REVIEW — This game was developed at a time when the concept of HDTV sounded almost alien. Where was 720p back then? Today, they’re talking about 8K system requirements. For this reason, Captain Blood can be considered a lackluster piece of work. The product of Seawolf Studio and General Arcade could be described as average at best.

Development of the game didn’t start in this decade or the previous one; work began in 2003.

From the works of Rafael Sabatini to the screen

After more than two decades, the action game has finally finished development. Many problems surrounded the development of this pirate-themed hack-and-slash adventure. Naturally, you control the title character throughout the chapters. At least, as long as you have the nerve and patience. The former will probably run out sooner because CB is repetitive. It’s a shame the combat system isn’t more elaborate. Okay, you can’t expect it to be on par with Devil May Cry V, but it could have been better. Then there are opponents that require constant sponge-like pummeling before you can use one of the few execution moves. Over time, you can get a few combos and spend the gold you get from fights on them if you have the patience. Our opponents can shoot at us from a distance. From a distance. Unexpectedly. This will stun us while the other opponents can kill us. There’s no lock-on assistance, and there’s no such thing as camera controls, but instead there are a lot of QTEs. Resident Evil 4, released in early 2005, didn’t overdo these things.

It’s a bit ridiculous that two older Capcom games have been brought up as counterexamples. The sound quality isn’t great either. There’s no balance. This is also the case on the PlayStation 5. Underneath the story, the background music blares while the speech is barely audible. While it’s understandable to talk about a PS2-era game, you can expect something more sophisticated than that. It wasn’t a winner back when it was more annoying than atmospheric. However, it has potential because the story is set in the 17th century. If you’re interested in a more serious pirate adventure, Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag is a better option than Sea of Thieves and Skull & Bones (bin these for not being single-player titles). It’s been over a decade since its release. CB was supposed to be released around 2010, but a playable version leaked first. One thing that hasn’t changed is that graphically, you can absolutely tell from the models that this is a PS3 game. Even Risen 2: Dark Waters is prettier. It was published in 2012. When there are so many comparisons that they all wash the product out of the field, there’s a problem.

Is there something… good in it?

There is. More to the point, the music is quite nice if you ignore how loud it is at times. This might be the game’s strongest point. The story isn’t bad; it doesn’t overflow into supernatural clichés. We’ll be fighting pirates and Spaniards while our captain serves the British—money is everything. Beyond the monotony of the gameplay, the style resembles God of War (think of the two PS2 titles), but the battles aren’t exactly 3D; there are noticeable “lanes.” There are secondary weapons, but it’s odd that the game defines a hatchet as a sword (too much grog, dear developers?). But what’s the point if you’re just going to spam three attacks?

Especially when you get a trophy for using only one combo for an entire map. That’s a huge LOL. At least there are ship combat sections where you have to aim your cannon well, but they don’t add much variety. You also have to pay attention to the environment when fighting bosses. The game lacks women, with only two female characters. Both are clichéd: one is the typical character to be saved, and the other is the femme fatale. You can tell the game is twenty years old. They also have little clothing. Now, you have to ask yourself what rating you can give this game because the score changes depending on how you look at it.

Hook, line and sinker, sunk with the captain on board!

Captain Blood is very divisive. On Steam, the number of ratings are low (not even 100 of them), but otherwise, it’s an average, outdated game. That’s why it can’t get more than a 5/10; it’s just old. Even as a retro game, it doesn’t get more than a 6/10. So, let’s average it out. It’s a 5.5/10: mediocre at best. Had this game been released in 2010, the press would have given it no more than a 6/10 because it would have seemed outdated even then. Playing any of the previously listed titles is recommended instead. If you’re still interested, there’s a demo on Steam.

-V-

Publisher: Sneg
Developer: Seawolf Studio, General Arcade
Genre: PS2 Hack’n’slash
Release date: May 6, 2025