Reviews

Captain Blood: The Game That Would Not Sink

Jason Dean

22 May 2025 — 5 min read

After nearly two decades since it was first announced, Captain Blood finally hit the high seas.

Captain Blood feels and looks like a game from the early 2000s because that is when development started on this game. It was first announced in 2004 before a series of issues caused the publisher to postpone and eventually abandon its development. The publishers acknowledge this on the Steam page:

The game underwent several iterations throughout the 2000s and was last showcased in 2010 before vanishing for years. Now, we are excited to bring it back, combining its original glory with a series of modern improvements for today's gamers.

Captain Blood is a throwback hack-and-slash game where you play as an English privateer who is charged with helping defeat a Spanish invasion. You can alternate between light and heavy attacks but also carry a handgun and grenades to use on your foes. When enemies are low on health, players can use an execution to finish them off. While combat is mostly on land, there are occasional naval battles to change up the setting.

Throughout these fights, enemies will drop money, which can be used to purchase additional skills, room for resources and executions. Treasure chests are also hidden throughout the world and provide loot and health. Enemies will occasionally drop weapons, which Captain Blood can use for a limited time. These weapons vary in style from large axes to rapid-fire pistols.

Captain Blood feels and plays like an original Xbox game because that is the system it was developed for initially. However, that still does not forgive the many glitches in this game. I knew I was in trouble when I tried to start the game with my controller on the PC, and the game crashed multiple times.

Once I finally was able to start playing there were plenty of additional flaws. Audio issues persisted throughout the game with varying sound levels for dialogue, even when switching between speakers and headphones. Meanwhile, the AI for enemies has them run right past you, like they are going to a party on another boat.

There is no way to change the camera angle in the game, meaning players will likely have a quasi-profile view of the action one moment, and the camera looking at what is behind Captain Blood the next. This means you will literally run into enemies without even knowing they are in front of you. The camera angle caused severe issues during one naval battle, when I was unable to find anything, as the sail took up the entire screen. It was impossible to see the enemies all around me, or a way to get out of the area.

If you enjoy a good story in your video games, there is not much for you in Captain Blood. Occasional cutscenes provide reasons for you to continue fighting the Spanish, which is usually more gold. The game is also filled with horrible repeated dialogue. Throughout a 10-minute naval battle, a crew mate would repeat enemy ship positions roughly every 15 seconds. It quickly gets old, especially when you can see these ships from anywhere on your boat.

The one area Captain Blood excels is combat. Chaining attacks from one enemy to another is satisfying. I also quickly learned that when using an execution on a foe, my character did not take damage. It made running into a pack of Spaniards and focusing on one until I could use my special move to finish them off a sound plan.

I completed my playthrough of Captain Blood in just under seven hours. Replayability of this game is pretty much nonexistent, unless you want to chase the achievements.

Let’s be perfectly clear, this game is not a good game. It will not top anyone’s Game of The Year list, unless it is the only game they played. Even then, it would be questionable. But the enjoyable combat makes up for some of Captain Blood’s many faults. Overall, I give the game 2 out of 5 stars. The game retails for $25 on Steam which is a bit ridiculous, but if you find it for around $5 or in a bundle, it is a fun way to spend a few hours.