Initially meant to be a PS2-era motion sport that was swept up in growth woes and authorized points, Captain Blood lastly will get an official launch over 20 years since its inception.
Sadly, the wait has not been value it. Not even shut.
Particularly by at the moment’s requirements, Captain Blood is a tragically messy hack-and-slasher, hamstrung by a fight system that struggles to supply any type of satisfying suggestions. The nice captain’s blade could as properly be a moist noodle.
With set digital camera angles and dodge rolls mapped to the fitting stick, the sport’s bought previous God of Struggle vibes, however the motion cannot ever examine. Your total arsenal — which consists of primary sword combos, a cooldown-based blunderbuss, and grenades — feels undercooked and unwieldy. Even the devoted finisher animations are devoid of affect.
Unlocking extra assaults does enhance the fight to some small extent, nevertheless it’s not sufficient to make it really feel good — and with the title’s regular introduction of more and more tedious enemy varieties, there’s merely no reprieve from the slog.
In the meantime, Captain Blood’s story, which threatens to be considerably entertaining in its cartoonish swashbuckling, collapses below among the worst audio mixing we have heard in years. All the voicework is buried beneath wildly fluctuating sound results and a repetitive soundtrack — and fidgeting with the choices barely adjustments a factor.
The worst a part of Captain Blood, although? It is that there is one thing right here, a flicker of a mission that was as soon as heartfelt and enjoyable. You’ll be able to see it within the pleasantly chunky character fashions and well-realised environments — however the sport’s charming presentation cannot outweigh its basic gameplay flaws.
When you’ve got a burning nostalgia for early 2000s motion titles, you may be capable of squeeze some semblance of enjoyment from Captain Blood, however even then, you have to wade by way of tedious, weightless fight and bafflingly ignored audio points.
