Captain Bones: Prologue

About

Captain Bones: Prologue is a single player open world role playing game with fantasy and historical themes. It was developed by World of Poly and was released on July 23, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

Captain Bones is an open world game about an ordinary crew member becoming a great pirate captain. To achieve this, he must first survive with what he has collected from the environment. Then, he must find himself a ship and a crew.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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81%

Audience ScoreBased on 133 reviews

story13 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game has a charming art style and evokes a nostalgic pirate experience reminiscent of classic titles.
Sailing mechanics are enjoyable, allowing players to adjust sails and navigate the seas effectively.
The developer is active and responsive to community feedback, showing commitment to improving the game.

The game feels unfinished and contains numerous bugs, including issues with combat and quest markers.
Crafting and survival mechanics can be tedious, with resource gathering and item durability being frustrating.
The storyline is short and lacks depth, leading to a feeling of emptiness after completing the main quests.

story
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
73%
5%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it generic and predictable, often reduced to basic fetch quests. While some appreciate the unique elements, such as the curse mechanic and pirate themes, others criticize the abrupt ending and lack of clarity in quest markers. Overall, the narrative shows potential but feels unfinished and could benefit from more depth and polish.
- “There is a fun part of the story where you are cursed by a dead pirate 'Jack', so every evening you turn into a skeleton and must try to not be seen by soldiers until you turn back to a human or you will be attacked.”
- “I love the cursed concept, and I'm looking forward to diving deeper into the story to see how the curse came about.”
- “Even if the game is not finished, the story and gameplay are very good...”
- “The storyline in general is pretty generic and anyone that's been reading or writing for a while will see the twists coming.”
- “The story is pretty basic and has been done many times.”
- “Unfortunately, I have to report a bug that prevents me from moving forward with the story.”
gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
61%
9%
Gameplay in the game features a mix of engaging mechanics, such as crafting, sailing, and combat, which are generally easy to learn and enjoyable. However, the survival mechanics feel underdeveloped and can be frustrating, particularly with saving and resource management. While there are some bugs and rough edges, the overall gameplay loop is satisfying, and the game offers various modes to cater to different player preferences.
- “The movement, combat, and mechanics feel good and are easy to learn.”
- “It helps you learn the mechanics—crafting, sailing, combat—without overwhelming you.”
- “It’s definitely not perfect but the gameplay loop is satisfying and the problems the game has are certainly fixable.”
- “The survival mechanics are just there to pad things out.”
- “Obtuse mechanics for saving - you have to craft a campfire which becomes a save point as long as you have a special stick to start the fire.”
- “Bugs galore, stupid gameplay, and everything that was listed as positives soon changes into the reasons not to get this.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
43%
19%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming art style and low-poly visuals, while others criticize them as low-quality and reminiscent of shovelware. Despite occasional lag issues, many users find the graphics appealing and well-suited for the game's aesthetic, particularly praising the water effects and overall design. Overall, the graphics are seen as decent to good, with potential for improvement.
- “Love the simple yet pretty artwork and style to the game too.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, especially for a low poly game, and I love low poly games, by the way.”
- “Love the graphics, designs, and visuals; all are to my taste.”
- “The graphics are a common asset pack that is associated with low-quality shovelware.”
- “On top of that, the game lags and stutters even though the graphics look like they should run fine on low-end PCs.”
- “+ decent graphics”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it generic and repetitive, while others appreciate the contextual changes that enhance the atmosphere, particularly during tense moments. The shark music is highlighted for effectively instilling fear, though some tracks can be overly intense or depressing. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a mixed bag, with varying levels of enjoyment among players.
- “Music is nice, and I love the shark music, which brings a real sense of fear when you're not quite near land swimming.”
- “The music is good and changes for context, such as when you're sailing.”
- “Some soundtracks can be depressing; otherwise, the music is fine.”
- “The music is okay but totally generic and on too short of a loop.”
- “Some soundtracks can be depressing; otherwise, it's fine.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The optimization of "Captain Bones" has received mixed reviews, with players noting significant bugs and performance issues that hinder gameplay, such as movement restrictions and stuttering during battles. However, some users appreciate the game's potential, citing decent frame rates and the promise of open-world exploration, suggesting that patience may be required as the game is still in early access.
- “But because it's early access and already has good performance (60+ fps) and has open world sailing and pirating, I am giving it a thumbs up. Definitely need patience with this one.”
- “I really wanted to enjoy Captain Bones, but the game is full of bugs and poor optimization.”
- “I gave it a fair shot, but between the boat bug and the performance issues, I regret buying this game.”
- “Can't move forward in some areas when crouching, can't board your ship in waves, stuttering prevents sea battles from being really fun. The jank prevents this from being truly great.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate the humor in the game, highlighting the clever mechanics and unexpected twists that lead to amusing situations. The planning required to navigate the curse adds an entertaining layer, making the experience both funny and engaging. Overall, the humor is seen as a strong point that enhances gameplay.
- “But these little things are funny to run across.”
- “Because the work put into this whole mechanic to have it be this one-time use is too funny.”
- “I really like the twist with the curse, since you have to plan in advance when to go to inhabited places or you will find yourself in some funny situations.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding for supplies manageable and not overly time-consuming, though some express confusion about whether to focus on exploration or quest progression. While the early game can feel grindy, many believe the experience becomes enjoyable once players overcome initial challenges.
- “Honestly, I have no idea if I'm supposed to be exploring and farming for resources or if I'm supposed to keep following the quests. Hopefully, in the future, it'll have clearer paths and goals on what you're supposed to do.”
- “Just finished the full storyline, and here’s the verdict: it’s a bit grindy, but fun once you get past the early hurdles.”
- “The grinding for supplies does not take hours to do.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is generally good, with users noting that while there were some glitches—such as disappearing enemy weapons—these issues have become less frequent and may have been addressed in updates. Additionally, the game effectively prevents players from getting stuck in the environment, enhancing the overall experience.
- “There have been some glitches, like enemies' swords disappearing, making them unable to attack or be killed. This hasn't happened in a while, so it may have been fixed.”
- “The game does a good job of getting you out of stuck spots if it detects that you've become lodged somewhere, which is a positive aspect.”