One of the first differences between
Piates of the Caribbean Online and other MMOs is that it comes in two types: Basic and Unlimited. Both offer the same essential game, but Unlimited access (which comes with a monthly fee of around $10) removes the limitations that come with a Basic account. These include fewer weapon, ship and quest options as well as less experience per kill and lower server priority.
PotC Online's more family friendly atmosphere is immediately apparent when creating a character. Rather than using any name, you are given a list of Pirate-appropriate names which you can combine into a child-safe moniker for your character. You are, however, allowed to name your character without using the list, though original, player-chosen, names are subject to approval. Personally, I really like the naming feature; not only because I usually have a hard time picking out a name for characters, but it also helps to cut down on the number of Jack Turners, Will Sparrows and other mutations of character names that would probably populate servers.
Gameplay is split into two modes: land and sea. After making a daring escape with Jack at the start of the game, you'll find yourself in Port Royal (after an encounter with the game's main villain, Jolly Roger) where you are given your first quest. Most quests take place on the numerous islands that make up the Caribbean island chain. These include several islands from the movie (like Port Royal and Tortuga) as well as some that weren't seen. Quests are straightforward and are pretty simple. Most involve searching for items or people, while others will ask you to kill "X" number of enemies. There are also a few story-based quests where you're fight alongside characters from the movie, like the opening prison escape with Jack or searching for the Black Pearl. Characters don't pop up everywhere, but they take an active enough role in certain quests that fans will feel like they're part of the story - which is a great thing considering how other movie-based MMOs have punted on this part of the experience.
Sea-based gameplay is a little different than land-based gameplay. With the exception of a few quests that automatically transport you to certain locales, ships are your main mode of transportation between islands. You'll also come across a few ship centric quests, most of which ask you to attack other ships, mostly those belonging to the East India Trading Company. Ship combat is one of the game's more enjoyable aspects, especially if you can manage to put together a crew. One person steers the ship while others man the cannons. Depending on how well-equipped your ship is you can even board other ships.
Although you'll come across several other players during your adventures, there is very little reason to actually team up with other players - at least when it comes to the land-based game. Whether this is simply a by-product of the game's "kid friendly" design or a development oversight is anyone's guess, though it does take something away from the experience. Once you have a crew together, and a big enough boat, it is fun to hit the seas for a bit of piracy.
Outside quests and piracy, you can also participate in parlor games like Blackjack or challenge other players to a duel using a neat PvP (player-versus-player) system. Every player-created pirate has one of the coins from the first movie. If activated, the coins let you enter one of two PvP types: Mayhem, an every-man-for-himself brawl, or a Team-based variation.
