Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Update

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean series of action movies has been full of surprises so far. Nobody expected a summer popcorn flick based on a theme park ride, of all things, to be as good or as successful as it was. And even after that initial success, who could have predicted last summer's Dead Man's Chest would roar out of the gate with the biggest single opening weekend in history? It's clear at this point that people like Pirates, and Disney Interactive will capitalize on that popularity with a new action game, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which is slated to hit a slew of platforms this May alongside the third and final movie of the same name (the trailer for which should be available not long after you read this).

Since there hasn't been a Pirates game in a while, this one will cover the stories of both Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, the latter of which we don't know a whole lot about yet (so keep an eye out for that trailer). At any rate, you'll get to play as any of the three main characters from the movies--Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom's Will Turner, or Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Swann--and the game will both feature and expand upon events seen in the movies. Initially, we got to see a sequence in the Xbox 360 version in which the player was running Sparrow around the docks of Port Royale, a coastal city fans will remember from the films. So there will be some light adventure-style elements, as you'll interact with locals off and on to move the story along.

However, the meat of At World's End will be in the combat levels, where all three characters will play more or less the same, though they'll each have some unique finishing moves. As you'd expect from a game about pirates, the combat is primarily sword-based, though you'll also be able to grab enemies up-close and hit them with your fists or knee them in the groin to create a number of combos. You won't always be limited to just your blade--on occasion you'll pick up extra weapons, like knives to throw. And some levels will see you controlling two extra characters in addition to your primary one. You'll be able to switch between the three at any time, with the computer controlling the other two, though the mission will end if any of the three die.

We got to see one impressive level on the Xbox 360 in which Sparrow, Turner, and their allies were locked in a ship-to-ship battle with Davy Jones' nefarious crewmen. You'll be fighting among a large number of computer-controlled enemies fighting it out in duels of their own on this level, giving it a large-scale, busy feel. We got to see a bit more of the combat system's depth here, as the game will indicate an enemy that's about to strike you with a red circle under that enemy's feet. Once you see this circle, you can perform a parry move with the right timing to deflect the attack and leave the enemy open for your own offense. Later in the level, we got a good overhead view of the battle as the player climbed up the mast of one of the ships and balanced carefully along a beam as he attempted to cross over to the other side. (The PS3 version will let you use the Sixaxis' motion controls to manage this balancing.)

The Wii version of At World's End will use the same graphical assets as the PS2 version, but naturally it will use motion controls for most of the combat. The gameplay here will be similar to that of the Xbox 360 and PS3 games, though the camera will be fixed to allow you more control over your combat moves. You'll perform light and heavy sword attacks with horizontal and vertical slashes of the Wii Remote, respectively; then you can finish off your combo with a stabbing motion. You'll also have an olé move (such as you'd see in a bullfight), which you can use to trick enemies into charging you before dodging and leaving them open to attack. The Wii game will also have a more full-featured dueling mode than what we saw in the Xbox game, along with God of War-style interactive cutscenes that will require carefully timed button presses and motions.

Finally, we got to look at the side-scrolling DS version of the game, which will be slightly less combat-focused, with a greater emphasis on exploration, platforming, and puzzle-solving. Sparrow has a grappling hook you can use to reach higher places, and you'll interact with the environment at times, such as using a bamboo stalk to catapult upward. Naturally, the DS version will make extensive use of the touch screen, such as in a lock-picking minigame we saw. The touch screen will be even more vital in the game's version of the duel mode, which will have you blocking attacks with the D pad or buttons (depending on your handedness) but performing all sword moves by slashing in the appropriate direction with the stylus.

If you're looking for an action experience to go along with the launch of At World's End in May, it looks as though Disney has all the bases covered with releases on every major platform. Stay tuned for more as that date draws nigh.