GamerNode: Previews - E3: Captain Blood Preview

E3: Captain Blood Preview

Category: PC, Posted: 05/17/2006 at 11:19PM EDT by Bradley Philbert,

In a one-on-one interview with Playlogic reps, GamerNode scored a sneak preview of one of the latest titles in the Age of Pirates franchise, Age of Pirates: Captain Blood.

Captain Blood was developed by Akella, the brains behind the Pirates of the Caribbean licensed game (based off their proprietary Sea Dogs franchise). The game is inspired by a book of the same name by Raffael Sabatini, and the story is slated to fold out through a mixture of in-game missions and cutscenes. Players take the role of a surgeon imprisoned on the island of Barbados. Following a daring escape, players live out the simulated life of a pirate. Yo ho!

There is an action-heavy tilt to the title, with a combat system capable of combo moves and several unique attacks, including bayonet stabbings and a vicious finishing move that perforates an adversary with musket holes.

Sailing elements from Playlogic's Age of Pirages: Caribbean Tales have been added – whether or not the elements are anything more than virtually identical remains to be seen. However, Playlogic promised that Captain Blood would feature a much heavier storyline than its pirate-sim cousin.

The scene we saw the most of involved Captain Blood's defense of his ship from enemy pirates. Outnumbered 3:1, the plundering captain somehow managed to take down the enemies with swords, a pistol, and a dagger. The fact that the rival pirates only attacked one at a time did seem to help in the player's favor, though.

Like many dramatized pirate stories, weaponry plays an important role. In the sailing sections and the action portions of the game, both mobile and stationary weaponry play a role in both attacking enemies and defending your scurvy turf. Cannons, of course, will be integral to many missions.

Gamers who may dread the idea of playing a book-based game need not worry; Playlogic assures that, while story-heavy, the game is immersive in its own right. The PC-exclusive Age of Pirates: Captain Blood will see a US release from Playlogic sometime this summer.