Pirate Themed Slots

Pirates are another one of the many common themes used by online slot machine games. Pirate themed slots aren’t all swashbuckling adventures, though.

In fact, they come in many different shapes and forms. Pirate themed slots have of course proven very popular with the gaming public, hence why so many of them have been released by various online casino software developers over the years.

Although most pirate themed slots focus on the usual cannon firing ship, X marks the spot, peg-legged buccaneer imagery, pirate themed slots can be found as 3-reel classic or 5-reel video slots, and with many different features.

What’s the big deal, me hearties?

Almost every little boy has dreamt of being a pirate. But as an adult, does that fascination ever really go away? Apparently not, since many male gamers continue to play these themed slots.

Landlubbers across the net have enjoyed playing pirate themed slots since they first came about. They don’t just represent a childhood dream though, as they also represent hidden treasure, the kind of loot to transform people’s lives. At least, in theory, anyway!

The design of the pirate themed slots

Although many pirate themed slots have similar mini-themes (such as those that we mentioned a moment ago), no two are really alike. Each takes a very different graphical approach from the other. The main reason for this is to try and outdo rival pirate themed slots; to compete to be the best pirate themed slot, or to gain the attention of a specific crowd of pirate themed slot gamers.

There are several ways that the slot can do this, though it is mostly through its design. Some pirate themed slots go for a very cartoony look, with 2D ginger bearded pirates with big heads, little bodies, quirky pirates, peg-legs and massive hats.

Some have opted for a more serious approach, with real-life looking pirates, and less of the peg-legged, parrot carrying caricatures you seen in the cartoon-style slots. These pirate themed slots offer top notch graphics, mild violence, and are a very realistic approach to the genre.

You also have those slots which you might well say are Pirate of The Caribbean rip-offs. These slots contain a Jack Sparrow lookalike, ghosts of pirates, and a saucy sea-wrench. It is hard to take a slot so seriously, if they are so blatant a rip-off of a successful franchise, although their similarity to the major Disney franchise does lure in players.

Lastly, some have chosen to base themselves in 3D graphics, using imagery which is still somewhat cartoon-like. These pirate themed slots end up looking like they belong in the Monkey Island series of video games. These, most gamers find, are the most genuinely enjoyable pirate themed slots, with the best bonus rounds.

The types of icons

The icons found in pirate slots fit their theme well. Generally speaking, it doesn’t matter how the developers have chosen to design the slot, the imagery is almost always the same.

Again, generally speaking; cannons, swords, pistols, ships, treasure chests, maps, compasses, ship’s wheels, pirate flags, bottles or barrels of rum, coins, parrots and of course, the pirates themselves, are the main icons that you are likely to find in a typical pirate themed slot.

Pirate bonus rounds

There isn’t really any one kind of bonus round that can be found in all pirate themed slots. So, without a universal bonus round, what can you say about pirate bonuses?

You can say that some pirate slots try to incorporate similar themed bonus rounds, such as hunting for treasure using maps, battling off other pirates, capturing ships and playing dice or poker mini-games. They certainly won’t be present in all titles, but it’s a fair bet that your pirate bonus round will feature at least one of the above!

There isn’t really a big treasure slot

When you think of a pirate’s hoard of swag, or their buried treasure; you are thinking about a rather sizeable fortune of wealth, are you not? Funnily enough though, this doesn’t tend to be the case with the jackpots in pirate themed slots. What does this mean?

In short, very few pirate themed slots offer progressive jackpots. Almost all of them offer non-progressive jackpots. For a theme that is about the mother of all treasure collections, your jackpots are smaller than slots with totally different themes. This is just a general observation of the genre though, as a few pirate themed slots do indeed have progressive jackpots!

Is it worth playing a pirate themed slot?

Most definitely! All pirate themed slots have one thing in common. They are all fast-paced, action packed slot machine games. There is no such thing as a slow, unentertaining pirate themed slot. When you play one, you are sure to get some sort of kick and adrenaline rush.

If you are still a little boy deep down inside, pirate themed slots are a key to unlock your youthful ambitions of making it as a pirate. Even if you didn’t have such dreams, you can still get a rise out of playing these slots.

The best known pirate themed slots

There are so many well-known pirate themed slots to choose from. Personally though, the best are the Ghost Pirates, Cap’n Coins, Captain Quid and Barbary Coast pirate themed slots. Every pirate slot lover should have a crack at these titles.

Ghost Pirates – NetEnt’s take on the genre, this game is certainly one you should try if you’re into pirate stories. Not only will you simply be taken away to a world where your childhood heroes become reality, you will also get some great rewards while you’re at it.

Featuring a 243 ways to win payout system, the sure thing is that you won’t get bored playing this game regardless of how many hours you decide to play it. The rewards will keep coming even in base-game, and thanks to the bonus rounds that are available in this 5 reels game, you will constantly have something to look forward to spinning those reels.

Cap’n Coins – This 9 line slot developed by PariPlay Ltd is certainly one of the most fun to play pirate games out there. Even though the graphics are not as complex as in more modern games, the overall look of Cap’n Coins is absolutely great and the gameplay is fun, entertaining and rewarding.

Even though there’s no classic bonus game available, you will have Scatters on your reel which will award you prizes of up to 32x your bet. A great game by any definition and taking into account the wide range of bets that are available, I highly recommend Cap’n Coins as a fantastic way of relaxing in the comfort of your home after a hard day of work.

Captain Quid’s Treasure Chest – IGT’s Captain Quid series is by all means one of the most popular in the genre. High quality graphics, cool gameplay and amazing rewards is what makes this game a fantastic experience.

On top of the exciting action-packed base-game, you will also get a chance to try your luck in the bonus game, where you can win up to 40 free spins with a 10x multiplier.

You will absolutely love this game and the great rewards you can get for spinning the reels are certainly a great motivation to play it hour after hour. Give it a try whenever you get a chance and our guarantee is that you won’t be disappointed, you will have great fun while getting bankroll boost after bankroll boost!

Barbary Coast – Last but not least, BetSoft’s take on the genre is as expected, an amazingly looking game. The 3D graphics are like nothing you’ve seen in slots before, the sound effects are studio quality and the gameplay is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat for hours.

Amazingly, Barbary Coast is so much more than just a breathtaking gaming experience. On top of all the fun you’re going to have playing this, you will also have access to a huge range of cool rewards, a bonus feature and so much more! You should give this game a try regardless if you are a pirates fan or not!