Pirate Cards is an adventure and endurance card game. A pirate captain decides to explore tropical islands without his crew. He needs the player's help to survive! The player must earn coins and play for as long as possible.
The game displays nine cards using a 3x3 layout. One card features the captain with 10/10 hit points. Eight cards feature a mix of enemies, elixirs, shields, cannons, barrels, traps, chests and other items. The player can only move the captain one space at a time (up, down, left or right).
Non-deadly cards feature numbered green dots. The player uses the items on these cards to heal, defend or attack. For example, elixir cards increase the captain's hit points. The player can find hidden useful items in barrels and chests.
The player attacks any card with a numbered red dot as long as the number is lower than the captain's points or the same while he's equipped with multiple shields. Without one or more shields, the captain's hit points drop when he attacks enemies and traps. He can attack adjacent enemies with cannonballs. That said, the player might need to perform this action more than once to reduce an enemy's hit points enough below the captain's points for a final attack.
Pirate Cards also allows attacks against non-adjacent cards. The player can strike multiple enemies and traps with lightning from a special lightning bolt card or all enemies with fireballs from a special skull card.
With a chest card, the player must unlock a padlock. If they fail, the lock blows up and the card disappears from the screen.