Geekscape Games Reviews Lego Pirates of the Caribbean
A new Lego game at the eve of a big film release? No way! Traveler’s Tales has done a great job of adapting so many franchises into Lego-fied versions for the whole family to enjoy, so is anyone really surprised that Lego Pirates is upon us? The tales of captain Jack Sparrow are reinvented brick by brick, but compared to the other games in the Lego series, it feels like this one is missing something… And I don’t mean Orlando Bloom in On Stranger Tides.
Spanning the original trilogy and the new film, Lego Pirates puts players in the shoes of nearly every character imaginable from the series. If he or she was on camera, they’re probably playable, (even a guard dog made it in.) Each character has different abilities that are necessary to progress, such as Jack’s ability to find treasure, Will Turner’s hatchet throwing, and for some reason, every woman’s ability to double jump. After playing through story mode, just like all of the previous games, stages can be replayed with any member of the cast that you please to be able to uncover secret areas that can only be accessed by certain people. That’s how you build up replay value…
Combat is as simple as it has ever been in the Lego games, with simple mashing of the attack button getting you through most skirmishes. Dying makes you lose money that can be used to buy characters and cheats, but other than that, there’s no real consequence since you just pick up from where you left off. It gets more interesting during later portions of each film, usually providing boss fights that use a combination of strategy and timing. There’s a reason these games have earned such a following, and it’s not just because everyone loves Legos. This combination of simplicity and depth gives gamers a little bit of everything.
The stories are told through humorous reenactments of the events of each movie. If you’ve seen them, you’ll get a laugh out of the interpretations, but if you’re afraid of spoiling the new film by playing it, don’t be. It’s so vague if you don’t know what’s going on that you’ll probably just end up confused. That is, unless you can translate grunts and screams.
But there are plenty of other reasons to want to stay away besides spoilers. Essentially, the game play, style and presentation is the same as the previous games, so what makes this one any worse? First, just because a movie franchise is popular doesn’t mean they all need Lego games. It’s not like Star Wars or Harry Potter where you have these incredible abilities… Most of the characters here are pretty plain and it takes away from the excitement of using them.
Even still, the biggest issue is the level design. I know, the series is usually great in this department, but I blame the source material more than the developers. Most of the game takes place on pirate ships, so rather than having big, open spaces to play through, you’re usually cramped up in the tiny confines of the ships and regulated to perform fetch quests that force you to go back and forth in these small, uninspired areas. I’m guessing it’s to make the stages longer, but it feels like a chore. And beware if you’re playing two players, because while older games made players stay together, this one splits the screen when players are far from each other. Yeah, it sounds good on paper, but when the screen keeps switching positions and tilting to adjust to the positions and combined with the annoying areas, it’s hardly worth the trouble.
So while Sparrow might be the greatest pirate we ever saw, his Lego game fails to meet the same standard. It’s amazing how much level design and environments can affect the experience when everything else is relatively unchanged. The children and families who are the target audience for this games won’t be as jaded as I am and still find plenty to love, but unless you’re a huge Pirates fan, there’s little reason to choose this over Lego Star Wars, Batman or Harry Potter. So in the end, it might be better if this treasure stays buried.
