The Lost Treasure of Sid Meier's Pirates
This article provides a retrospective look at the 1987 game 'Sid Meier's Pirates!', analyzing its unique genre-defying mechanics and unconventional combat system. It explores how the game differed from contemporary titles and its lasting legacy in gaming history.
Why it matters
Understanding the evolution of game design helps contextualize modern mechanics and the history of the software industry.
When Microprose greenlit Sid Meier's Pirates! in 1986, the company—which Meier founded along with Bill Stealey back in 1982—was mostly known for vehicle sims ( Gunship, Spitfire Ace, F-15 Strike Eagle ) and dry strategic wargames like Crusade in Europe .
Pirates was something different. It's hard to pin it down to a genre even today, but it certainly wasn't like previous Meier titles—even though it's the first game to be called Sid Meier's Something or Other. At the time the game came out in 1987, it was generally called an "action adventure" game; this is somewhat hard to square with the way most people today would understand the genre. It has basically nothing in common with contemporaries like Castlevania, Metroid, or The Legend of Zelda.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in