Captain Blood

Captain Blood is such an interesting release, a true time capsule from a different era of gaming. From the static camera angles to the way it treats quick-time events, it is clear that the team was inspired by Resident Evil 4 and the PS2 God of War games during development. This simultaneously winds up being the game’s greatest selling point and its limiting factor. Beyond a novelty, it’s also just a fun swashbuckling time with plenty of action by taking full advantage of its pirate motif.

There's definitely fun to be had in Captain Blood with its simple and frantic action that has surprisingly satisfying old-school violence. However, with irritating quick-time events, repetitive gameplay, and plenty of frustrating moments, you might want to dock this ship.

After two decades in development hell, Captain Blood has finally seen light of day — but it probably shouldn't have. Its controls and gameplay are rooted in the past, but its problems stretch far beyond feeling a little old-fashioned.

There are faint glimpses at what could have been in the ship combat sections and the breezy narrative, and the short runtime does help mask some of the frustrations that plague the experience, but on the whole, it’s difficult to argue that Captain Blood wouldn’t have been better left in the depths it was salvaged from.

Captain Blood feels like discovering a long-lost game from the early PS3 or Xbox 360 era. The problem is, even if it had launched back then, it would have been mediocre at best. Released now, its flaws are only magnified, offering dated visuals, archaic level design, lackluster combat, and an overall quality that falls far short of modern standards.