Brought to you by Dontnod Entertainment, the same developers of Life is Strange, has released another game set in the same universe. The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit concerns a nine year old boy named Chris. There have been times where a game trailer has misled the viewer in to expecting one type of game and getting another. This is one of those instances. Captain Spirit is a very good game, but with a very serious and mature undertone.
All Chris wants is a Christmas Tree. His father has promised him that they will get the tree right after the basketball game on television ends. As Chris waits, he decides to complete a list of awesome adventures. This includes saving his backyard from the evil Snowmancer, and more mundane tasks such as cleaning the dishes. These adventures start to become more and more obvious as a reaction to Chris’ real life. Soon after completing the list, Chris decides to wake his father in order to get that Christmas tree.
Graphically the game looks just as amazing as Life is Strange. There is a sense of reality and unreality as the characters move and act in their own world. Chris’ character palette is very bright and catchy while his house seems muted and sometimes dark to show a contrast for the plot. The voice acting is also very well done with everyone being in the right state of mind. Music played also fit the tone perfectly to what was happening. The choices given to you offer very little in changing the story, but this is just a prologue to Life is Strange 2 (coming in September 2018).
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room when it comes to the plot of this game. The Life is Strange universe has never walked away from dealing with adult and dark themes. What makes Captain Spirit much more edgy is that the main character is a nine year old kid. As you explore more and more, a nightmarish picture begins to form. The absence of the mother, too many beer cans lying about and the feeling that Chris has to do all the work or else…
These reviews try to be spoiler free. I would highly recommend that if there is a chance that some of these things might hit a little too close to home, do your research to determine if you can handle this game. As a person that has dealt with some of the content displayed in Captain Spirit, anxiety was heightened and some unpleasant memories came back that I wasn’t prepared for. This game is interesting and involving, but know what you are getting in to before you play.
Regarding the score, the fact that this is a prequel to a much larger piece of work has to be considered. If this were just a standalone game, it would rank lower solely based on its conclusion. Since it was marketed as the prequel to Life is Strange 2, the score is raised with the knowledge that more is to come.
8/10
Available now on: PC, PS4, and Xbox
