The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is a short, free adventure game. You play as Chris, a nine year old boy and his imaginary superhero alter ego, Captain Spirit. The story takes place on a snowy Saturday morning while Chris is at home with his alcoholic father. It is the short, standalone prequel to Life is Strange 2.
SpecsUpdate
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Expressive character models
Character models are much higher quality than previous Life is Strange titles, with detailed mouth to voice syncing and better overall animations.
Pro Strong central character dynamic
The central character dynamic is Chris's relationship to his father Charles, and how they're both coping after the death of Chris's mother. Chris often loses himself in childish superhero fantasies, but tries his best to still help his father with household chores. Meanwhile, Charles is having trouble getting over the death of his wife and has turned to alcohol and hangs on to old memories of his sporting days to cope. The interactions between the two are often impactful and emotional, with his father often quick to anger, and Chris retreating into his fantasy world.
Pro Charming viewpoint
The adventure revolves around nine year old Chris and his superhero fantasies, which he uses to escape reality, as he goes around the house playing with his toys, getting into mischief, and doing chores for his drunk father. For example, when the hot water heater is out and he is tasked to turn it back on, Chris pretends it's an evil monster in a fantasy world. His dad's truck is a spaceship used to visit far off planets. He acts out mini-adventures with his toys who become evil villains. The garbage pile out back is his maze with a hidden treasure. Almost every otherwise mundane situation is shown from the viewpoint of an innocent and creative child, whose superhero dreams manifest in everyday interactions.
Pro Imaginative interactions
When interacting with objects, Chris sometimes has the option to use his "superpowers" on it. When throwing a log on the fire, he pretends that he is starting the fire with his mind. When turning on the TV, he intently stares and focuses as it turns on, but then the camera pans to show he is holding the remote control in his hand. These "superpowers" can be used on many different objects throughout the house, and gives what would be otherwise boring interactions a level of charm and humor.
Pro Several optional and rewarding puzzles
For example, at one point Chris wants to break into a storage locker he finds in the garage. If you do, there are additional story elements, but it is not required to complete the game. Only by paying attention to the environment and the objects you examine will you piece together the combination for the lock. There are several puzzles like this that reward you for being observant of the game world.
Pro Exceptional graphics
Utilizing the Unreal 4 engine, it looks fantastic and is a definite step up from previous entries in the series. Environments are highly detailed with a level of polish that really helps draw you in. Especially notable is a sequence during which Chris "visits" an alien world to face his nemesis - the backdrop and scenery are absolutely incredible and beautiful.
Pro Can be played in one sitting
This game is only about 2 hours long and can be easily played in one sitting. The entirety of the adventure takes place on a single snowy Saturday morning, shortly after the death of Chris's mother.
Cons
Con Not enough meaningful choices
There is a noticeable absence of story related choices. While there are dialogue choices peppered throughout the game, none really have any long term effect or change anything. There is only one major choice you have to make near the end of the adventure, and it doesn't influence the way the story unfolds nor the ending.
Con Lots of needless and drawn-out animations
Interacting with certain objects starts a long, drawn out animation. For example, when interacting with the front door to walk outside, Chris puts on his coat and boots very slowly, and this animation is repeated every time you want to venture outside. Similar repeated animations are used throughout the game on various objects and quickly become annoying.
Con Slow walking
Chris walks painfully slow, which makes traversing the small map a chore. Even the "run" key doesn't noticeably increase his speed whatsoever.
Con Pacing isn't the best
Actual story scenes that push the plot forward are few and far between, with most of the gameplay consisting of long stretches of examining objects and walking around the house/yard. As a result, the pacing of the story can feel very off.
Con References to child abuse may upset some people
While there is no scene where Charles is shown physically abusing Chris, it is heavily implied. These situations may upset some people, so it's something to be aware of before playing.
Con Comes bundled with controversial anti-piracy software
Even though it's a completely free game, it comes bundled with anti-piracy software. This controversial software, Denuvo, is known to slow down systems and causes the game to run very sluggish for many.