Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ties into the second movie in the trilogy,
Dead Man's Chest and the third film,
At World's End, and places you behind the cutlass of several of the movie's main characters, including Jack, Will and Captain Barbossa. For the most part, the game plays like a typical action game, though it tries to add in a few new elements with varying degrees of success.
The game's plot follows the plots of both movies while fleshing out background elements that may have once been mentioned in the film. For instance, Dead Man's Chest begins with Jack escaping prison in a coffin; the game explains how he got into that situation. For the most part, the game is true to the plot, though it also alters a few elements to better adapt to gameplay. For example, in the game Jack needs to inform the Pirate Lords about the council, while in the movie he has no clue about it. The minor plot alterations don't matter in the long run, though the writing could use some work. Although the game does a great job at capturing Jack's mannerisms, it constantly falls short on delivering his witty one-liners. There are several moments where a joke is set up but never develops.
Gameplay is supplemented by other diversions. The first, and most common, are events called "Jackanisms," which are similar to the interactive cinemas in God of War. These are where most of Jack's personality come through and usually involve him pulling tricks to avoid guards. You are given one shot at completing these sections, otherwise you are forced to enter into combat with a group of guards.
Each level features a main goal and one or more sub-quests. These are usually simple and involve hunting down specific targets. Although they don't add a whole lot to the game, they are worth the time only because they are the only way to get your hands on charms that let you cheat during the Poker and Pirate Dice mini-games.
After completing the first level of the game, you unlock Challenge Mode. These three events are playable through the Main Menu and include Combat, Loot and Combo Challenges. In Combat, you try to defeat a set number of enemies, while in Loot you collect specific pieces of loot in a period of time. Combo involves stringing together combos and is the most difficult of the three, only because of the unresponsive controls. Completing specific Challenges unlocks Duel Mode, where you can compete against the A.I. or another player in a sword duel.
