Awesome Pirates

Awesome Pirates – Defend Your Island With Cannons

Awesome Pirates is a turn-based cannon defense game where pirate ships approach your island in search of treasure. You control the cannons mounted on your fortress, aim each shot at the attacking crew or their equipment, and try to defeat the pirates before they destroy your defenses. Between battles, the coins you earn can be spent on stronger cannons and fortress upgrades, giving you more firepower for the increasingly difficult encounters ahead.

The original browser release appeared on Kongregate in September 2013 under the developer name EmitterCritter. Kongregate categorizes it around artillery, upgrades, tactical shooting, boats, and castle defense, which accurately reflects the combination of aiming and upgrade decisions at the center of the game.

How Awesome Pirates Gameplay Works

Each battle is a cannon duel between your island fortress and incoming pirates. You aim from the fort and fire a cannonball, then the pirates receive their opportunity to attack. The important part is deciding what to target rather than simply hitting the ship somewhere at random.

Pirates and their cannons can both be useful targets. Damaging the enemy crew moves you closer to winning the battle, while hitting an enemy cannon creates a tactical advantage: the pirates must spend a turn repairing it instead of firing back at your fortress.

The pirate ships also move progressively closer, so the shot that worked earlier may no longer follow the correct trajectory later in the battle. You need to adjust your aim as the distance changes.

How to Play Awesome Pirates

1. Locate the pirate ship: Check where the approaching enemies are positioned before choosing your shot.
2. Aim your cannon: Move the mouse to adjust the direction and trajectory of the cannonball.
3. Choose a target: Aim for pirates when you want to reduce the enemy threat, or target their cannon when preventing the next attack is more important.
4. Fire: Click to launch the cannonball and watch where it lands.
5. Adjust for distance: Pirate ships can move closer between turns, so correct your aim rather than repeatedly clicking the same position.
6. Protect your fortress: Avoid letting repeated pirate attacks reduce your fort's health to zero.
7. Earn coins: Successful battles provide currency that can be spent between rounds.
8. Upgrade your defenses: Improve the fortress, strengthen existing cannons, or purchase different cannon types before moving into tougher levels.

Aim at Pirates or Disable Their Cannon?

One of the most useful decisions in Awesome Pirates is choosing between offense and disruption. A direct attack on the pirates helps you finish the battle, but destroying or disabling their cannon can prevent incoming damage for a turn.

This is especially useful when your fortress is already damaged. Instead of trading another round of shots and risking defeat, disabling the enemy weapon can create a safer turn in which the pirates are occupied with repairs.

When the enemy is already close to defeat, however, spending a shot on equipment may be less valuable than eliminating the remaining pirate threat. Good target selection depends on the condition of both sides rather than following the same approach every turn.

Upgrade Your Fortress Between Battles

Coins earned during the game can be reinvested into your defenses. Available improvements include stronger fortress protection, upgraded cannons, and additional cannon types. Later encounters introduce more pirates and greater pressure, so relying on the starting setup throughout the full game becomes increasingly difficult.

Fort upgrades and weapon upgrades solve different problems. Increasing the strength of your fortress gives you more room to survive inaccurate shots or enemy attacks, while improving your weapons helps remove pirates more efficiently.

Spending everything in only one category can leave an obvious weakness. Heavy firepower does not help much if the fort cannot survive long enough to use it, while a durable fortress still needs enough damage to finish the pirate crew.

Cannon Types in Awesome Pirates

The upgrade shop contains seven cannon options. Sources documenting the original game list the available weapons as Shotgun, Basic, Chain-shot, Sniper Rifle, Angry, Explosive, and Controlled Explosion. Different cannons emphasize different kinds of shots, giving you reasons to change weapons as you accumulate more coins.

For example, the Sniper Rifle is designed around greater precision, while the Explosive option provides a more destructive type of attack. Rather than purchasing a new cannon simply because it is more expensive, consider whether its firing behavior fits the targets you are struggling to hit.

Awesome Pirates Controls

The original browser version keeps its controls simple. Kongregate documents mouse control together with a Spacebar shortcut for checking the enemy position. Coolmath Games confirms the same core setup.

• Mouse: Aim the cannon.
• Left Mouse Button: Fire a cannonball at the selected trajectory.
• Spacebar: Peek or scroll toward the pirate ships to check their position.

Seven Levels of Pirate Attacks

Awesome Pirates is structured across seven levels. Each round builds on the basic cannon-duel system while increasing the pressure from the attacking pirates. Coolmath Games tracks progress across all seven stages, while other versions of the game likewise describe increasingly numerous and stronger pirate forces in later levels.

The progression makes upgrades increasingly important. A setup that handles the early stages comfortably may become inefficient once more dangerous pirate attacks begin appearing, so the coins earned from earlier victories serve as preparation for the next encounter.

Awesome Pirates Tips

Use the Spacebar Before Taking a Difficult Shot

If you are unsure where the pirate ship currently sits, use the peek control first. Knowing its latest position helps you adjust the cannon trajectory instead of wasting a turn with an outdated aim.

Disable Cannons When You Need a Safe Turn

Target an enemy cannon when preventing the next attack is more important than dealing maximum immediate damage. Because the pirates use their following turn to repair the weapon, this can reduce pressure on a damaged fortress.

Correct Your Aim as the Enemy Gets Closer

Do not assume that a successful shot can simply be repeated. Pirate ships change their distance from the fortress, so watch where each cannonball lands and make a small adjustment on your next attempt.

Spend Coins Before Difficulty Outgrows Your Equipment

Later levels contain tougher opposition. Use the upgrade menu to strengthen your weapon or fort before you reach a stage where the starting equipment can no longer keep up.

Balance Damage and Defense

If your cannon already defeats pirates efficiently but your fortress regularly approaches zero health, another weapon purchase may not fix the real problem. Put coins into fort durability when survivability becomes the bottleneck.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Repeating the same aim every turn: The target's distance changes, so your trajectory may need to change as well.
• Shooting only at pirates: Enemy cannons can be disabled to prevent a return shot for one turn.
• Ignoring fortress upgrades: Higher damage alone cannot compensate for a fort that is destroyed too quickly.
• Spending coins without a plan: Upgrade whichever part of your setup is currently limiting your progress.
• Firing without checking enemy position: Use the peek control when you need a clearer view of the incoming ship.

Similar Games on YaloGames

If you enjoy cannon battles, naval themes, fortress defense, or destroying enemy positions, these related games are also available on YaloGames.

• Battleship
• Ship Smasher
• Fortress Clash
• Rocket Fortress
• Crazy Shark

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the objective of Awesome Pirates?

Your objective is to defend the island fortress from attacking pirate ships by using cannon fire to defeat their crews before they destroy your fort.

How do you shoot in Awesome Pirates?

Use the mouse to aim and click the left mouse button to fire your cannon. The Spacebar lets you peek toward the enemy ships.

Can you stop the pirates from firing?

Yes. Hitting an enemy cannon forces the pirates to spend their turn repairing it instead of attacking your fortress.

Can you upgrade your cannon?

Yes. Coins earned during play can be spent between rounds on cannon improvements, new cannon types, and fortress upgrades.

How many levels are in Awesome Pirates?

The game has seven levels, with later encounters increasing the pressure on your upgraded fortress and weapons.

Defend the Island in Awesome Pirates

Awesome Pirates combines artillery aiming with simple tactical decisions and upgrade progression. Accurate shots matter, but knowing when to attack the pirate crew, disable an enemy cannon, reinforce your fortress, or invest in a different weapon can be just as important. Watch how the enemy position changes, adjust your trajectory after every shot, and use the coins from successful battles to prepare your defenses for all seven levels.