My Played Video Games Review: The Pirates of Dark Water for the Sega Genesis
The Pirates of Dark Water video game Sega Genesis version was developed by Team Iguana (Acclaim Studios Austin) in 1994. It is a side-scrolling platform game with RPG elements. It was based on The Pirates of Dark Water American fantasy animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired in 1991.
I was not a big fan of the cartoon series. But I do appreciate video games made decently as tie-ins of popular cartoons.
The Story
Set sail for a swashbuckling adventure! The game puts you in the middle of that well-known Saturday morning cartoon! Sail from island to island as one of 3 warrior heroes. Become Ren, the young prince, and leader of the quest. Or choose Tula, the ecomancer whose skills are as dazzling as her beauty. Or Ioz, the treasure-hunting ex-pirate who's ready for a fight! The action will be pirate furious, so cast off! And let the quest begin!
The Graphics and Sound
The graphics are okay. You will be able to recognize the important characters from the cartoon, from the heroes to Bloth, the main baddie and his pirate gang. The caverns, mountains, and tribal villages look real, or at least like in the cartoon.
The sound is mediocre and the game staggers a bit here. The sound effects in this game are not that good. The swords hitting each other sound just a little bit like it, enemies do not seem to sound the way they act. The background music is nothing special.
There are exceptions, though, like in the cavern levels where the score is nicely creepy for exploring dark caves filled with dark water and monsters.
The Gameplay
You explore levels to find the treasures, each with its own different goal, dangers, and the occasional boss. Before you set foot on each level, Niddler, the cowardly monkey bird, will tell you a little about it then you pick one of the other 3 heroes to play as; Ren (balance of strength and speed), Tula (quick but weak girl), and Ioz (slow muscleman).
You go around, kill nasty pirates with your sword, climb ladders and collect a variety of weapons and power-ups that do a number of different things. There are also gold coins and keys to open doors and bribing people into letting you pass. It is as much a puzzle game yet sometimes as an action platform game.
Each level has its own unique dangers, like the spiked rings in a certain city level, and the rising waves in another.
Replay value is decent. You may want to try all of the 3 characters finishing the game with each one.
My Verdict
The Pirates of Dark Water is a licensed tie-in game that manages to get it mostly right. The show never finished (it was canceled) and this game delivered an ending that the show never managed to do. Non-fans may look elsewhere for their platform gaming fix.
Get this for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive console or play it on your emulator if you are a fan of the cartoon series.