Do you need to call in Billy Butcher for this?
Twenty years ago, the supervillains won. Since then, they’ve created a dystopian city where developing super powers is a crime. Nobody has managed to slow them down, until now. Capes is a turn based superhero strategy game where you build a team of heroes and fight to take back the city. Played across a series of campaign and patrol missions, choose to push forward with the story or take the time to explore the side missions and unlock more heroes, earn skill points and complete challenges, and learn more about your heroes lives.
I’m a big fan of superheroes from Marvel to DC and absolutely love The Boys. I can’t say I’m the greatest at games like XCOM, but combining the two was enough for to pique my interest. But does the game’s design hold any form of kryptonite?
The story itself ticks some of the boxes for fans of supes, but it does feel a bit paper thin in comparison to traditional comic book stories. I did enjoy the art style and the overall dialogue between characters, but overall the story doesn’t quite nail the landing. The XCOM-style gameplay is in full force with this, so those unfamiliar or just not that good at them (like myself) need patience and concentration in order to succeed.
The mechanics of the turn-based combat works well, the user interface feels fluid and I was able to get to grips with it relatively easily. I actually found myself wanting to go back and give XCOM another chance after finding myself enjoying Capes’s combat, so maybe I will down the line.
The visuals are decent with a comic-book edge to it. Voice-acting is well done, the soundtrack has some nice tracks and it runs at a solid framerate throughout. I also didn’t come across any bugs during my time, so I was impressed overall on the performance front.
The Verdict
While Capes won’t topple XCOM in terms of gameplay, it does scratch that itch for those who enjoy it and want more. Plus with superheroes and supervillains thrown into the mix, you can’t go wrong.