One Piece: Pirates Carnival

One Piece has proven to be a grand video-game series thanks to its first two PS2 iterations. Both Grand Battle and Grand Adventure took hints from the retro Dreamcast fighter, Power Stone. Wipe that slaphappy look off your opponents' faces by slapping them senseless. Pick up and throw barrels and other objects for additional damage. This familiar formula took players back to the days of Dreamcast while creating new fans with the One Piece license.

One Piece: Pirates' Carnival hopes to be just as successful as its predecessors, but in a different genre. This title tackles the mainstream "party game" genre, a risky move that could lead to Mario Party gold – or Sonic Shuffle disappointment.

However, as much as I love Mario, and as many copies as Mario Party has sold, I've never liked that offshoot series. Which is why I was interested in this title, a game that that chose to go in another direction. Pirates’ Carnival features mini-games that are simple and repetitive but do not always allow the biggest button-masher to win.

There isn't a whole lot to this game, so let's dive right into the best of what it has to offer: its most entertaining mini-games. (Note: The names have been changed to titles that make a bit more sense. The original quirky titles do not always indicate the kind of game you’ll be playing.)

Dodgeball – In this top-down, bombed-out version of a classic, players team up with one of their opponents for a game of dodge-the-explosive. Whoever's in the lead is assigned to the person in third place; the second-place contestant is stuck playing with the guy (or gal) in fourth place. Bombs drop from above, and your goal is to throw it at your opponents right before it explodes. You can pass it to your teammate for a quick one-timer throw. And when someone gets booted from the game (by losing all of their energy), that player gets to command a cannon in the top right or left corner of the screen. In single-player games you'll be able to switch between characters by pressing the triangle button.

Darts – Fire away at the board, try to hit the mark next to the bull's eye (which gives you a much higher point total), and hope your darts don't get eliminated during the elimination round (in which dart-removing pieces are randomly thrown at the board).

Darts in action.

Brawler – A beat-'em-up that's reminiscent of One Piece: Grand Battle and One Piece: Grand Adventure. Run around, strike each other, and pick up and throw objects that'll help you get the job done.

Stilts – Holding yourself upright can be so difficult - especially when you're on stilts! Here the goal is to ram into your opponents and knock them down while keeping yourself from falling over.

Smoke escape – Maneuver in and around shifting walls to prevent yourself from being hit by the character-devouring smoke in this mini-game. (It makes me think of that weird creature on Lost.) The goal is to collect three keys and unlock the door. Otherwise it will result in a draw, changing that square on the board to gray, indicating that no one got the point.

Mountain climbing – One of the few button-mashers, players have to tap the square and circle buttons repeatedly in order to gain enough power to run up a mountain (while riding a Chocobo-like bird, no less). Once their run power has run out, players must tap the X button to latch onto the mountain before they fall. Repeat this process until you reach the top.

Slap the horror guy - Here you have to slap a guy three times. Doesn't sound too unusual, does it? Just wait till you see exactly who it is your slapping. He looks like a cross between a vampire and Freddie Kruger. His only defense is a circular move that has him running around to enclose enemies in a golden beam. Get caught up in it and you'll lose one health point (you've only got three). Strike him three times before death and you've won.

 
Hmmm, I wonder which ones match?

Water dig - Remember the fun of digging in Super Mario Bros. 2? This mini-game takes you back to the 80s, throwing in a splash of water to bring you back to reality. The goal is to dig holes repeatedly until enough leaking water has filled your tank. If caught in a tornado, half your water will be lost. Avoid them at all costs.

Chest protection - Play as either the chest protector or the chest stealer. As protector you must shoot a series of pellets (by pressing the circle button) to stop moving enemies in their tracks. They'll drop stolen chests and be temporarily paralyzed. As a thief you'll need to snatch chests and stand perfectly still whenever the protector fires. If done correctly the pellets will miss and you'll be able to continue to your goal.

There are several other mini-games to kill your boredom, including a scope-based take on Where's Waldo (you have to locate the "real" panda). Street races lead you down a trap-filled course where the captain must escape three angry adversaries.

Chop-Chop Festival (actual name) is another game that gives you the chance to be captain. Doing so lands you the role of a knife-wielding pirate. It's more zany than violent, but you will have to poke your opponents to deplete their health. Their goal will be to jump on your head, just as Sonic would to eliminate robots, or as Mario does to eliminate Goombas.

Climb it, climb it!

The rest of the mini-games are of a similar quality and style, including a fair amount of repetition – but also a fair amount of fun. If party games are your thing and you love the One Piece series, Pirates' Carnival will satisfy your craving for a multiplayer board game.

Gameplay: 6.9
One Piece: Pirates’ Carnival is all about the mini-games. You’ll win spaces on the board by successfully completing these games, leading you down the road to eventual victory. Boards come in various shapes and sizes, but don’t put too much of an emphasis on the one you choose. The length matters if you care about having a longer or shorter game, as does the formation, if you’re paranoid about the special cards that could wipe out your spaces and give them to an opponent. But these are brief, in-between moments that are over pretty quickly. Your focus should be on the mini-games and how well you do at them. Then it won’t matter which board you use because you’ll always be able to rise to the challenge.

Graphics: 5.0
Basic animations and party-game environments that do nothing to impress.

Sound: 6.0
The usual for a party game: grunts, goofy sound effects, repetitive music, etc.

Difficulty: Easy
Designed for younger players, Pirates’ Carnival isn’t very challenging. All things likely your kids won’t think so either, but that won’t stop them from having a good time.

Concept: 7.0
A fun collection of mini-games spread across a board-game setting. The person with the most owned spaces wins.

Multiplayer: 7.0
As a single-player title One Piece: Pirates’ Carnival would get old fast. But as a multiplayer board game, kids will be able to gather around their PS2 and play for hours without the “bored” feelings that typically come along with a virtual board game.

Overall: 7.0
For fans of party games only. You don’t necessarily have to like One Piece to enjoy this game, but that’s who it’s targeting – and that’s the audience it’s destined to most fully satisfy. As someone who doesn’t watch the show (and as someone who hasn’t been six for a very long time), it says a lot that I enjoyed the game.