT confirms. Name entry: B erases the last letter. Travel: left/right turns the ship, D-pad moves a party on land, SELECT opens information and START pauses. Sea battle: left/right turns, up sets full sails, down battle sails, A fires a broadside toward the enemy. Sword duel: left/right moves; up/down changes sword height, neutral is middle; A gives a quick thrust and B a slower, stronger slash. Match the enemy’s attack height to parry. Land battle: D-pad moves the selected group; men fight automatically in range.
Pirates! — About this game
Pirates! gives you a career to shape rather than a straight sequence of levels. Your chosen era and nationality affect the starting situation, but you can change allegiances as opportunities arise. Visit ports to recruit sailors, repair ships, sell cargo and hear news, then decide which voyages and opponents your fleet can afford. Wind and ship type matter at sea, while a boarding action puts you in a sword duel against the opposing captain. Land attacks add another way to threaten settlements. Treasure maps, missing relatives and governors’ requests give the journey personal goals beyond plunder. Success also depends on looking after the men and dividing the spoils: your own fortune, rank, land and reputation help determine the life you earn when you retire.
Cheats
No cheats have been added for this edition.
Player verification and sources
Browser play was reviewed before this edition was published in the catalogue. The date below is the catalogue publication date, not the game’s original release date.
- Browser test and catalogue publication date
- Browsers and devices
- PC: Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Mobile: Chrome on Android and Safari on iPhone and iPad.
- Player engine and core
- EmulatorJS 4.3.0-pre · nes
- Tested by
- rwEmulator
Sources and editorial basis
rwEmulator reviews edition metadata, release information, game manuals and first-hand browser-play notes. Available manuals are linked below; the editorial policy explains how facts are checked and corrections are handled.