Calum Petrie reviews The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit…
The story of a 10 year old boy’s Saturday morning is not the most exciting thing to base a game around, though if you throw in links to a Life is Strange sequel, then you have something very interesting. DONTNOD Entertainment is back once again with a charming well-crafted story about life, love and loss; this time we are not looking at pre-adult teenagers.
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is a playful adventure full of imagination, characters, exploration and villains; unfortunately these are both imaginative and real. You control Chris, a 10 year old boy, who has a deep love for comics, superheroes and storytelling. During the events of this short game you will travel to far off lands, battle deadly foes and rediscover lost memories all while never leaving the confines of Chris’ home and garden.
This game is almost like a tech demo for Life is Strange 2, while also heavily hinting at where the direction of the sequel will be heading. The largest focus on this game is finding out about Chris’ character and what he has been through in his short 10 years. The world of this game may only be a few rooms and a garden, but it took me a good while to discover everything you could possibly do in Chris’ Saturday morning.
Players will have the option to help create the iconic outfit of Captain Spirit, while having to scour the lands for the materials needed to craft the outfit. Then you will have to assemble to super team that will help Chris defeat his mortal foes, as well as hunting down all enemies that stand in his road.
Chris as a character is the definition of a child at that point in life, full of imagination and fun. All he wants to do is venture out and live his life, though the troubles he encounters at home and in his imagination maybe indicate larger demons he is not talking about. You will take Chris on a journey of discovery to find out more about his parents and the situation in which his child-like wonder should not have to worry about for a long time. If you accidentally trigger the end of the game, there is no need to panic as you will watch the end and be reloaded into the house to the point before you trigger the end game. This will allow players to return to the fun Saturday morning and find everything on Chris’ play list.
This game is not incredibly long, and I am deliberately trying not to give anything away as the game is such a pure experience. I do not want to ruin anything for potential players of these wonderfully crafted stories.
Players of Life is Strange or even Life is Strange: Before the Storm will know that the world within these games craft deeper characters and stories than you will find in the majority of game worlds out there today. There is nothing two dimensional about any characters in these worlds, and if you love a narrative adventure with exploration then this is the game series for you. The team at DONTNOD Entertainment have also come out to say that further announcements for Life is Strange “will be heading our way in the next couple of months”.
I can only recommend this game, whether you are a fan of the previous entries in the series or a newcomer. The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is a totally free to download title that won’t take you more than a few hours to complete. Do yourself a favour and try this title, you may hate it or you may love it; though for a free story, you will be in for one hell of a journey.
Pros:
– Great story telling
– Brilliantly crafted characters
– Free
Cons:
– Short game length
– Unknown waiting time until Life Is Strange 2
Rating: 7/10
Calum Petrie
Calum Petrie – You can follow me on Twitter @Cetrie
