- Release Date: 1989
- Genre: Shooter
- Style: Platform Shooter
- Similar Games: Ghosts 'n Goblins (Nintendo Entertainment System), The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants (Nintendo Entertainment System)
Game Description
While not the yuk-fest one may assume by its title, Captain Comic is a light-hearted romp through the eight alien worlds of Tambi. Taking control of the titular captain, your goal is to battle your way through the different environments found on this foreign planet filled with an array of deadly foes, in an effort to retrieve your lands stolen artifacts -- the legendary treasures of Osmic.Sent on this extremely perilous mission by the elders of your homeworld (who evidently dislike you), you come prepared with your comical sense of humor, Mark VII multi-function backpack, snazzy spacesuit and Blastola assault weapon. Actually, make that "ammo-less Blastola assault weapon"; you start out defenseless with an empty gun.
Fortunately for you, cans of Blastola Cola can be found about to power said gun, conspicuously placed for easy access. While we've known for years that drinking over-marketed soft drinks rich in caffeine and sugar heightens ones physical performance to athletic proportions, only now, in this incredible future, can it be used to power high-tech weaponry!
Teleporting into the first of the Tambian worlds, you're pitted against a swarm of hungry birds (in both red and blue varieties) and wriggling green worms. While one would assume you could simply stand back letting nature take its course in an explosion of feathers and slime, you unfortunately have to deal with this nuisance firsthand by putting them on the bad end of your blaster.
And they're not the only ones, as these feathery fiends are merely the beginning. Through this world's seven other environments including Lake Siri, the Tabian Moon, Haunted Castle, Killer Bee Shed and other xenophobia-inducing areas, you'll have to fight off everything from bouncing, flaming Pyreballs to robotic VFOs!
Boots boost your jumping ability, while lanterns allow you to view darkened caves and spaces. The Wand allows you to teleport past objects and foes. Shields endowing you with temporary invincibility will let you run through a crowd of enemies unharmed, corkscrew blasts allow you to fire shots covering a wider area, and Life Shields give you another chance at continuing your quest.
While the fate of the world doesn't rest in your hands, the tri-millennial celebration requiring the stolen treasure does -- so get to work!
~ Geoffrey Douglas Smith, All Game Guide
Roots & Influences
Captain Comic is rather derivative in its gameplay and plays similar to earlier titles such as Super Mario Bros., Mega Man and Ghosts 'N' Goblins, all featuring characters with the ability to fire projectiles at ground-based and flying enemies, while making a series of difficult jumps. Levels in themselves, such as the space level could be loosely inspired by titles such as Lunar Lander, while making your way through a forest of enemies on the first level to reach a castle door is reminiscent of the first level from Ghosts 'N' Goblins.~ Geoffrey Douglas Smith, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
"Rave Reviews!" exclaims the box front to Captain Comic: The Adventure. Then you flip it over revealing a quote from the Game Player's Magazine review of the PC original, which appears to be borderline neutral: "Colorful and well thought-out arcade style game." I'd have to agree, actually.The boys and girls over at Color Dreams must have been quite proud of themselves the day they received that magazine, showing it to friends and loved ones. You see, the majority of Color Dreams titles are better suited to masochists than your average gamer, because no matter how creative the minds behind the art, character design or names were, the majority are more of an exercise for your patience or tolerance than your thumbs and reflexes.
Somehow Captain Comic broke free from this curse, the blue curse it could be called (in reference to their games' pastel blue tone) and managed to eke out a title worthy of the plastic it's housed in -- which could otherwise be better used for a couple high-quality disposable diapers.
Admittedly, Captain Comic is just about the best title to have been published by Color Dreams, and although this isn't saying much in relative terms, it is a fairly enjoyable title that will appeal to platform shooter fanatics. However, it also doesn't break any new ground in the genre.
Taking elements from titles such as Ghosts 'N' Goblins and Super Mario Bros., Captain Comic has you exploring eight unique, themed worlds in an attempt to retrieve the stolen treasure of your homeworld. Each level has its own selection of enemies, the majority of which are fairly original.
Care was obviously taken to make each level look dissimilar from the others. I personally found the futuristic room with tubes running through it and DNA molecules bouncing around to be rather neat. The same goes for the moon-based level where low gravity allows you to jump great heights and lengths.
Each level is non-linear in its scrolling; allowing you to go left or right as far there is actual terrain. Unfortunately, this also causes a problem in that most levels require you to go in one direction, giving you a fifty-fifty chance of going the correct way. Half of the time this results in you trekking a fair distance, only to reach a pointless dead end. On the flip side of the coin, this also afforded secrets to be hidden for the more adventurous types.
Enemies feature little animation, (not that much is required) and you can generally figure out what the heck it is you're fighting. Your own character,
The ability to crouch would have been a big plus, as you can sometimes get stuck in a situation (such as under a platform hindering movement) where you cannot target your enemy and have to take a hit -- sometimes killing you after accomplishing a great feat. And being killed is another problem; when
Sound is probably Captain Comic's biggest flaw, in that the same thirty second tune plays throughout each environment. While the graphics change, the audio does not. The music itself isn't worth mentioning, as it's just about neutral in terms of quality. Sound effects are average and Cap's jumping sound is near identical to Mario's.
The only other gripe on my part would be lack of between-level cut-scenes or at least a status screen displaying your score. The fact that all the levels are interconnected is nice, in a Metroid sort of way, but there's no sense of gratification or even a great awareness when you make it to the next.
As stated before, Captain Comic is derivative of most platform shooters, but it shouldn't stop fans of the genre from picking it up for a test drive -- they may find it to their liking, but odds are they won't be wowed on any level. I wasn't.
~ Geoffrey Douglas Smith, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
The amount of fun you'll have with the Captain may vary, but if platform shooters are your bag, you'll find it to be averagely entertaining. So will most everyone else.~ Geoffrey Douglas Smith, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
Some enemies such as the worms, VFOs and DNA stand out in the design and animation department, in addition to a couple levels stand out, but the majority is average in quality. The~ Geoffrey Douglas Smith, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
To be honest, the tunes are average as well, but the fact there is only one song repeated over and over takes it down a full point, in addition to generic sound effects which could have been replaced with ANYTHING original.~ Geoffrey Douglas Smith, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
Thankfully there are a few little areas and goodies to find, so it's up to par with most other titles in this respect.~ Geoffrey Douglas Smith, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
The 20-page manual is a bit short, but provides a good account of the storyline, illustrations of most enemies and a neat Control Summary Card.~ Geoffrey Douglas Smith, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Programming: Michael Denio; Graphics: A.R. Henderson
~ Geoffrey Douglas Smith, All Game Guide
