Captain Blood
Preview
Follow the adventures of Peter Blood, a character created by every pirate fan's favourite author
by Jebus
previewed on PC
The (unsalted) meat of the matter (cntd.)
What seems to be the heart of this game is combat. Sid Meier's Pirates! would not be able to hold a candle to the combat system this game has in store. It goes far beyond the numpad tapping of those titles, into a Resi4/Fable esq. free roaming combat system. Though rather combo oriented, there seem to be some other interesting options. You are not limited to swords, you can make the most of muskets, pistols, cannons, throwing knives and explosives, amongst many other weapons. This 3rd person combat system can therefore take advantage of illustrious sword combos, glorified enemy death sequences, and vibrant explosions - and all without losing its enthralling fast pace. The enemies too are a-plenty, all flailing their weapons at you (with varying degrees of skill), and should keep your hack-n-slash finger happy.
Though all of this is not a simple case of wandering mindlessly into brawls with no prize at the other end. The game also holds some role-playing elements, in the sense that you can buy combos and upgrade your ship Arabella, providing a much-needed element of control over your character.
The ship combat seems to be done in much the same way as on land. Once you are besieging a fort, or attempting to commandeer another vessel on the Spanish main, you take control of your ship's weapons manually (where one must take into account factors such as the wind when taking aim, to steer your broadsides right), and engage in a similar bout of swashbuckling as you would on land. The damage inflicted to the ships is not generalised. Land a direct hit on the mast and the main sail falls down, greatly limiting their speed. A direct hit in the hull and the ship will start taking in water. All of which makes naval battles a pallet of experimentation until you find your own sure-fire way of sinking enemy ships. Thus taking the combat to the sea should prove to be an interesting variant to the mixture.
...all that is left, is a sense of dread
This game seems to be rather combat-oriented, unlike its 'big brother' Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales. Although the game is based on Mr.Sabatini's novel, it seems that combat is the main tool and source of experience for progressing through the story. However, there are mini-games included that will help dilute the action heavy mixture. And, in a genre that has been lately overrun by Simulation and RPG titles, a game such as this should be rather refreshing.
Basically, Age of Pirates: Captain Blood will be a variation of Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales for those who like to see a little bit more action. For those who like the open-ended gameplay of the other title, this game may be a little disappointing with the relatively scripted storyline. But, for those who like the swordplay and action in AoP: CT, this will offer more of the same with several nice updates to make it even more fun! After all, there must be several blood-thirsty pirates out there, just waiting for a chance to really wreak havoc on the high seas!
