The game was officially announced on 18 November 2010. The 3DS version uses the StreetPass feature to activate sword fights. For example, everyone (except characters like Davy Jones who can walk under water) can swim under water, and members of Davy Jones's crew can breathe whilst doing so, Captain Jack Sparrow has the ability to use his compass, which points him to hidden items throughout the level, Will Turner has the ability to throw axes at targets to complete objectives, while female characters such as Elizabeth Swann have the ability to double jump, allowing them to reach higher locations inaccessible to male characters. Like past titles, different characters have different abilities. From here, players advance through the game, unlock characters and extras, and as players get further through the game, The Port will evolve and get bigger, revealing new areas to unlock and discover new things.
The game uses the same two player drop in drop out co-op mechanics used in all the Lego video games. Gameplay is similar to previous Lego video games in the series.
