Free pirate BL visual novel
Jolly Roger is a free dating simulator developed by Ertal. In the game, you play as a doctor captured by a pirate and finds your fate intertwined on board a pirate ship. It is a short visual novel that develops fast and finishes abruptly—taking its players on a curious ride.
Jolly Roger has art styles and story patterns that are similar to other anime-inspired dating sims like Doki Doki Literature Club. You mostly follow how the story unfolds and make decisions at certain points, which will ultimately decide the fate of your character in the future.
Be the captain of your fate
In Jolly Roger, you play the role of Doctor Ian Smith, who serves as a lieutenant in the HMS Justice. On his last voyage before leaving the Royal Navy, they were boarded and captured by a pirate crew. The notorious captain is none other than Captain “Bloody Henry” Plank, who takes Dr. Smith on his ship.
As Dr. Smith, you get to answer conversations with mouse clicks. These interactions affect other characters’ relationships with you. Also, it is important to note that this game falls under the Boys Love (BL) genre. You can grow closer with the Pirate Captain, though he’s the only love interest you have here. Its strength lies in its storytelling — it does not need to use provocative imagery to get your heart racing.
As for the art, the game also uses a similar anime style for its character design. This helps the game endear itself to fans of the genre, especially since the characters’ expressions and features are somewhat exaggerated. Similarly, the 2D backdrops also fit with the character designs on top of capturing the feel of a medieval-age port city. This combination of factors makes the game a short yet fulfilling experience.
A fast, intriguing experience
Although this is a BL story, Jolly Roger doesn’t rely on fanservice. Instead, it tells an honest story set against an incredible background that is the age of piracy. It allows you to control the flow of the story, which gives it some degree of replayability. While a single run lasts for about 30 minutes, there are still interactions and endings to check out.
