Parents' Guide to Crimson: Steam Pirates

App iPad Free Strategy Games
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Common Sense Media Review

Chris Morris By Chris Morris , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Well-done pirate app most appropriate for teens and up.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Crimson: Steam Pirates App: Screenshot #1
  • Crimson: Steam Pirates App: Screenshot #2
  • Crimson: Steam Pirates App: Screenshot #3

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Privacy Rating Warning

  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • Unclear whether this product uses a user's information to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
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Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

Naval battles, for the most part, really haven't been done well on the iPad, but CRIMSON: STEAM PIRATES is a wonderful exception to that rule, offering one of the most polished, surprising adventures to hit the app store in a long time. The game deftly balances story and gameplay and throws in a number of surprises to keep players engaged.

Taking a page from Sid Meier's Pirates (the only other stellar pirate game app), the game uses a top-down view of the sea battles, but also folds in ship boardings and a local multiplayer mode. It's the story that's the real surprise, though. Instead of being an afterthought that's not worth your time, it's funny and thrilling. Having to pay for extra chapters is a bit frustrating, as it feels like there could be two versions of this game -- a free a la carte one and a premium one with all content unlocked -- but that's quibbling. Crimson has become the must-have app for strategy fans, assuming they're not too young.

App Details

  • Device : iPad
  • Pricing structure : Free
  • Release date : September 1, 2011
  • Genre : Strategy Games
  • Publisher : Bungie Aerospace Corporation
  • Version : 1.0.0
  • Minimum software requirements : iOS 4.2 or later
  • Last updated : November 11, 2020

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