The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit

Strong characters and environmental storytelling make The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit enjoyable overall. Despite the main objectives being underwhelming and the decisions seeming weightless, I became invested in the outcome of the story thanks to Chris' lovable sense of wonder against a well-painted dreary backdrop. Captain Spirit makes me optimistic about what's to come in Life is Strange 2.

A complete, free prelude to Life is Strange 2 that has us ready for more.

An excellent, painfully brief piece of storytelling, with some decent characters and a lot of heart.

This inventive tale can be uplifting one minute and disheartening the next, but it strikes a consistent and compelling tone

This small-scale game, in which you play a child roaming his house, shows how imagination makes the mundane magical

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit functionally serves as a playable teaser for the sequel to Life is Strange. Because of this, we never get real resolution to Chris' story. It ends on a gratuitous cliffhanger, and that's so predictably frustrating. But Captain Spirit uses its two hours well to craft a narrative that leaves us wanting more. That was the whole point. Chris may be a superhero but he's also an underdog. Everyone loves a good underdog story.

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit thoughtfully examines a troubled childhood through the eyes of the 10-year-old living it. This non-linear episode encourages you to explore, refraining from beating you over the head with its difficult subject matter. It's building into something, and it's hard to determine exactly what that is with DONTNOD being so coy about its plans for the sequel. You need to really dig into this to get anything out of it, and while we found the backstories of the small cast to be well thought out, it's hard to know what purpose they will serve yet.

An endearing vignette in the Life is Strange universe that shows what the series is like when it's at its best.

Captain Spirit does well balancing itself as a clear setup for Life is Strange 2, while also functioning well as a standalone tale. Fans of the series will love how the storytelling mechanics have evolved from the first game, while general adventure game fans should enjoy the multiple dialogue choices, the greater emphasis on inventory, and the numerous puzzles scattered throughout the house.

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit are simply awesome. Fans of the series know exactly what to expect while newcomers are welcomed into this world of tragedy and whimsy. It's free and fun, what more do you want?