With a big name movie like Pirates of the Caribbean hitting the movie theaters lately, its no surprise that games about pirates are being picked up quickly or springing up on store shelves in retail gaming chains. Unfortunately, most of these games deal with some more mature themes and are somewhat difficult to play which of course makes them either “not parent safe” or too frustrating for them to get into. Well, Fisher - Price has released it’s own pirate title called Pirate Raider which looks to provide hours of gaming fun for youngsters and keeps it simple enough for them to get into while safe enough for Mom and Dad to not have to worry about what they might be using a cutlass for.

The plot to Pirate Raider revolves around the mightiest pirate ship on the ocean with the same name as the game. While it sailed, it ruled the seas. One day, the ship simply vanished and was never seen again. Legend has it that whoever finds the Pirate Raider will rule the seas themselves and become the pirate king. You of course come in as the new pirate in town who is on a mission to find the Pirate Raider yourself and become that king through 25 missions revolving around looting, capturing enemy locations, building forts, or sinking enemies. 

The gameplay to Pirate Raider was pretty neat in itself, and actually combines three main styles of games together in an easy to learn and do format. The main one is customizing your ship with various cannons, armor, and sails and setting off in a top down view of the ocean to overtake forts, raid smugglers, and destroy other ships that are in the vicinity. When battling forts, the view changes to a stationary shooter aspect that has you firing a cannon at the cannon doors of the fort until one of you has lost all of your health. When boarding a smuggler ship though, you actually play the game in a 2-D side scrolling kind of fashion, collecting gold while avoiding various obstacles like barrels or fruit being thrown by skeletal crew members.

Since sailing on the sea is the main focus of the game, there are things to do while out exploring. Some islands contain treasure chests to pick up to add to your gold supply, some contain traders who will trade gold or found items for things like solution to help your ship go faster or mines to drop and damage enemies. You will also have to avoid obstacles at times like storms or slithering sea serpents that may wriggle up to the surface of the water looking for a good ship and crew to eat. In addition, this is where you may run into rogue pirates looking to sink you as well, and battles will have you locked in combat with your AI opponent until one ship is splintered and the crew is left to row off to safety. This also adds to your gold total to make upgrades to your ship and will add crewmembers to your motley pirate band. You may also find a new ship as you sail as well, and bigger ships allow for more sails and more cannons to be added for speed and firepower as you progress.

I have to say that I was impressed with Pirate Raider and the way it was done, but there were a couple of things that I think could have added to it a little more. For starters, one thing that was always neat about pirates were the stories where they buried their treasure on islands and made maps. The option to get out of the ship at these remote locations and go in search of loot wasn’t there, and instead finding treasure chests merely consisted of running into them as you sailed by. This isn’t terrible, but it just would have been a neat addition.

Secondly, the 2-D scrolling part of the game could have been a little more enjoyable if it would have contained a little more exploration (this may have been a good opportunity to incorporate the island idea). Nothing which would require a hint book mind you, but during looting missions aboard smuggling ships the screen will keep moving to the left which of course can make you feel rushed. This also doesn’t allow you to go backwards and pick up anything you may have missed either. Granted they get harder as the game progresses as does everything else, but they also tend to be the same thing as you progress as well.

Graphically, Pirate Raider is brightly colored and looked good for the most part. The characters had a distinctly pirate look to them, but they also weren’t too rough or scary looking. Some areas did look a little older on the graphic models and whatnot compared to other things that are out on the market, but nothing which looked terrible or out of place. The sound consisted of computerized music tracks that weren’t too bad and set the tone for a pirate adventure, and there is voice acting with your little pirate buddy who swings in to compliment you or give you a helpful hint. The only issue is that he tends to get a tad repetitive in what he says and talks before and after everything that you do.

Overall, this game is a good pirate adventure for younger gamers looking for something in that arena. There is enough to do in customization and switching gameplay styles to keep them entertained, and a good amount of options and variations to use that will probably provide good replayability and fun in the long run. While there are some things that I personally thought could have been a little better, it’s definitely a fun buy and is challenging enough to be enjoyable but not too frustrating for your kids.  

Gameplay: 7.4
Pirate Raider provides a fun blend of three different gaming styles to break up the monotony and provide some good replayability in building your ship and upgrading using the gold that you find (you can even print pictures of it when it’s finished) and the controls are simple and easy to get into. Most of the game takes place while sailing though, and there’s not much looting or treasure hunting to be done except for boarding ships. In addition, ship to ship combat consists of sailing around in circles firing until someone is beaten … but it’s built for simplicity for younger gamers. 

Graphics: 7.4
The graphics are brightly colored and set the tone well for a pirate game in locations and backgrounds. Some tend to look a bit “old school” though … but nothing that will minimize the fun or game overall.

Sound: 7.3
The music sets the tone for the game well, and consists of electronic tracks which aren’t bad, but somewhat forgettable. The voiceovers were done well also for the pirate who comes along with you to help out, but he tends to repeat the same things over and over and will usually talk before, after, and sometimes during whatever it is that you are doing.

Difficulty: Medium
Not too hard to pick up and get into, and the repetitive helper will guide you along in controls and what you need to do in the various missions. The game will get more challenging as you progress though, but no one dies in Pirate Raider and you may just have to give it another go.

Concept: 7.5
A fun pirate game that is built for younger players. Fisher Price did a good job in trying to incorporate different styles into the game so it doesn’t get too repetitive, although there are a couple of things which could have added to it overall.

Overall: 7.8
While it’s not perfect, it does a good job catering to the audience that it is intended for. If you have kids that are pirate fans but can’t seen to grasp the ones that Mom and / or Dad play, this is a good game to get so that they can set sail and have their own pirate adventures with you.