With a game like The Awesome Adventures Of Captain Spirit, it makes complete sense for the team to want to keep reviews as spoiler free as possible. We at Ouch That Hertz also feel that there are certain games/series that are better authentically experienced rather than spoiled in reviews. Both of these ideas coalesce with The Awesome Adventures Of Captain Spirit. However, we are allowed to present our own theories and let the community discuss them alongside their own theories as well. That is where this part two of our The Awesome Adventures Of Captain Spirit coverage comes in! We are going to touch on a few things we took note of with our playthroughs in a post that is clearly marked as SPOILERS. This serves as your final warning; if you do not want to be spoiled, please click away to our spoiler free review now.
It is very clear from the onset that Chris’ dad is an alcoholic. From the dialogue about Chris’ arm, his dad has at least physically harmed him- an issue which is confirmed in a letter from Child Services that is found in the truck. The letter is a Child Services notice/request for a meeting, indicating that this was not the first time that Chris has been harmed in some way. The early dialogue also reveals that Chris’ mom is no longer around. The anvils of her being dead just from the opening scene bear heavy implications, but once you get some of the passing dialogue from Chris while walking around, her passing is almost confirmed. Now, as for how she died, that is where our first theory comes in. From the closing cutscene, we know that Chris’ mom had taken the car because of Chris. This knowledge is confirmed in a box of letters found on the top shelf of the closet in the master bedroom, in which correspondence between Chris’ dad and a private investigator discuss the availability of traffic camera footage from the scene of the crime- specifically that the footage could only be provided for a more in-depth and ongoing investigation. It seems a bit weird that the traffic camera footage was not available. This stinks of a coverup and the newspaper article mentions the police have not issued a statement in that case either. Interesting, very interesting.
Next up on the docket is Chris’ dad and his alcoholism. While it is clear that it has been an on-going issue, we are unclear as to when it started. The popular theory would be that it began once his wife died. This would correlate with him getting fired after two instances at his former employer, with one including beer cans, which caused his inability to pay the mortgage and forced them to move. However, from the last cutscene there is a sense that there may have been trouble before her death. Chris was growing up and seemingly becoming more like his mom and less like his star athlete dad. Additionally, Chris is clearly resented by his father because, were it not for him, his mother would not had needed the car that day. He probably already had an alcoholic tendency that became alarmingly amplified by the passing of his wife, thereby enabling his abusive nature. This would also correlate with him not being a basketball player anymore. Perhaps he fizzled out and began coping by drinking- all the while his son was following in the footsteps of his artistic mom.
Now lastly, how does this all tie into Life Is Strange 2? At the end of this standalone experience, it is mentioned that we will see Chris again in that game. We also see at the end of the experience several kids around Chris’ age in the backyard next door. We know Chris had friends near his old house on the other side of the town. With them smiling at Chris, it is seemingly those friends and they may just in fact be part of the cast for the upcoming game, or at least part of the game. I think DONTNOD Entertainment is going to play with the timeline some and give us some flashbacks into what really happened to Chris’ mom and why his dad was not able to get any clear answers. That is our theory at the least! Do you agree with ours? Do you have your own? Drop some comments below and let us discuss the endless possibilities! (Ryan Williford – Gaming Editor)
9/10
Review copy provided by Square Enix; reviewed on the Xbox One.
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