If it’s a good MMO, then it’s a nightmare to review, so right away I felt as though Pirates of the Burning Sea was off to a good start – because I’ve got no idea where to begin with the review.

Why are they so difficult to write up? Well, all the finest online, persistent games are ones which grow and develop along with the players; ones which place their evolution and ecology in the hands of a living, breathing, subscribing collective of gamers. So even the most confident review of a dichotomous and detailed game like Pirates of the Burning Sea is an estimated prediction.

But that’s why I’m here and that’s what you want to know so, as a fledgling buccaneer with a moderately buckled swash, it’s my guess-timation that Burning Sea brims with rusty, barnacled potential, and carries with it a reputable map that points to a precious cache of glistening bounty. But it’s not found the spot marked “X” quite yet – the compass point still spins uncertainly, and the horizon isl three sheets and a perfect storm from Flying Lab’s bow.

The dichotomous nature I previously mentioned is evident right from the start. The game itself does little to entice gamers onboard. It offers a superb character customisation that caters for every piratical stereotype plus 1000 new ones, so everyone can adopt their preference of sea faring brigand without compromise – a terrific mood-setting device that leads players straight into their new role as a pirate captain.

Initial quests are depressingly banal, however, and any players who simply follow the NPC exclamation marks aren’t going to find themselves captivated by the real depth of gameplay that’s available with a bit of digging. Sacking off the hackneyed "collect and fetch" fare that provides the staple diet of most every other MMO out there, and taking to the high seas in search of higher adventure is the real value of Burning Sea. Fortunately, even though the game engine might not point the way to adventure, the strong, thematic undercurrent that richly permeates POTBS does – and in a way that grants gamers the sensation of genuine, personal discovery.

When a new sailor reaches that point when they’re ready to quit the tedium of collecting rusty trinkets for salty dogs, and become a master of their own online destiny, Pirates of the Burning Sea opens like the jaws of a Cracken and a wealth of possibility presents itself. Perhaps this is entirely intentional, though I doubt it. To design a game that purposely irks the gamers into finding their own path to entertainment would be commercial suicide. Nonetheless, POTBS delivers – albeit abstractly – on the promises of freedom, excitement and discovery very admirably.

With perseverance (as this is a damn hard game, to boot) a complex and utterly intriguing economic foundation begins to appear. And, after all, pirates weren’t in it for the glory – they wanted booty, fortunes, fine pleasures and power; all things that need money. From ship building to mining and land ownership, the skilful player in POTBS is one who masters the pecuniary system of the New World.

Although early quests are meagre gopher jobs, there are some excellent and dynamic missions that carry great reward and great consequences once the elusive gameplay really gets underway. A storyline is progressed by these significant missions, along with the player’s reputation and wealth, and although the time spent travelling between ports can be a momentum sapping bore, they do build the tension for the often highly dangerous and stimulating expeditions that await.

Naturally, a bit of swashbuckling and sea based warfare is expected in a pirate game, and there’s enough seamless variety to occupy any budding buccaneer both on land and at sea. The ship to ship battles are incredibley simple to pick up (after all, how many different ways are there to shoot a fixed cannon?), but the tactics and strategies offered by a limitless ocean are remarkably engaging. It might be a simple matter to pick up warfare, but there’s a depth of proficiency that shames even the most intensive sci-fi MMO.

Boarding ships means not sinking them, and although dead men are easier to search (thank you Captain Barbosa), treasure in Davey Jones’ locker is no treasure at all; so care must be taken in a great many respects. Hand to hand fighting is equally simple, yet appealing, and while the camera system felt a bit clunky and disjointed at times, the wonderful cross and change of action in POTBS is enthralling.