You and I know pirates to be cheery drunkards, perhaps made of plasticine, who plunder cursed booty and battle sea monsters. Yet, TopWare Interactive claims, this is all fiction. Promising to "challenge the image of pirates in popular culture," the publisher has released the first gameplay trailer for keelhaul 'em up Raven's Cry.

You see, apparently pirates were an unpleasant sort, who'd sooner murder a man for his mullions than gallivant around saving the world. Take poor little Christopher Raven: after his parents were murdered by pirates, he turned pirate himself to hunt them down. It's a vicious and sorry cycle.

TopWare says Raven's Cry will "crack history wide open and retell the Caribbean's darkest chapter with an authenticity unseen in today's Hollywood films, showing this period of vengeance, violence, and greed unchained through a more honest, blood-spattered lens than ever before." Why Chris has special abilities like "cursed Voodoo Charms," then, is something of a mystery.

Expect real-world locations and events from the 17th Century Carribean, and a little freedom in whether Chris is righteous and just or a cold-hearted cad. Check out the official site for more. Developed by Octane Games, Raven's Cry will board PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 in late 2012.