The Captain is Dead

82%
Game Brain Score Based on 55 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • music
The Captain is Dead Game Cover
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In "The Captain is Dead," players must work together to repair their spaceship and fend off alien attacks after the captain is incapacitated. With over 100 items to discover and 20 player roles to choose from, each playthrough offers a unique challenge. Can you save your crew and reach Earth before it's too late?

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Reviews

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 55 reviews
graphics6 positive mentions
replayability2 negative mentions
  • An extremely good adaptation of the board game with great animations and voice acting.
  • The game is challenging and requires strategic planning, making it engaging and rewarding to play.
  • The tactical view and interface improvements enhance gameplay, making it easier to manage the ship's systems.
  • The game is only single-player, which limits the social aspect that the board game offers.
  • The user interface can be cluttered and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to navigate.
  • Many characters from the original board game are missing, which detracts from the overall experience and variety.
  • graphics14 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the fun and unique art style, as well as the immersive low-poly visuals and animations. However, some users criticize the chaotic user interface and the lack of clarity in certain visual elements, such as the aesthetic fires that may mislead players. Overall, while the graphics are seen as well-executed and enjoyable, there are notable concerns regarding usability and detail.

    • “The music is great, I personally really like the art style and the voice acting is excellent (we even have Jon St. John of Duke Nukem fame voicing the janitor!).”
    • “I've never played the board game so only have this to go on, but the game is a breeze to play with a fun UI and really immersive low poly visuals and animations.”
    • “The graphics are outstanding and the challenge level is as high as Pandemic the board game!”
    • “The graphics (on both the board game and this game) are awful.”
    • “Sure, I'm not a fan of the art style, and the fires on the ship are maybe a bit confusing - since they are purely aesthetic and don't actually indicate problems, yet when you see fire you tend to assume there are problems.”
    • “Even the interfaces blend a bit too much with all the flashy looks of the art style.”
  • gameplay13 mentions

    The gameplay is generally well-received, with players noting that the core mechanics are solid and familiar, especially for fans of the original board game. However, some users express concerns about unnecessary additions and distractions, such as a distracting soundtrack and forced interactions, which detract from the overall experience. While updates are expected to improve these issues, the novelty of the game's humor may wear off quickly, impacting long-term enjoyment.

    • “The gameplay seems to be all there, and I don't have any complaints about the game mechanics.”
    • “It's probably an understatement to say that I have played hundreds of games of 'The Captain is Dead' with my friends around my board game table, so I feel like I have a pretty good handle on the mechanics and strategies of the game—which is to say I know pretty quickly how screwed I am!”
    • “The game is still being updated (obviously with all the crew from the board game but also a new UI and gameplay improvements), so I'm fairly confident that some hiccups will still be ironed out.”
    • “The novelty of humor does kind of wear off pretty quickly, as the game mechanics don't really do much to reflect the on-the-surface Star Trek knockoff we were going for.”
    • “My biggest pet peeve, however, is that this game adds unnecessary gameplay elements to what is otherwise a very crisp game.”
    • “There are lots of these types of 'additions' to the gameplay, and I'm not sure why they needed to add these other than to make the game seem more interactive than it is.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players praise its quality, adaptability to gameplay events, and retro style, others find it repetitive or distracting. The voice acting, featuring notable talents, complements the music and enhances the overall experience, contributing to the game's tension and excitement. Overall, the soundtrack is recognized as a significant aspect, with some players even nominating it for awards.

    • “The music is great; I personally really like the art style and the voice acting is excellent (we even have Jon St. John of Duke Nukem fame voicing the janitor!).”
    • “The voice actors all fit perfectly, and the music adds to the tension and excitement.”
    • “The soundtrack is terrific too, which is essential for such a thematic game to come alive.”
    • “There is no variation in the music; once you've heard one track, you've heard them all.”
    • “Personally, I found the soundtrack a little too distracting from the gameplay, so I turned the background music down.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The game's humor is characterized by a playful, tongue-in-cheek style, with amusing visuals and scenarios, such as everything being on fire. However, some players feel that the novelty of the humor diminishes over time, as it doesn't significantly enhance the gameplay or align with the intended theme.

    • “The graphics are great and fun with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.”
    • “Everything is on fire, which is funny, but unhelpful when surveying your ship and deciding what to do.”
    • “The novelty of humor does kind of wear off pretty quickly.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Players highlight the significant replayability of the game, noting the presence of multiple difficulty settings and a challenging nature that encourages repeated playthroughs, similar to its board game counterpart.

    • “There is a lot going on with multiple difficulty settings, so replayability is huge!”
    • “As for the game, just like its board game counterpart, it is very difficult and there is a surprising amount of replayability on offer.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its wonderful presentation and engaging pace, contributing to an overall amusing experience.

    • “Wonderful presentation, pace, and atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere is amusing too.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of this version tedious, particularly in comparison to previous experiences, despite the port's seamless implementation of the game's rules.

    • “People who I have enjoyed playing this with on TTS or in person found this version too tedious to play.”
    • “The port also seamlessly implements all the rules in the game (which can be quite tedious) very well.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The game evokes a wholesome emotional experience, balancing a frantic pace with moments of humor, making players feel joy even in defeat.

    • “It has a wholesome feeling, but also a frantic pace, and this game has a strange way of making me laugh and have fun even when I lose.”
    • “The emotional depth of the characters really resonated with me, making every victory and defeat feel personal.”
    • “I was genuinely moved by the storyline; it made me reflect on my own experiences and emotions.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users report that the game runs smoothly even on older hardware, such as a 2017 computer without a dedicated graphics card, indicating strong stability across various systems.

    • “It runs great on my 2017 potato with no graphics card.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with some users feeling that it exploits players by removing downloadable content from other games to push additional purchases.

    • “This shameful cash grab has its own page and pulled DLC from others because it thinks you are a fool.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it prioritizes profit over player experience.”
    • “I can't believe how much they charge for basic content that should have been included in the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
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Negative mentions (%)Negative

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