Genre: 2D Point-and-Click Adventure
Release date: December 29, 2017
Platforms: Windows

In early 2015, JustAdventure interviewed Dave Seaman (aka CaptainD), the driving force behind Team Disaster. Dave is quite an intriguing character with a talent for writing and a great sense of humor. At that time, he had released a freeware game called Captain Disaster In The Dark Side of the Moon which is still available at itch.io. To learn more about his journey into the world of game development, be sure to check out Karla’s article in our archives.

Fast forward to the present.  Led by Dave and Owen Riebou (aka TheBitPriest), Team Disaster has just released their first commercial game Captain Disaster: Death Has a Million Stomping Boots. It is a pixelated, 2D point-and-click retro adventure that takes the player back to what made the genre so much fun in the early years. I am most reminded of classic games from Sierra and LucasArts that were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Back then, computer graphics were primitive so developers had to really focus on story, characters, soundtrack, and puzzles to create a game experience that captivated players. A Million Stomping Boots follows this tradition. Pixelated graphics strain my eyes and are not my favorite. But the story and dialog for this game add so much value that I forgot to fuss about the fuzziness. I also learned something as I played: Even with pixels and low resolution, a good graphic artist can communicate a lot with character facial expressions!

You play A Million Stomping Boots from a 3^rd-person perspective, controlling the actions of Captain Disaster. He is a not-so-bright space traveler who is employed to pick up and deliver intergalactic packages. He is alone on his ship, accompanied only by Zero-Bit (aka ZB) – an AI entity that provides conversation and guidance. The game opens when the virtual Captain D takes a new assignment and prepares to head off across the galaxy.

What I loved most about this game is that it is well-written with a delightful sense of comic humor. It is not a silly game like Day of the Tentacle. I would describe it as an incredibly clever game. Pay attention and you will catch references to books, movies, art, and culture.  Some are overt (a visit to the StarDucks java shop) and others are more subtle (a book about “two score and ten colors between white and black”).

The interface is refreshingly simple and uses only the mouse to right and left click. Unlike many other retro adventures, you do not have to decide what to do and there are no icons to examine, speak, use, take, etc. When you click in A Million Stomping Boots, the interface takes the appropriate action. If you click on an item, it is described. If you click on an item you need, it is taken. And when you click on a character, dialog is initiated.

Inventory and the main menu are accessed by moving your cursor to the top of the screen.  Inventory is selected by clicking on an object and then clicking elsewhere to combine or use in the environment.

Dialog choices are displayed across the bottom of the screen when appropriate. It is advisable to step through all possible conversations, as some are more critical to the storyline than others. You can exit the dialog by selecting the bottom option, shown in red.

Puzzles are mostly of the “find and use” variety with all kinds of inventory. You use ordinary things for unlikely solutions but I did not feel set up. Clues are in plain sight but some solutions are multi-step and require some serious thinking. Some puzzles are only solved by accessing specific dialog choices or by waiting for a character to leave (or enter) a scene. I will admit that I resorted to a walkthrough on a couple of occasions because I was just not making the necessary mental connections (darn that purple firefly!!).

The soundtrack is excellent with professional voice-overs (done, in part, by CaptainD and TheBitPriest) for characters ranging from our human hero to an assortment of aliens. This, coupled with the music and intermittent narration, made me keep my headphones on (which I don’t always do). For those who are speed readers, you can click through dialog rather than listening.

Although there is an auto-save feature, I soon realized that it was in my best interest to save my game explicitly to avoid losing progress.

The Adventure (Might) Continue 

 

Dave Seaman notes that he hopes to do another game featuring Captain Disaster at some time in the future. For those who don’t want to wait, Dave has published a series of short stories about this character that are available as Kindle books on Amazon. Click here or do a search on his name, in Amazon, to see his full body of work.

To summarize, CaptainD and TheBitPriest have done an admirable job of creating a game that is delightful to play. Don’t be put off by pixels and simplicity. Team Disaster has reaffirmed what we know in our hearts – that story and characters are really what adventure gaming is all about.

Captain Disaster: Death Has a Million Stomping Boots can be purchased and downloaded at itch.io.

Grade: A-
 (find out more about our grading system)

+ Good writing, a solid soundtrack, and excellent voice acting combine to create an adventure well worth your time + Excellent example of the what drew many of us to adventure gaming “back in the day.” + Cultural references and clever wordplay will keep you smiling   – Pixelated graphics may make your eyes tired – (Slightly) obtuse puzzles may drive some players to a walkthrough

 

Trailer:

 

 

System Requirements:
None available