Yesterday, fans of the game Life Is Strange that has been enjoyed by millions around the world were celebrating as Square Enix released the free demo of The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit on Steam, PC, XboxOne, and PS4.
We only recently learned about this game at this months E3 and knowing it had something to with Life Is Strange is all I needed to know climbing right on into the world of ten-year-old Chris, an everyday boy in a too common environment with his Dad. The storytelling I enjoyed from Life is Strange is all there with this almost signature underlying tone that adds dread as you are also enchanted by the mind of a child just wanting to escape as they believe in something we all did at some time in our lives. That there is more to everything, there has to be.
Yes, I wanted to call 911 on his Dad or confront him myself as you discover his demeanor toward his son steering Chris away from him at every decision. The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is actually more thought-provoking than Life Is Strange. My adventures into that game with Chloe stem from a desire to learn more about American and younger generation culture and honestly I couldn’t relate to her as much as I can Chris. I felt like the writers knew more about being a little boy than they do about being a teenage girl allowing you to immerse without even thinking about it unlike I felt forced too in places throughout Life Is Strange.
In this little two bedroom home is a world filled with a universe of Chris who has you hunting for his superhero armor to take on bad guys in the snow and basement. You will find secrets in the closet, hide codes in the fortress discovering the heroes of Chris who heartrendingly has his Dad at the top of the list while the memories of his Mother become the center – as well as the curse of his existence. Along the way, you’ll be tugged back to reality with chores Chris no longer has an adult to rely upon to do for him. Left to his own devices too often, you want to rescue him like his friendly neighbor tries to and you are left wondering what happens to him far too soon.
Even as I sit here racing to write this I want to continue to the next episode and make sure his ending is happy-ever-after. I also cannot help but want to go play again and again to discover every consequence. This vivid piece of artistry is simplicity at its most brilliant that took me about 2.5 hours and is even more endearing that anyone can play it for free.
Life is Strange 2 is releasing on September 27th.