To say the Pirates of the Caribbean films have been a huge success thus far would be a gross understatement. The first two have amassed a gross box office profit of $728,375,880, thanks to the clever antics of pirate Jack Sparrow and his co-star William Turner. A movie series so popular just seems to be begging for another video game spin-off to be produced. The call has been answered.
Buena Vista Games and Eurocom have been working hard and are set to release Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End in late May, which will span the story of the second and third movies of the series.
Played completely from a third person perspective, fans will take on the roles of the three main characters of the series: Willian Turner, Elizabeth Swann, and everyone’s favorite pirate Jack Sparrow. A lot of effort has been put into nailing the virtual gestures and mannerisms of each character, though gamers will not be treated to the actual voices of the actors. The game will include music from the original film scores though, which should help set the mood.
You’ll play through vast 3D environments set in the same tropical Carribean environment the movies take place in, visiting countless beaches, cliffs, and jungles as you fight countless hordes of enemies (including the massive sea monster Kraken) while searching for better weapons, equipment, and a pirate’s favorite thing – booty.Combat will include the ability to slash your sword both horizontally and vertically, throw weapons and objects as projectiles, grab nearby enemies to cast them off to their doom, and pull out guns while in the thick of battle.
The game is built on a combo system, where gamers will be able to string together successive hits in hopes of filling a "swordsmanship" meter. When the meter is filled, a finishing move will be executed causing havoc upon a hopeless enemy. For better control of hectic combat situations, gamers will be able to lock on and toggle between enemies to help keep them in sight. Locking on to an enemy will allow for a close-up duel, which will make it even easier to string huge combos. You’ll also be able to evade enemy attacks, and even illicit the help of other characters to teach your enemies a harsh lesson.
Fans of the films and lovers of pirate games will probably enjoy this enormously. There has been a recent drought of games in this genre, so what better way to experience the south seas than to play Pirates? The game is set to release May 22nd in the United States, and May 25th in PAL regions. We will have a review of the game ready for you as soon as we can get our grubby paws on it, so stay tuned to PSU as we land-lubbers find out whether this treasure is worth your journey.