Captain Comic II: Fractured Reality
| Captain Comic II: Fractured Reality | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Color Dreams |
| Publisher(s) | ComputerEasy |
| Designer(s) | Michael Denio |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
| Release | 1990 |
| Genre(s) | side-scrollers |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Captain Comic II: Fractured Reality is the 1990 sequel to the 1988 MS-DOS platform game, The Adventures of Captain Comic. The game was created by the same author as the original, Michael Denio, working at Color Dreams and was published by ComputerEasy.
The game was not as successful as its predecessor, despite containing numerous improvements and new features:
Unlike the original (which was shareware), the game was sold commercially, which explains its lesser popularity.
Captain Comic II is a platform game and like its predecessor has the concepts of shield points (health), lives, a score, items, enemies, zones and objectives.
The primary health indicator is the shield. Once the shield points are exhausted by coming into contact with enemy units and then he is struck again (or if he is hit for more damage than his remaining shields), Comic loses a life. Additionally, if Comic falls off the bottom of a screen a life is lost. If Comic finds a bonus shield it will restore the points to maximum, or add the shield to his inventory for later use if already at full. The game is over when Comic loses all of his lives (or completes the main objective of the game).
Bonus items can generally be found in strategic locations or inside boxes or crates that need to be opened up or destroyed by use of the pick-axe tool (one of the first goals of the game should therefore be to obtain the pick-axe). Items range from gems (points), shields (health), mini-Comics (bonus lives), to tools that can be used for other purposes. A notable addition is the magic wand which can turn some useless items into useful items, ranging from powerups to keys. Generally, items also add to the game score when collected. One new feature in this version of the game is the ability to change "active" it (perhaps a requirement since there are now many more items to collect and use). For example, the primary item in use is the firing weapon, but when it is time to use the pick-axe tool (or key, or screwdriver, etc.), Comic can select that item from his inventory.
Comic must also avoid or destroy various enemies in the game, primarily by use of his firepower which he obtains by collecting Blastola Cola (again, one of the first goals early in the game should be to acquire this item - of which there are 6 in total). Enemies range from simple units on pre-set paths to more difficult combatants that follow Comic or seek him out directly. Some enemies move faster than others, and most are restricted to their domain (fish enemies in water, for example). All enemies have the same general property in that when they come in contact with Comic they are destroyed, but reduce his shield points accordingly (from one to four shield points depending on the enemy, as opposed to two regardless of type in Captain Comic). Destroying enemy units by shooting them also increases the game score (100 to 400 points, depending on how many shield points would normally be deducted - note that some enemies cannot be destroyed by shooting them). Coming into contact with one of the temple masters also results in death.
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Wikipedia