Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End review

Who knew? Licensed swashbuckling is surprisingly fun and challenging

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Challenging

  • +

    well-designed combat

  • +

    Characters and humor fit the movies

  • +

    Captures the feeling of pirate-life

Cons

  • -

    Controls occasionally annoy

  • -

    Side quests can be unrewarding

  • -

    Too much time spent on first two movies

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At first, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End appears to be yet another mindless melee slog. You can get away with just swinging the Wii remote rapidly from side to side for several levels. Things begin to look dire as far as fun goes.

Thensuddenly you encounter a pirate who will block every single one of your thoughtless swings. In a single moment the game has transformed into a true swashbuckler. You’ve got to block attacks, time your lunges and swings, and use special defensive moves if you want to survive. Enemies constantly try to flank you, and so you must watch your back whenever you are focused on one opponent. Often you have to break off the attack to gain a better position.

More info

GenreAdventure
DescriptionIt's a movie tie-in brawler, but its blend of spot-on animations, upgraded battle actions and cinematic action sequences could still be enough to interest more than just idle fans of the film
Franchise namePirates of the Caribbean
UK franchise namePirates of the Caribbean
Platform"PS2","PSP","PS3","DS","Wii","Xbox 360"
US censor rating"Teen","Teen","Teen","Teen","Teen","Teen"
UK censor rating"12+","12+","12+","12+","12+","12+"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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