Eurogamer: Maybe it's because there are so few of them. Maybe it's because the ones that we do have tend to be pretty great. Whatever the reason, there's something about pirate games that tends to promise a little more than the usual gaming experience. Monkey Island. Sid Meier's Pirates. Overboard. All fondly remembered, all featured parrots and wooden legs and yarrrrrrr.
The Key of Dreams follows in the footsteps of the last of that trio, the top-down galleon shooter, Overboard! Developed by the people behind such modern gaming marvels as Cheggers Party Quiz and King of Clubs, this latest haul of sea-faring software casts you as a British captain sent undercover to locate the Key of Dreams, a powerful artefact in the possession of Brody Shanks, a grizzled pirate. Like a briny Donnie Brasco, you set sail under the skull and crossbones and must earn the trust of the pirate folk by blowing up dozens of naval vessels along the way.
Those expecting even a modicum of strategy or depth will be disappointed by this effort. It's a shoot-'em-up, nothing more. You sail around maze-like levels, dodging or engaging enemy ships and periodically getting trapped in large areas where you have to defeat all the enemies - or destroy their shipyards - before the gate opens and allows you to proceed on your larcenous way. Quite who's in charge of these gates is a mystery, but they're clearly not very security conscious.
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.
