The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit Review – IGN

By Louisa Blatt

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is probably not significantly adventurous, per se, nevertheless it has coronary heart on its facet. This free Life is Unusual prequel episode facilities on the connection between a splendidly imaginative boy and his emotionally withdrawn father, however for all of the depth and humanity of its storytelling it lacks sufficient powerful challenges or significant choices to make taking part really feel thrilling.

Dontnod’s two-hour sport revolves round an innocently charming nine-year-old named Chris Erikson and his imaginary alter ego Captain Spirit as he copes with the loss of life of his mom. The daddy-son dynamic is the emotional middle of the story and positively succeeded at shifting me; Chris’ father, Charles, clings to his basketball glory days and his beer and vents his disappointment by yelling at Chris and leaving fist-sized dents in doorways. (I occurred to play Superior Adventures quickly after finishing Detroit: Grow to be Human, and the same parts have me barely involved that “dads with substance abuse issues who scream at their youngsters” is a troubling new gaming subgenre.) Although the story isn’t notably modern, it’s participating sufficient that I used to be by no means bored.

A lot of the gameplay consists of looking the home and crossing gadgets off of Chris’ listing of titular “Superior Issues to Do” whereas his father watches a basketball sport on TV. The home itself feels appropriately barren to match the household’s grief and the one particular person you may work together with doesn’t need to work together with you, which made me really feel simply as lonely as Chris. Beneath the empty floor, the home is stuffed with little touches that assist set up the temper: a fragrance bottle left behind, unopened Christmas decorations, and little cartoons drawn by Chris’ mother. You don’t must have performed Life is Unusual or its Earlier than the Storm prequel to take pleasure in Captain Spirit, however there are some Easter eggs that you simply’ll miss for those who’re unfamiliar with them.

The snowy setting and funky coloration palette achieve draining the heat from each room within the dwelling besides Chris’ bed room, which is glad and vibrant due to the daylight filtering in. Contemplating that that is in all probability the way in which Chris views his own residence, it is a good contact. In his bed room, Chris’ solely restrict is his creativeness. His toys and posters make the place really feel like a protected haven and I beloved watching him play in that house.

Captain Spirit’s story is revealed virtually solely by means of exploration. As you climb up a treehouse and snoop by means of Charles’ wardrobe, you slowly learn the way Chris’ mother handed away and simply how poorly Charles has been coping with it. I felt achieved having pieced issues collectively, which went a methods towards making up for the dearth of gameplay achievements out there.

Chris’ creativeness is commonly represented by a mechanic the place sure objects unlocks Captain Spirit’s “powers,” which additionally makes the controller vibrate for longer than I needed it to and with obnoxious frequency. For instance, you may stare at a log in a hearth to “make it erupt in flames,” one thing that jogged my memory of that Tremendous Bowl industrial with the child dressed as Darth Vader who thought he may use the Drive. The “energy” mechanic makes some sense within the log instance, nevertheless it makes much less sense to must name upon superpowers to only placed on a cape. Although it is normally annoying, seeing Chris’ creativeness in motion is endearing sufficient that I usually forgave it. Captain Spirit hits the nail on the top on the subject of capturing the thoughts of a child.

The gadgets on Chris’ listing of superior issues vary from combating “The Snowmancer” – a snowman within the yard adorned with cigarette butts – to hitting beer cans with snowballs (a cute nod to the unique Life is Unusual) to defeating Captain Spirit’s arch nemesis, the evil “Mantroid.” I had anticipated that confrontation to be the climax of the story, however as a result of you may cross the duties off the listing in any order I ended up dealing with him early. That was anticlimactic in of itself, and doubly so as a result of the Mantroid encounter principally consists of strolling slowly ahead whereas a scary voice taunts you and ends with little recognition of your accomplishment. However, this sequence takes place in probably the most stunning surroundings I’ve ever seen in a Life is Unusual sport, so strolling slowly ahead gave me the time I wanted to take all of it in.

Disappointingly, none of those quests include any of the tough choices that I’ve come to count on from Life is Unusual. There is a component of problem as a result of the puzzles require you to concentrate to the atmosphere, nevertheless it’s not sufficient to really feel like a real journey. Nevertheless, for those who cease Captain Spirit as a standalone journey and begin it as a prequel to Life is Unusual 2, this lack of motion makes extra sense. It then turns into the calm earlier than the inevitable storm reasonably than a lull itself.

The Superior Adventures lastly finds its stress within the final 5 minutes of gameplay with an occasion that, whereas fascinating, happens somewhat too abruptly and with out sufficient time for exploration. Then once more, contemplating it ends in a “to be continued…” cliffhanger display, it’s virtually sure that Dontnod will discover it additional in Life is Unusual 2 (which debuts on September 27), and I undoubtedly need to maintain enjoying to seek out out extra.