Playmobil Pirates Is Terrific Fun!
Anyway, out of my admiration and nostalgia for Playmobil toys, and the fact that this game was only $20, I figured I'd give it a shot. Although I have a DS like my son does, I haven't found many games I enjoy playing on it, because I just don't get the point of playing a game on a 3-inch screen...I have trouble immersing myself in something so tiny. But there are a special few games that I've found engaging on the DS...Lego Batman is one, and this Playmobil Pirates is another. The graphics are great (especially the cut-scenes), the dialogue is funny, the gameplay is entertaining and challenging without being frustrating (except for a few cases), and the minigames are fun and a neat addition.
The game is well done, melding game elements from proven performers. For example, I recognized a lot of the successful elements from the Grand Theft Auto series, where (in this case) you must earn enough dough to buy, repair and upgrade your pirate ship, and a decently long story-driven mission structure that also allows you to spend hours in diversionary activities like earning money by trading goods across the islands, sinking ships for their loot or fighting sea monsters for cash, and playing the minigames on the islands whenever you're ashore.
There are also two minigames found on the high seas themselves, should you be lucky enough to stumble on them (although they're included in the missions as well if you don't find them just sailing around): a "rescue the castaways" time-limited game where you fling life rings to drifting castaways in the water, and a "diving for treasure" game where you must catch bubbles but avoid jellyfish on the way down to the sea bottom, grab the treasure chest, and repeat the feat on the way back up. Diving for treasure is great fun. Rescuing the castaways was a bit more challenging and less satisfying, but I got better when I prioritized the nearer castaways over the ones further out, because the nearer ones allow for a faster reload of the next life ring.
There were a few parts of the game that were frustratingly hard and required several retries, but the game is forgiving, as you never lose the money you've acquired to date, no matter how many times or ways you die (although you can lose your ship if you're not careful, and if you don't have any money for a new one, it can be a long climb back up to the lifestyle you became accustomed to!).
One island I found particularly difficult to traverse, so I just mostly avoided it. The final mission calls for a fully-tricked out ship and decent maneuvering skills, as you must first battle and sink six ships before you can even land on the island to rescue the mermaid where she is being held captive. If you've gotten used to the more advanced side-shooting ships throughout the game, it shouldn't be too bad. I had trouble at first with the side shooters, so I stuck with the cheaper front-shooter. But that meant I wasn't really ready for the final mission when I got to it, and I had to practice that attack several times before I could break through the protective blockade. The moral of the story is to get used to the side-shooters early!
The game supports wireless play with a friend with 2 DS cards, and will even do one of its minigames (its version of Battleship) with only 1 DS card shared between the two players.
A note to parents: I was surprised to find the word "damn" in one line of dialogue, and the half-censored word "sh.." as in "the bird sh.. in my eye," which is an actual line of dialogue in the game. Even the marketing language has the word "pimp" as in "pimp out your ship," which seems a little over-the-top for the target audience of kids. These three instances of stronger language gave me pause with regard to my 8-year old playing it, but are not a show-stopper. However, some parents may find that too objectionable and ought to be forewarned. But aside from these few exceptions, I found the game quite harmless, and it always carries the sunny, light-hearted spirit of the Playmobil toys themselves.
This is a delightful, colorful, and fun game that I couldn't put down until I finished all 70 missions, which I did in about 15-20 hours. I highly recommend it!
Having enjoyed Playmobil Pirates so much, I can't wait for Playmobil Knights when it comes out in a few weeks!