Buccaneers: Shipshape

One thing that I’ve always loved about beat ‘em ups is how you can pretty much set them in any time period in history and they will still make sense. I don’t care if it’s the fantasy medieval times or a western setting or even the far-flung future, people will still be using their fists to pummel bad guys. That brings me to Buccaneers Shipshape, a new swashbuckling brawler that takes the genre back to a time when pirates ruled the seven seas, doing whatever it took to unearth the buried treasure. That’s a great set-up, but does this pirate-theme beat ‘em up deliver on the promise? Find out now when I review Buccaneers: Shipshape from Merso X Games.

Before we talk about this new game, we first need to talk about the 1989 bootleg game Buccaneers. Developed by Duintronic, this side-scrolling beat ‘em up was an extensive hack of Irem’s 1988 game Vigilante. The original plan was to port it to Amiga and Amstrad CPC, but those releases were ultimately canceled, dooming the pirate-themed brawler to being little more than a footnote in history.

But not so fast, you scurvy dogs, because Buccaneers: Shipshape is a loving reinterpretation of the game created with the full support from the original developers. It trades the Vigilante-style side-scrolling action for more traditional fare, which will immediately remind you of beat ‘em ups like Streets of Rage and Final Fight. This, along with a deeper story and more variety to the stages, elevates this remake over the original in practically every way possible.

The set-up is simple enough: Your treasure map has been stolen by the evil Captain Winters, so the four buccaneers set out on a nine-stage adventure to get their revenge (and find the missing booty). You take control of Simon, Coralie, Portia or the hook-handed Aldemar, who spends pretty much the whole game beating up bad guys with a cigarette in his mouth. Beyond having a differently colored parrot at the ready, each of these pirates has their own unique special moves. For example, Portia will spin around a few times, slicing everything in her path, while Coralie will throw a bunch of small knives in one direction.

As it turns out, the story isn’t the only thing to be beefed up in this remake, because a lot of the locations found in the original arcade game have been fleshed out and expanded in a lot of fun ways. A good example of that is the very first stage, where we’re fighting through the docks, dodging barrels and stealing rich people’s money. In the original game, the massive pirate ship sat there in the background. It sure looked menacing, but was ultimately just for show. In this new game, that ship will shoot cannon balls at you, all while you’re fighting a horde of pirates and other rapscallions.

This new remake doesn’t just expand on the original levels; it also adds a number of new ones. There’s a whole castle subplot that simply wasn’t in the original, as well as a fun underwater bit where you’re fighting sharks and mermen. One of my favorite new stages is set on the rooftops. This is a nighttime battle set in the middle of a rainstorm, but that’s not what’s cool about this stage. Because of the angle and everything being so slippery, everybody (including the enemies) are constantly sliding down the narrow roofs. It’s not only hilarious, but something you don’t see in a lot of brawlers.

There are also a couple of 3D sections added to the mix, including an especially exciting one set on the top of a moving stagecoach. Not only are enemies constantly jumping onto the vehicle, but the annoyed people actually riding in the stagecoach keep sticking their swords through the roof. This is the kind of thing that the original arcade game could only dream about, and I think that these 3D sections add some much-needed variety to the action.

Speaking of which, the original arcade game that we’ve spent so much time talking about is actually an extra in this package. They’ve tweaked it a bit, but all ten minutes of it are there, showing you just how big of a leap forward this remake is. I will admit, I had a hard time going back to the 1989 game, as it is loaded with questionable gameplay decisions. For one thing, the enemies take far too many hits to defeat, and it’s sometimes hard to know if you’re even hitting them. I love that they included it as an extra, but I’m not sure how many times I’ll be going back to the original Buccaneers.

I have to admit that the developers have done a great job of turning this into a more traditional beat ‘em up. The characters are fast, response and fun to control, and I like how powerful you feel throughout the game. No matter which character you choose, you can easily take on hordes of enemies, both with your own moves and also with guns and whips and other weapons you can pick up along the way. And that’s just as a solo player. I can only imagine the chaos that would reign down if I we had all four heroes on screen at the same time.

That said, I did find the game to be far too easy and forgiving. I played through the entire story the first time through without needing to use even one of the two continues we’re given. In fact, I barely lost a life in the first half of the game. Things pick up a bit in the second half, but I found myself breezing through it. The good news is that they just added a hard mode, but I have a hunch that it will only slow down players, instead of truly challenge them.

I also have to reiterate that while this is a very good throwback beat ‘em up, it’s still a game that has all of the annoying trappings found in the genre. It’s repetitive, short, shallow and there are too many times where enemies will wander offscreen. Are these issues exclusive to Buccaneers Shipshape? Of course not. But for all of the praise this game deserves, never lose sight of the fact that this is not trying to be a modern brawler. Everything from the graphics to the sound to the music feels like it came straight out of an early ‘90s beat ‘em up.

And that’s something I really liked about the game. This is a game that knows the look and style it’s going for, and nails pretty much every part of it. The four heroes have their own personalities, the bosses are all unique and the levels take full advantage of the pirate theme. I also really liked the humorous ending. This is a game that isn’t afraid to go over-the-top and be a little silly, and it’s all the better for it.

There’s nothing especially revolutionary here. As a remake, it expands on the basic concept in every conceivable way, adding more depth, story, characters and moves. The result is a throwback brawler that pretty much anybody can get into, even if they’ve never even heard of the 1989 original. It may not be especially original or unique, but this throwback beat ‘em up looks and plays the part, giving us a thrilling, action-packed experience at a relatively low price point. Fans of brawlers could do a whole lot worse than Buccaneers Shipshape.