There’s a new game in the Sea Dogs series, but before diving into that, let’s rewind a bit for some context. The Sea Dogs series, spanning 23 years, has a convoluted backstory. It began with the release of “Sea Dogs” (known as “Corsairs” in Russia) in 2003, developed by Akella and published by Bethesda. Considered the first 3D pirate game, it drew heavy inspiration from Sid Meier’s Pirates!.
The sequel, initially named Sea Dogs 2, underwent a last-minute title change to “Pirates of the Caribbean” due to Disney’s tie-in with the 2003 movie. Despite the name association, it had minimal connection to the film’s plot. Subsequent titles, such as “Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales” (2006) and “Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships” (2009), adopted the “Age of Pirates” moniker due to rights issues with Bethesda.
Following disappointments with the Age of Pirates titles, Akella collaborated with modders from a fan forum to develop an unofficial add-on to Age of Pirates 2. Surprisingly, this add-on, named “Sea Dogs: To Each His Own,” was released commercially in 2012 as an official sequel.
Fast forward to the present, Akella is defunct, and BlackMark, the studio behind “Sea Dogs: To Each His Own,” has launched a new game called “Caribbean Legend: Sandbox.” This game, based on Sea Dogs and inspired by Sid Meier’s Pirates!, is hailed as the closest unofficial follow-up fans could wish for. Despite its dated graphics reminiscent of 2013, it offers a faithful experience.
“Caribbean Legend: Sandbox” serves as the free version of another game, “Caribbean Legend,” which is set to launch soon. The free version lacks features like a story mode, career options, colony building, and romance, but it compensates with a vast open-world Caribbean setting in 1654 AD.
Players can engage in various quests, including trading, bounty hunting, and naval battles, each with multiple outcomes based on choices. The game promises around 10-20 hours of gameplay in freeplay mode and nearly 200 hours in the full version.
Reviews on Steam praise the game’s long-awaited arrival despite acknowledging a steep learning curve and some control issues. Overall, it seems to deliver what fans have been eagerly anticipating, flaws notwithstanding.
