IGN
It's got pirates. Do you really need anything else?
by Charles Onyett
August 14, 2006 - Slashing across open water aboard wooden hulks adorned with sails and pregnant with stacks of cannons is certainly an attractive idea. It's one of those peak moments in terms of fantasizing about being a pirate, and something developer Akella is attempting to let gamers virtually live out with Age of Pirates. Similar to 2000's Sea Dogs, which Akella was also responsible for, their upcoming title is a role playing game with numerous action elements. As either a male or female character, players strike out on deadly Caribbean waters to claim every island as their own. In the process of controlling the picaresque fists of land, players will also be challenged to outfit their boat with crew, upgrade their own statistics and abilities, battle storms and ships at sea, and keep themselves equipped with the shiniest, sharpest gear.
Though there is a main plotline in Age of Pirates, it doesn't seem to be one of the game's major features. It starts off with the player finding half a treasure map. In order to satisfy the all-consuming drive to make the map whole, you sail around amassing wealth and shipmates. Eventually, the second half is found along with a half sibling. It's revealed that your father's dream was to gain control of all the islands in the Caribbean, so you decide to help such a vision come to fulfillment. Whether or not the half-sibling's aid is enlisted is up to the player.
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The game begins with the player sailing around a pretty meager vessel. With only 36 cannons, it's flotsam compared to the formidable Man of War ships and their 102 guns. Controlling the galleon is more involved than you may think. In battle, players need to manage which direction the boat is facing since all the cannons are on a timer. Spinning the ship so the port, starboard, aft, and fore banks of guns are all firing at their targets in deafening succession is the fastest way to sink a ship or topple a fort. Guns can get knocked out as well, requiring a repair at a nearby shipyard.
While control has something to do with how a battle progresses, it's more about who has the better equipment. New ships with bigger, stronger guns can purchased at the various shipyards strewn about the Caribbean, but more interesting method of acquiring new vessels is through force. Since it's not the best idea to pepper a prospective boat with cannon fire, boarding is the best option. Most of the game takes place from an overhead prospective, but when boarding ships or raiding forts, it shifts into a behind the shoulder third person view. First person views can also be accessed with a button press. From there, players can perform three kinds of sword slashes, piercing, fierce, and sweeping strikes, as well as fire their pistols. Gangs of NPCs will help you out as well. The more that survived the sea battle, the more show up alongside. Once all the enemy soldiers or sailors have dropped to the ground, the boat or fort is yours.
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Snagging a boat doesn't just get you a better ride, it gives you money and tradeable goods. Should a certain statistic be built up enough, you can collect a fleet of up to five boats. Each boat your character isn't on will need to be commanded by an officer, who can be sent over from your pool of officers. Officers and crew are hired at inns located on the various islands, and all have different statistics. Plucking them from their rocky residences will add them to the ship, and the players' own statistics will be augmented based on the strengths of the hired sailor. Each statistic, be it for fighting, navigation, shooting, or many other categories, can go up to ten. Complementing the numbers are special abilities that can be added on to your character as well as your officers. As you level up skill and ability points are awarded, and players can assign those wherever they feel appropriate. A few of the abilities include boarding devil, trader, merchant, and invisible squadron, which gives boats better evasion.
Evasion is certainly important when setting courses across the shimmering Caribbean Sea. During travels players will get harassed by enemy ships, pirates, and storms. There are a number of factions populating the game, including Holland, France, Spain, England, and of course, pirates. Depending on how you choose to live out your waterlogged life, you'll fall in and out of favor with the various nationalities sharing the water. Be too much of a renegade and trips across the sea will be busy indeed. Storms are also a threat. When caught in a gale, players have to wait it out as the storm blows over. There's little to be done at the mercy of the ferocious elements aside from reeling in the sails and steering clear of water spouts, but there are several abilities and methods of ensuring a ship's good fortune in black waters.
Despite such dangers, it's still a good idea to continue venturing out. At each town side quests can be picked up. Generally they involve retrieving some special item, making a delivery, or transporting a person to a desired location for gold and experience. Running tradable goods between towns is also a good idea, since their import and export values differ at each market, making selling items more profitable when in certain ports. The most important reason to keep shredding waves is to reach an island's fort. When taken out and cleared of infantry, the player gains control of the island, something necessary to beat the game.
We got to see a fort assault on the island of St. Martin, and it's clear either a big ship or a big fleet are required. Parking a boat in front of a giant fort will obviously make your ship vulnerable to copious amounts of cannon fire. To break its stone battlements, players must spin around their ship, keeping the prepped guns firing while others reload. Four types of cannon ammunition will be available for wreaking wanton destruction. There's a standard cannonball, grapes, which are effective for taking out enemy crew members, the oddly named knippels, which are like cannonball bolos and crush masts like corn stalks, and finally bombs, which blow everything up. Once the fort is disabled, it's possible to run inside with your remaining crew to wipe out the fort's guards.
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With a fort and island fully under your control, it's time to do some reorganization. To turn your acquisitions into money-making slabs of earth, silver and gold mines, warehouses, churches, and barracks can be built up. By ensuring the island's economic health, there should be a steady pool of crew and officers to hire at its inn, and also keep it safe against future attacks. The computer controlled opponents in Age of Pirates won't be satisfied with leaving your property unperturbed. As the conquering adventures continue across the waters, players will have to keep an eye on their bases and make sure enemies aren't successful at stealing back what you rightfully stole from them in the first place.
In addition to its free-roaming single player, Age of Pirates will offer four multiplayer modes. Unfortunately they're in no way connected with the progress made in the single player, so custom crews and the like can't be imported. Up to 16 people will be able to battle in deathmatch, team deathmatch, protect the fort, and protect the convoy modes.
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From what we could tell, the game's graphics were looking good. The water was especially pretty, reflecting and refracting the sun's rays. When in the third person mode exploring a city or in fight, the character models had a distinct cartoonish edge to them. They animated alright for the most part, though looked somewhat awkward once the fighting broke out. We'll have more on this pirate parable before it ships this September.
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