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Although it’s being released near the sequel, Bethesda’s latest is actually based on the first movie. The game follows Jack Sparrow as it shows how he became the character people loved in the movies. While the plot is interesting, the same cannot be said about most of the gameplay.
The Legend of Jack Sparrow begins with Jack and Will Turner trying to get find a valuable treasure in a Spanish castle. Unfortunately, things don’t go very well for Mr. Sparrow or Mr. Turner as they’re caught and about to be killed. As this happens, Jack tries to win some time by telling stories of his past adventures. This is where the game actually begins as you play through the most memorable sequences in the first movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, and other unforgettable escapades. If you watched the first film you know that Sparrow’s memory always suits him and in the game you’ll be playing through Sparrow-told versions of what actually happened. This gave the developers some flexibility as they didn’t need to follow The Curse of the Black Pearl to the letter and even invites some humor as other characters call out Jack on his rosy memory.
The focus of the gameplay is clearly combat. When you begin, you don’t have a whole lot at your disposal just a few sword swings and some small combos. You can also toss items like hand axes and even fish, as well as block and roll out of the way. As you progress through the game, you can unlock upgrades to your moves. To finance these upgrades, you’ll use the money that you find scattered throughout the levels. These are needed since the enemies get progressively tougher in latter levels. Aside from the swordplay, the game includes a special attack for the characters. The Legend frequently throws five or more enemies at you at one time, forcing you to be quick with your moves. These enemies include pirates (live and undead), Vikings, and even samurai. You’ll find a lot of health along the way so it never becomes too much of a challenge.
Though the focus was combat, the game tries to spice things up at times. It tosses in a few minigames tot test your timing and endurance, includes a few chase sequences, and there are some canon battles. You’ll play through the game with the companion of Elizabeth Swann or Will Turner, depending on the mission. The AI is generally solid, doing a good job of defending themselves and taking out some enemies. The game can also be played cooperatively with a human player controlling the second character. If you choose to play alone, you cans witch between the two characters on the fly.
The game’s visuals accurately represent the look of the film. The environments manage to capture the feeling that you’re really reliving these events and fit the game’s world perfectly. The character models are solid, thought not great. Thankfully, they’re helped by a great animation system. Jack’s character moves with appropriate swagger that just shows how cocky he really is, while Turner moves in a much more controlled fashion, as he should. Technically, animation is sometimes stiff and the texture work could have used some more development time. The framerate keeps up with the game well though.
The game’s soundtrack also captures the sound of the film. It’s quite stirring and fits the missions well, although it is a little repetitive. The sound effects include the expected sword hits but aren’t particularly noteworthy. There are sound-alikes for most of the characters which do a respectable job for the most part, though there are occasional lapses. Thankfully, Johnny Depp provides the voice for Jack Sparrow. He delivers the same level of performance that he did in the film, really bring the character to life.
The premise of The Legend of Jack Sparrow is amazing. Retelling the original film and additional segments through Sparrow’s revisionist history sounds like a great idea and it is. In addition, the presentation is mostly up to par and recreates the film’s atmosphere well. Unfortunately, the actual gameplay doesn’t deviate much from your typical beat-em-up, which becomes monotonous and repetitive at the end of the game’s nine or so hours. That said, if you’re a fan of the Jack Sparrow, the gameplay is solid enough to allow you to enjoy the story and all of his shenanigans.
-- Jose Liz & -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Jul 6, 2006
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