Captain Blood

Captain Blood, also known in France as L’Arche du Captain Blood, is a science-fiction game developed by ERE Informatique and associated with the Exxos label. The game was released by Infogrames and later re-released in the UK by Players Premier Software.

Objective

Players must find and disintegrate five Captain Blood clones, known as Duplicates or Numbers depending on the version. Progress depends on contacting aliens, gaining their trust, and learning how each race responds to the concepts offered through the icon-based UPCOM communication system.

Exploration and Communication

The game begins aboard the biological ship Ark, near one of four predetermined planets. Players launch an OORXX biological probe and guide it across a fractal landscape to reach the resident alien. Information gained through UPCOM can reveal the locations of other inhabited planets.

The Ark can hyperspace between planets, scan for defences, destroy planets, and teleport consenting aliens to the Fridgitorium for disintegration or transport elsewhere. As time passes, Captain Blood’s health deteriorates, represented by increasing movement of the mouse cursor; disintegrating a clone temporarily eases these effects.

Platforms

Captain Blood was released for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Mac, and Sinclair ZX Spectrum systems.