The game itself is fairly standard so far as Light Gun games go, though it offers a few unique mechanics; For one, the game actually encourages teamwork, placing them in situations where it is more ideal for one player to focus on taking out weak points on a boss, while the other keeps enemy swarms at bay. The players may also focus their crosshairs on one small area of the screen, which will cause their two crosshairs to merge into one that deals bonus damage on enemies, making it useful for attacking more durable enemies. Some cabinets are also equipped with a "Ship's wheel" mechanism, a free-spinning wheel between the two players which must occasionally be used to dodge attacks, charge their own attacks, or steer a vehicle away from obstacles and hazards.
The game hit the arcades in 2009 and was ported to PlayStation 3 using the Move controls as a bonus game to Razing Storm, along with Time Crisis 4, and as a stand-alone title on the PlayStation Network. An Updated Re-release labeled "Deadstorm Pirates: Special Edition" was released to arcades in 2014 that adds two new levels and expands the ending. Many have likened it to Sega's Let's Go Jungle.
This game provides examples of:
- Anachronism Stew: In a game that appears to be otherwise set in the equivalent of the 14th-or-15th century, Eric's and Leah's Golden Guns are fully automatic weapons which more closely resemble revolvers from the mid-to-late 19th century at earliest. Then again, they're explicitly said to be "magic" so it's not completely unbelievable to say "A Wizard Did It". Plus, such technology is necessary to deal with entire armies of skeletons.
- And the Adventure Continues: The game ends, in true pirate fashion, with the crew setting out for their next treasure, now aboard the Poseidon's Breath.
- Anti-Grinding: You can shoot the projectiles for some extra points but if you take too long by repeatedly shooting them without defeating the target, they will simply run away or in one case, directly slash you unless you kill them.
- Attack Its Weak Point: Pretty much Every. Single. Boss. Except the pathetically easy warships.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Most of the bosses you face except ironically, the Final Boss who is more human-sized.
- Bling-Bling-BANG!: The Golden Guns
- Battle Couple: Eric and Leah. The game even implies that they share the same mind but pose as a couple.
- Butt-Monkey: Bruno. He hides out in a barrel for about 90% of the game, ostensibly to avoid getting in danger, but still often ends up needing rescuing by Eric and Leah. Not only that, but the crew's captain will often kick his barrel over just for being in his way. He even gets his crown stolen by Porre-Porre at the end, to the amusement of everyone else.
- Chase Fight:
- The boss of the river level is a giant lobster who pursues the heroes down the river by walking alongside the canyon they're in.
- The cave boss is a giant snake who pursues the heroes as they make their way through the mines in gondola lifts.
- The Special Edition features the giant bird fight in the towers section who flies after the heroes as they use some lifts around the area.
- Clipped-Wing Angel: Captain Vincent's final form, thanks to an Eldritch Abomination taking over him. Compared to his previous form which can Flash Step, slash, and summon enemies/homing skulls, it can now only summon homing skulls and shamble up to you to bite you. It also has a lot less health. While the mouth has more targets than Vincent, it's much slower.
- Continue Countdown: When both players have run out of health, the announcer loudly counts down from thirty unless you try again. If you press the shooting button on the controller, he will count faster.
- Covers Always Lie: The two side-arts of the cabinet seems that the Ghost Pirate fleet's attack took place in the clear blue sky, and their ship's sail were colored red with black stripes; in the game, the Ghost Pirate fleet's attack actually took place in the storm and their ship's sail were colored entirely black.
- Dem Bones: The skeleton pirates you face in several stages, they are your main enemies.
- Distressed Dude: Bruno, and his barrel, are captured by the Giant Enemy Lobster during the Mountain Stream level.
- The Dividual: Implied of Eric and Leah. Some of the flavor text you get while the game tallies up your level score implies that the two share the same mind but pose as a Battle Couple to ward off suspicion.
- Engrish: The captain's pet parrot is named Porre-Porre, a somewhat mangled version of "Polly."
- Exploding Barrels: Present in all stages, they make clearing enemy waves much easier. They are necessary to finish off the giant snake in the Cave.
- Expy: Eric and Leah are basically Yun-Seong and Xianghua. Everyone else is lifted from Pirates of the Caribbean. The captain for example, is a combination of Sparrow and Barbarossa, while his first mate is a dead-ringer for Joshamee Gibbs.
- Flash Step: Used very often by the final boss.
- Giant Enemy Crab: Well, lobster, the boss of the rapids stage is a colossal one.
- You also fight a lot of regular sized ones during the rapids stage, and they're annoying because they use their oversized right claw to block your attacks. Two actually giant ones serve as minibosses.
- Golden Gun: The main characters' weapons are explicitly named such, they are golden pistols much faster than anything in the golden age of pirates..
- Harpoon Gun: You need to shoot Captain Vincent with a harpoon to finish him off. He still survives thanks to the abomination inside him.
- Humanoid Abomination: The final boss is some form of Eldritch Abomination, but it needs Captain Vincent's skeleton to walk around, so we only ever see its gaping alien maw.
- King Mook: Several minibosses are stronger versions of ordinary enemies, for example skeletons, crabs, piranhas and statues. Even the Reapers have a miniboss leading them.
- Kraken and Leviathan: The boss at the Great Whirlpool stage is the Kraken.
- Living Statue: Pirate enemies that were turned to stone by Poseidon's curse, then brought to life with the sole purpose of killing intruders appear in the Special Edition, in the fortress.
- Press X to Not Die: The game cabinet comes with a third controller along with the two guns, shaped like a steering wheel; this is used exclusively for those times when the game asks to perform actions like pulling your ship hard starboard, or dodging attacks. The PS3 version substituted this with either the Move controls or the twin sticks.
- Shield-Bearing Mook:
- The giant crabs, which use their oversized right claw to block damage. Attack them when they lift it up.
- The elite skeletons and statues. Smash the shield first, then finish them off.
- Shout-Out: The sword enemies are designed like the Soul Edge.
- Soul Jar: The sword enemies, which look like a zombie holding a ghostly sword. The zombie is invulnerable as it's being re-animated by the ghostly sword; destroy the sword to put an end to it.
- Warm-Up Boss: The bosses of the first stage, the Stormy Sea, are two enemy warships. Unlike every other boss, who has several targets that have to be broken to interrupt their attacks, these ships are vulnerable everywhere, a single strike from the cannons may cut a lot of their health instantly, and their only attack is cannonballs that can easily be shot down. In short, with a little practice and good timing and patience, it's very easy to beat them untouched and still struggle with the other bosses.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The pirate crew leaves aboard Vincent's ship, the Poseidon's Breath, in the end, but it never says what happened to their old ship. However, given how severely damaged it was by the Ghost Pirate fleet and the Kraken earlier in the game, it is possible that it was no longer seaworthy and was abandoned.
- Zerg Rush: Many of the skeleton enemies do this very often. So do the other monsters like bats and piranhas. Natch for a light gun game, the player must shoot them down before they get close enough to attack.
