Captain Blood (video game)
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| Captain Blood | |
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| Developer(s) | Exxos (ERE informatique) |
| Publisher(s) | Infogrames |
| Distributor(s) | Mindscape (US) |
| Designer(s) | Phillipe Ulrich (scenario) Didier Bouchon (graphics & programming) |
| Release date(s) | 1988 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure, Simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Atari ST, Amiga, IBM PC, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Thomson TO7, Apple Macintosh |
| Media | Cassette, Disk |
| Input | Mouse, Joystick |
Captain Blood (L’Arche du capitaine Blood in French) is the name of a French video game from 1988 made by Imagitec Design Ltd and released by ERE Informatique, soon relabeled with their short-lived Exxos label. It was later re-released by Players Premier Software. The title tune is a stripped down version of Ethnicolor by Jean Michel Jarre.
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[edit] Development
Captain Blood was developed jointly by Didier Bouchon and Phillipe Ulrich, both contributing design and scenario, and Bouchon graphics and programming for the Atari ST version. Bouchon originally designed covers for ERE informatique's Gazoline Software label, but he learned to program in assembler for the Atari ST after Ulrich provided him with one. Bouchon then created fractal-generated realtime graphics that inspired both to do a sci-fi inspired video game.[1].
After ERE's absorption by Infogrames in summer of 1987 (partly justified by preliminary versions of Captain Blood), Ulrich and Bouchon isolated themselves in the Landes in order to have the game ready for Christmas. Many adaptations for both 16-bit and 8-bit machines were developed in successive months, although none of them surpasses the original Atari ST version in graphics, sound effects or music.
[edit] Gameplay
The objective of the game is to track down and disintegrate five clones (referred to as Duplicates or Numbers depending on the version of the game) of Captain Blood. To find them, the player must speak to various aliens and gain their trust. Communication with aliens occurs via an icon-based interface known as UPCOM. This consists of around 150 icons, each representing a different concept. As each alien race discovered speaks its own language and reacts differently, the player must learn to negotiate using these UPCOM concepts in a style that suits the races.
Other unique facets of the game play of Captain Blood included the deterioration of the player interface as the game progressed. As time wore on, the character's health deteriorated. This was represented in-game via an increasing amount of shaking of the mouse cursor, making the game more and more difficult to control until the character eventually died.
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[edit] Versions
The game was first released on the Atari ST, and was later released on the Amiga, PC and many 8-bit platforms. The ST version is generally considered to be the definitive version, being the only version that includes the full set of alien language sounds.
[edit] Sequels
It was followed by the sequel Commander Blood in 1994 and later by Big Bug Bang in 1997, a french-only release.
[edit] References
- ^ Daniel Ichbiah, La saga des jeux vidéo. Chapter 5. Vuibert. 2004. ISBN 2-7117-4825-1
