The backdrops and the nationalities of the ships you're blasting are the only tangible differences between the levels. Okay, multiplayer free-for-alls add a little spice to the formula, but overall this is a yo-ho-no. More Cutthroat Island than Master and Commander, this seafaring shooter misfires with its repetitive gameplay and ships that handle like ice skaters.
You'll love:
- Fun for the first level
- Simple to pick up
- Multiplayer free-for-alls
You'll hate:
- Little variety on offer
- Ships slide all over
- Story recycled for billionth time
Back in the days before the internet, pirating meant so much more than just downloading a few songs. It was a proud tradition of crime, villainy and poor hygiene. Pirates: Key of Dreams attempts to splash a bit of cartoon colour on that way of life and present it anew.
N-Europe reports:
''Early adaptors to Nintendo's WiiWare service will be under no illusion as to what the service is capable of offering with such a small game size. Gamers who have been waiting for a slice of sea-faring naval warfare to appear on the WiiWare service can now finally breathe a sigh of relief as their prayers have been answered. Right? Or is the game destined to walk the plank?
Pirates: The Key of Dreams is the first WiiWare title from Oxygen Studios, and has you take control of a British American vessel under the guise of a pirate ship in the hope of recovering the fabled Key of Dreams from its last known possessors: the Spanish. The reason for the disguise is given at the beginning of the initial level with story laid out through the medium of static artwork and wording along the bottom of the screen. Or if you want, you can skip the whole story playing and just get on with the gaming. In order not to start a full on war between the British and the Spanish, your ship is disguised as a pirate ship so that it may go undetected. To make it more convincing, the game has the other British ships attack you as well as the Spanish ships that later appear in the game.''
Zentendo recently had the chance to sit down and preview Pirates: Duel on the High Seas which is the latest franchise to come out from Oyxgen Studios, with two games already in the franchise: Duel on the High Seas for the DS and Pirates: The Key of Dreams for the WiiWare and with this in mind they were fortunate enough to be offered an interview with David Wilshire, who is in the Development team for both titles.
