Pirates of the Caribbean Online

Game review by Carolyn Koh, Common Sense Media
Pirates of the Caribbean Online Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 10+

Become a pirate and join Jack Sparrow in a MMORPG.

Windows, Mac 2007
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Parents say

age 10+

Based on 6 reviews

Kids say

age 10+

Based on 38 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this is a massively multiplayer online game in which you become a pirate and that the pirates in this game are violent. There is no graphic blood, but you may be asked to kill crabs and wasps. You can fight with cutlasses and pistols, but opponents simply fall over. Cannons can be fired from ships which break masts and cause ships to sink, but you don't see bodies flying. Your major opponents in this game are other humans, not fantasy monsters. There is a Voodoo theme in the game where you wave a funny looking ragdoll and throw "hexes" which produce a greenish grey smoke effect. The game can be played for free in a frame which contains advertising for age-related product. In the free version some game content will be restricted. For the ad-free version, you must pay $9.95/month, but since this is an online game, content is constantly added. This game is one age bracket up from Toontown Online and carries through all of Disney's original child-protection and security settings, such as the ability to lock down free chat and a profanity filter that cannot be turned off. Many families play this game together and naval combat actually requires cooperative play as one person has to sail the ship, while others can fire cannons. Quests often also are more easily completed in a group and some require several players to play cooperatively in order to succeed. As with any MMORPG, kids can get sucked in and find they want to spend a tremendous amount of time in this world.

Community Reviews

elnator
elnator Adult
March 23, 2011
age 10+

Has "Outgrown" it's 10+ title. It's a Teen now.

What's sad is this game used to be perfect for it's 10+ rating. But over time it's slowly 'grown up' and is now really best rated as a T rating... Why? Because they added gambling, and actually expect you to know what you're doing so you can win. Several of the quest lines actually force the player to gamble. My 10 year old son actually had to come to me and have me gamble FOR him to get past a quest. This is totally inappropriate and, imo, MSRB should revoke their E10 rating and put a T rating on the game. Any parent with good common sense would probably forbid their kids from playing it if they knew the game encourages Drinking, Drugs and Gambling. Other than that the game is wonderful and I wish they would remove those elements that have been added over the years to make this game age inappropriate. I used to love playing this game with my son and daughter but ever since they added in all the extra drinking/drugs and most especially the gambling I've more and more been inclined to forbid my son from playing it. I don't even like playing it myself.

This title has:

Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Educational value
deborahl2
deborahl2 Adult
September 11, 2010
age 8+

Brings the family together

I wish it was educational but it isn't except for promoting cooperation and requiring excellent and some arithmetic. However, my daughter plays it with her grandfather who lives out of state (she's 7 so they talk on the phone at the same time rather than text)and its the first time she's really had a day-to-day relationship with him. Its actually pretty compelling ffor adults too and I have found myself "hooked" as well.

This title has:

Too much violence
Great messages
Great role models
See all 6 parent reviews

What’s It About?

This game is based on Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean movies; your ultimate aim is to assist Jack Sparrow in recovering the Black Pearl. Along the way, players create their own pirates, dress them, and advance their characters by acquiring reputation in various skills such as swordplay, voodoo magic, sailing, obtaining treasure, and acquiring larger ships.

Is It Any Good?

The game actually leads the player through the storyline with well crafted quests and directions. The in-game tutorial is friendly, and the game is simple enough to play that an in-depth instruction manual is not required. First time players will be amazed at the quality of the cut scenes, which actually place your created character in the "movie," where you interact with familiar characters like Jack Sparrow, Tia Dalma, Elizabeth Swann, and Will Turner. To keep to its family friendly motto, players are defeated, but do not die. Instead they fall unconscious and wake up in jail. Another aspect of this game is the Player versus Player gameplay: players can go head to head with another player in an "arena" but when this occurs, they are not human. They are "cursed" and transformed into skeletons.

Young fans of pirates in general and Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean will be pleased with Disney's effort to craft an online game for the tween population who have outgrown ToonTown Online. The game is a fun romp and sailing on the high seas looking for enemy ships to lob cannon at with your kids can be a blast. Younger children may get frustrated at the more difficult quests or fights, but rest assured that in an MMORPG, there are many things to do. From playing cards to searching for treasure, from fighting with cutlass and pistol to using voodoo magic and naval battle.

A free version of the game supported by advertising in the form of a framed window is available for families to check out before committing to the full subscription membership.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how important cooperation is within this game. Do you think the naval battles were realistic of what pirates used to experience. Who is the most famous pirate you have heard of? What did Pirates really do? Does Voodoo really exist?

Game Details

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