Life is Strange fans will get a lovely surprise gift from Dontnod and Square Enix in the upcoming weeks, as The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit will be released for free on June 26th.
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit serves not only as a treat for those already familiar with the world of Life is Stange, but as a good entry point for those previously unfamiliar with the story and gameplay. The main story isn’t directly tied back to Chloe and Max’s adventures in Arcadia Bay, but it rings true to the tone and overall gameplay.
The adventures follow a nine-going-on-ten year-old boy, Chris. Chris lives a rather lonely life, but he has a lively imagination that we get to experience firsthand as we fight evil monsters and save the day as Captain Spirit, Chris’s alter-ego. We begin with Chris in his bedroom, playing pretend as Captain Spirit and designing his costume. However, we soon discover the heart of the story when Chris goes downstairs for breakfast with his dad. It’s quickly revealed from a conversation between Chris and his father that his mom isn’t around–though in the demo, it wasn’t clear if her absence if due to her death or her leaving the family. Either way, the family isn’t doing particularly well–Chris’s father starts the morning with a beer, and Chris escapes constantly into his imagination.
Playing as Chris/Captain Spirit, you go on quests ranging from defeating the Water Eater (the broken water heater) to finding all the missing pieces of your costume. You have a checklist of items to fill your superhero day, which you may or may not finish before the end of the game (depending on your specific). Certain events will trigger the end of the game, so you may have to replay it to check off every task.
In acting out Chris’s superhero fantasies, the mechanics have been updated a bit from Life is Strange. You still make choices in your conversations and actions that affect future events, and you have the ability to learn more about the backstory of the characters by viewing and interacting with objects around the house. However, this game also gives you the option to simply not answer questions when they’re asked, rather than limiting you to a couple of written options. Also, while there’s no time travel, pressing down the right trigger allows a new series of interaction options as Captain Spirit. Chris can only look at his cape hanging in his closet, but Captain Spirit can actually choose to wear it. In a similar fashion, Chris is too scared to enter the room with the water heater–but that’s no issue for the brave Captain Spirit, of course.
In addition to the new mechanics, this game will provide extra tidbits to discover for Life is Strange fans. The Dontnod producer who led us through the demo, Luc Baghadoust, promised that this short and sweet game will provide hints at what’s to come in the upcoming Life is Strange 2. In addition, there were small nods back to the original Life is Strange (for example, a letter written on stationary from Arcadia Bay High School). He also hinted that choices you make in this game will affect your playthrough of Life is Strange 2–so make your decisions carefully!
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit will be available for free on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on June 26th. Stay tuned for more E3 coverage here on Gaming Trend.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Maddy has been addicted to video games since watching her dad play The Secret of Monkey Island when she was 5 years old (though it took her another 14 years to finish the game). In addition to playing video games, she's a proud cat mom, a lover of bad jokes and dark eyeliner, and a terror on the dodgeball court. Maddy is currently pursuing her MBA at UCLA Anderson and starting in June, she will be interning at Riot Games with the Player Growth department.
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