Pirates Plundarrr is a side-scrolling combat adventure with a lighthearted presentation, well suited for cooperative multiplayer play. In the retro style of arcade games such as The Simpsons or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, up to four players control weapon-wielding pirate characters as they make their way through Caribbean-inspired 2D levels. Characters have a limited ability to move back and forth, toward or away from the front of the screen, as well as moving right and left. The storyline has players in pursuit of a bandit named Rudebelly, whose magical scepter allows him to summon forth monsters and zombies, providing plenty of enemies to fill out the levels. More than 40 different enemy types challenge players throughout the game, and each level ends with a boss encounter. Players can improve their chances of survival by collecting powerful weapons as they advance through each stage, and experience points earned in combat are used to upgrade attacks.