The pirate
genre is one that seemed to go from sparse to bountiful rather quickly. Years
ago there were not that many games that dealt with the time period and then, of
late, quite a number have entered the scene – including a couple that sailed
into massively multiplayer online seas.
Pirates of the
Caribbean Online is an offering from Disney that works off the movie license,
dropping in some of the familiar screen characters, like Jack Sparrow and
Elizabeth Swan, while trying to make the experience in the game world uniquely
the player’s story.
It begins with
a prison break and much of what you do in the early going seems to be carefully
orchestrated. But don’t think of this in the same frame as that other pirate MMO,
Pirates of the Burning Sea. Disney’s entry is a kid-friendly, family-friendly
offering that is intuitive, easy on computer specs and it does not require much
in the way of deep thought or character planning.
You do get to
create a character and while the options are hardly robust, you can create a
character that fits in nicely to the open world. The game does touch on some of
the films’ moments, including the enemies, but everything has been reduced to a
low common denominator. For example, combat is merely a matter of clicking away.
But the clicking with the mouse is not without reason. In fact, it is a timed
attack and if you hit the timing just right, you will be able to chain together
attacks for bigger damage.
As you fight,
you gain experience and that leads to more Notoriety (which translates into
allowing the player to ‘buy’ new skills) and more skills. However, the game does
come in two flavors – the free to download and play taste, and then the one
where you play a small monthly subscription and get to experience all that the
world has to offer. The free-to-play version will be fine, but you will find
yourself handcuffed if you try to scale up your character to truly compete down
the road.
The “play for
free” option comes with some distractions, like the ads that ring your game
window, a lower priority for server access and a level cap. If you pay $9.95 a
month, though, you can get rid of the ads, lift the level cap and enjoy all the
game has to offer. As a business model, it seems to be a case of tantalizing the
player with a bit of a taste of the game and then requiring them to pay if they
want the full course.
As for the
quest system, the game has the fetch variety and the ones where you have to
fight and defeat so many mobs of this or that variety (from garrison soldiers,
to skeletons to crabs). There is also ship combat and that can be entertaining.
Because the game is played online, players can put together crews with a captain
to navigate and fire the general cannons while individual players, as part of
the crew, can aim and fire individual cannons. This can be very entertaining,
and add a challenge to the game’s general mechanics.
Visit a tavern
and you can gamble your coins in games of poker or blackjack. The game really
does have a lot to offer and for the most part, this is a game that rewards
players with a lack of a serious death penalty and an MMO experience that could
only be considered on the ‘lite’ side.
The game also
has PvP, but this is purely consensual and, again, there is no real penalty for
being defeated. In this regard, Pirates of the Caribbean Online seems to
understand its target audience and cater to them.
The game does
have a few failings and they fall in line with the multiplayer aspect. In order
to put together a crew, you have to visually be near one another in the game.
You can’t just warp into a location and crew up. Also, while the graphics are
serviceable, they are hardly cutting edge; this, though, falls in line with the
fact that this is a game that will work well on lower-end systems.
Pirates of
the Caribbean Online is a lighthearted affair that is for families. As such it
is very kid friendly and does an adequate job of portraying the world of Jack
Sparrow in a manner that should bring a smile to the face of those who truly
enjoy the game. However, don’t expect the “free to play” idea to do much more
than lure you to pay to play. If you want to enjoy all this game has to offer,
it will cost you.
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Gameplay: 7.0
Combat is a
timed-click experience and the game seems to be rendered down to its lowest
common control denominator. There were a few times when the connection
unexpectedly was cut short. But crashes were not the norm.
Graphics: 6.8
The animations are
decent, but the graphics are hardly anything that will challenge a good system.
That, though, is the idea.
Sound: 7.0
The game has solid
sound that mimics the movies.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Concept: 6.8
As far as an MMO
model is concerned, the game does not tread any new territory. The subscription
model is a big tease.
Multiplayer: 7.0
There is multiplayer
fun to be had though you may have to work a bit to get to the place where you
can explore that aspect of the game.
Overall: 7.0
This is an “MMO lite”
game, which means it should be fine for families and kids. The combat can ramp
up on occasion, surprisingly so, but the ship combat is fun and the game does a
very nice job of moving the player along with its quest system. Don’t expect a
hardcore MMO experience and you will find this game entertaining and a nice
representation of the world depicted in the movies.
