I open Pirate101 maybe once a year or so and every time I hear the theme music I feel like I am 10 years old again.

Me and my best pal played Wizard101 almost religiously and with no concern for our mothers' bank accounts, it was the best of times. The art style, music and combat caught and held onto our attention for hours and hours and hours just about every day for a long time, then Pirate101 was announced and we were both accepted into the closed beta in 2012. I frickin' LOVED wizards and pirates, but the latter just appealed more to me. These two games are probably the strongest reasons for my love of video games AND my love of the english language. If you're a parent, get your kid to play this right now! (Hide your wallet) Better yet, play it with them!

The combat is in my opinion where the game really shines and is far superior to the combat in Wizard101, that is of course highly subjective. Following the whimsical story from world to world is a treat and getting a new companion or ability is always exciting. The monetization is however a little aggressive. You'll hit a paywall early on, but you've got enough content to get a good taste of the game. I 100% recommend giving the game a fair shot regardless of age.

Almost 11 years later I still find nearly as much joy playing it as I did as a 10-year old and, although there is a great deal of nostalgia involved, it is genuinely a fantastic game that I hope gets some more attention from Kingsisle.