Captain Silver
Captain Silver — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Captain Silver on?
- Captain Silver was released on Arcade, Family Computer, Sega Master System/Mark III, Famicom.
- When did Captain Silver release?
- Captain Silver was first released on February 1, 1987.
About Captain Silver
Captain Silver is a side-scrolling action game released for the arcades by Data East in 1987. In the game, the player control a young sailor named Jim Aykroyd who goes on a journey to seek the lost treasure of Captain Silver, facing various perils along the way. Home versions were released for the Master System by Sega and for the NES by Tokuma Shoten.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Developer
- Data East
- Publisher
- Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Action, Fantasy, Historical
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Master System | 1989 | $18 | $41 | — | 9 reviews | Low (look-alike) |
Also released on: Arcade · Family Computer · Sega Master System/Mark III · Famicom. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $15 | $44 | — |
| Japanese release | $24 | $46 | $191 |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $21 in Jul 2009, $28 five years ago, and $17.60 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $9.95 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $7.80 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $6.00 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $4.39 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $7.98 | $14.95 |
| Jan 2015 | $10.95 | $35 |
| Jan 2016 | $7.73 | $16.50 |
| Jan 2017 | $14.95 | $20 |
| Jan 2018 | $11.25 | $19.25 |
| Jan 2019 | $15.80 | $20 |
| Jan 2020 | $10.63 | $21 |
| Jan 2021 | $14.76 | $34 |
| Jan 2022 | $27 | $33 |
| Jan 2023 | $22 | $32 |
| Jan 2024 | $18.74 | $26 |
| Jan 2025 | $17.02 | $31 |
| Jan 2026 | $24 | $34 |
| Oct 2026 | $17.60 | $41 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number |
|---|---|---|
| North America | September 1989 | 5117 |
| Europe / PAL | 1988 | — |
| Japan | 2 July 1988 | — |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1989
- Authenticity
- Low
A pirate sword-fighter ported from the arcade, priced about in the middle of the US releases.
Captain Silver is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash platform game that started in arcades from Data East in 1987. Sega published the Master System version, released in Japan on 2 July 1988 and in North America in September 1989. The play mechanics are roughly identical to the arcade game, and most of the power-ups and bonus items are kept.
Electronic Gaming Monthly's late-1989 coverage described a treasure hunt in which the hero fights the ghoulies that guard the loot, and the Captain himself, with a sword whose effectiveness grows as you recover power-ups. It listed four levels and average difficulty.
What the press said at the time
| Mean Machines Games Guide | May 1992 | OVERALL 47% |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | OVERALL 47% |
| Sega Pro Issue 24 | October 1993 | 82% |
| Sega Pro Issue 26 | December 1993 | 82% |
| Sega Pro Issue 33 | June 1994 | 82% |
| Sega Pro Issue 37 | October 1994 | 82% |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 4.5/10 | |
| The Games Machine | 49% | |
| Console XS | 82% |
“This title was licensed from Data East and it does a fair job of duplicating the game play found in most of your horizontally-scrolling ar¬ cade favorites.”
“The graphics are crap, the sound is woeful and the gameplay is poor.”
“This dire hack V slash game was originally a coin¬ op - so it'll come as no surprise that it completely bombed. The graphics are crap, the sound is woeful and the gameplay is poor.”
“Finding buried treasure in real-life is pretty tough. Despite being difficult, the superb sprites and sound will keep you playing for ages.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Sega Master System version.
How the Sega Master System version differs
Two cartridges were made: a one-megabit cartridge for North America and a two-megabit cartridge for Japan and Europe.
The North American version has only four stages and two bosses, while the Japanese and European version adds two stages, more enemies, and a boss for every stage.
Magic power can rise only three levels instead of six, the longsword power-up is gone, and boots can no longer be worn permanently.
Also on other platforms
Arcade · Famicom
- Famicom. The Famicom version, released only in Japan, gives the player a health gauge so one hit no longer costs a life.
How the other versions reviewed
| Arcade | Computer and Video Games | Positive |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
Three regional carts exist: the US cart, a European one released in 1988, and the Japanese cart released first. The European cart costs a little less loose and about the same complete. The Japanese cart costs somewhat more than the US one in both conditions, and it is a different, smaller shape that does not fit a Western console without an adapter. The US loose price sits about in the middle of its group. Check for the manual in a complete copy.
Captain Silver screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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