Play The Pirates Of Dark Water Online

I remember picking up The Pirates of Dark Water for the Super Nintendo back in 1994. It was a Sunsoft release, one of many action platformers from that era trying to capture the feel of an animated series. The game didn't necessarily stand out on the shelf, but the box art had a certain charm that made me curious.

You control Ren, the main character from the show, navigating through side scrolling levels and some top down ship sections. Your goal is to collect the thirteen lost treasures of Rule to defeat the evil Dark Water. The gameplay involves a lot of screen by screen exploration, using your sword to fight off creatures and solving simple environmental puzzles. You also get to command your ship, the Wraith, in separate segments where you fire cannons at enemy vessels. The pacing can feel a bit slow at times, and the difficulty spikes with some unforgiving enemy placements. Playing it feels like a straightforward, sometimes clunky, trip through a Saturday morning cartoon world.