Captain Blood Updated Impressions

Pirates don't stand a chance against this captain and his trusty murdering sword.

Captain Blood. If there was ever a name that said it all, this would certainly be it. You know you’re getting a game starring a character who doesn’t mess around, who leaves a trail of mangled enemies in his wake, and who does it all with the cool, collected air of someone who knows how to pilot a boat. In this case, that titular character is the star of a new pirate-themed beat-'em-up from Russian publisher 1C and developer SeaWolf. We recently had a chance to see what Captain Blood is all about during a quick demo at GamesCom 2009.

What's New: We last saw Captain Blood a year ago at the Leipzig Games Convention. It was a great-looking game then, and it has only gotten better with time. The game features a vibrant art style with saturated colors and slightly cartoonlike characters, which combine to make for a very nice look.

What's Different: Captain Blood is still the same straightforward beat-'em-up that it was when we last saw it. You’re still the same angry captain running around killing dozens upon dozens of Spanish pirates in harbors, on ships, and anywhere pirates may call home. You’ll also be able to take on bosses in fights that rely heavily on quick-time events to add some dramatic flair to the battles. In addition, there are also points when you’ll need to man a cannon and shoot from a first-person perspective to keep enemy ships from approaching and keep the enemy from boarding your ship.

What's The Same: See the above paragraph (especially the part about killing lots of Spanish pirates).

What Impression The Game Made This Time: For a game that’s so simple and straightforward, Captain Blood is suspiciously charming. Maybe it’s the ridiculous title, maybe it’s the undeniably attractive visuals, or maybe it’s the fact that you can execute all manner of obscene fatalities on enemies as you slash your way through them. Either way, Captain Blood somehow caught our eye, if only for the duration of the brief demo we experienced. Whether or not the appeal lasts over the course of the full game is something you can find out when the game is released early next year.

12 Comments

  • setterstrom

    Posted Aug 26, 2009 5:50 pm PT

    pirates just seem broing theres loads of pirate stuff, y not have it to where its the british acupation of america and u have to fight em.

  • miless

    Posted Aug 25, 2009 10:46 pm PT

    1C and Buka publish some great games too bad only a few make it to a worldwide and/or multyplatform release.

  • fateltear

    Posted Aug 24, 2009 5:13 pm PT

    Hmmmm Captain Blood (1937) old school movies films as well haha hmm this probably might be good!!

  • DP1130

    Posted Aug 24, 2009 10:00 am PT

    This game looks awesome. I love a good Pirate game. Nothing wrong with beat m ups, as long as it has flair and compelling story. Bring it on! I'll give it a go!!!!

  • DPhunkT

    Posted Aug 23, 2009 3:47 pm PT

    Looks ok.

  • CthulhuFhtagn0

    Posted Aug 22, 2009 11:53 am PT

    Certainly looks good. I hope the developers spend the time making the combat and story as rich and detailed as the landscapes in which the game is set.

  • ISuPrEmAcY32I

    Posted Aug 21, 2009 7:38 am PT

    Certainly looks good, But I haven't been into shoot-em-ups since the arcades went out of business.

  • trollkind

    Posted Aug 21, 2009 1:47 am PT

    Ridicolous title? Captain Blood (198 and Commander Blood are legends of olde!
    http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/captain-blood-series
    Well, back then it was a normal title for a video game.

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Aug 21, 2009 12:24 am PT

    Russian developers have awesome attention to detail, as is evident from the lush, intense graphics of so many Russian-made games.

    I just hope that this game won't suffer from the curse that plagues many Russian-made games - crappy playtesting scope and (consequently) tons of technical issues and bugs.

  • isnot-important

    Posted Aug 20, 2009 9:24 pm PT

    Not to keen on the quick time events - But hopefully they aren't too frequent.

    Other then that, this is shaping up to be a good game, nice graphics, fun action and even using cannons on board ships.
    Will be keeping an eye out.

  • sdthunder005

    Posted Aug 20, 2009 7:14 pm PT

    I can't wait! The book trilogy was awesome! The game doesn't appear to keep to the original story, but it still looks great!

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