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All Written Member Reviews

5 star:
(11)
4 star:
(17)
3 star:
(12)
2 star:
(4)
1 star:
(1)
Average Rating: based on 45 ratings
Number of Reviews Written by IFDB Members: 8
1–8 of 8


3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
"Review-Man" Sighted in Yeats Island, June 19, 2019

Cape is a story about the making of a superhero, rising from petty crime to be the scourge of a corrupt city. A thief down on his luck finds power from an unexpected source and becomes a vigilante. A familiar tale, but slickly executed and told. The quality of writing is obvious, and you get drawn in by the details pretty quickly, until the story itself draws to an all-too-soon conclusion that leaves you wanting more.

The only thing dragging it down, in my opinion, is a lack of actual choice and interactivity - the only things essentially up to you are your powers and your cruelty, which in most circumstances would suffice, but I think perhaps it should have been expanded on further. I did explore all possible choices, and while there are slight variations there's not much other than flavour. It's up to you whether you go back for further readthroughs, though I do think it is worth it.

Nonetheless, it was a great read from beginning to end, and I only wish there was more of it. Four balaclavas.

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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Already Over?!, August 26, 2018

It was just starting to get from amazing to spectacular and I get hit with an ending.
What a shame that the story does not continue from there.
Either way, absolutely loved the experience.

Now I'm off to find another ending.

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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Super hero Stand Up!, January 5, 2017
Related reviews: superhero

Loved the game, very simple and complex at the same time! Well made!

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
A morally challenging superhero tale, September 19, 2016*

Definitely worth playing unless you know you don't like the superhero theme. Took me about 2 hours for one playthrough.

I haven't encountered this format before and really liked it. It's choice-based instead of the parser-based stuff I'm used to. I appreciate the fact that it's clear what you can examine and can do, so you don't encounter situations where there's a disconnect between what you want to do and the parser's ability to interpret it.

At the same time, there's still a disconnect at times between what you want to do and what the story will allow you to do. You are roleplaying as someone rather than as yourself. As such, some of the decisions in this game feel less like a question of "what do YOU think is the right thing to do" and more of "what do you want to happen next?". I think I came to this with slightly the wrong assumption, thinking the decisions are about providing a simulation with which to test my decision making ability. After playing, I think I realize more that it's about exploring the consequences of a particular line of thinking (it's a "game" in the sense of being something that lets you play with an idea, rather than being something that you win or lose). Overall, though, I think the main character's mind is pretty made-up with regards to what he's going to do with his newfound powers. I would've appreciated being able to do something else.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because I like to leave a little room at the top for something absolutely mindblowingly amazing, and this wasn't that (though it was very enjoyable). I don't know if the limitations inherent in a choice-based IF would ever allow for something to achieve the level of 5 stars, for me.

* This review was last edited on September 20, 2016
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent writing but rather linear, July 12, 2016

The best part of this CYOA game is its dark superhero story. The prose is evocative and tense. The second person writing is strengthened by the possibility to customize it: Some words are clickable and clicking them adds additional details. Sometimes you can choose a part of the text, for example a name or an action without impact on the further story. This really draws you in.

However, true choices are rare in Cape and often their impact feels weak. I have only played through the game once, but from what happened in that playthrough there seem to be only one or two handful of truly meaningful choices.

Still, superhero fans should find Cape to their liking.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A grungy look at superhero origins in Undum, November 20, 2015*
Related reviews: IF Comp 2015, about 1 hour

Cape is, in my opinion, one of the best web-based interactive fiction games of all time. It is an engrossing story about a young petty criminal who has 'greatness thrust upon them' as a result of their crimes.

The most influential choice you make in this long Undum game is the choice of your super powers. I've heard some people say that the powers end up seeming the same, but I felt that all three big options were very different from each other. I think what people are talking about is a fact that the actual story is the same; just the details of it change from choice to choice.

Your superhero comes to grips with their powers and their crime-fighting. They are simultaneously uncomfortable and thrilled by their powers. There is an interesting mystery leading to a thrilling climactic confrontation.

The feel is grungy, dark; I lived in Manhattan for a while, and this really reminds me of the feel of the Lower East Side at night. I just loved this game. Loved it loved it loved it. (Note: whenever someone hypes up a game to me, I am always disappointed in it, so you might not like it as much as I did. I just happen to really like grungy superhero stories).

* This review was last edited on February 3, 2016
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Strong themes and excellent use of medium, December 27, 2015
by streever (America)

Cape is an engrossing take on the superhero genre, avoiding or subverting many of the worst tropes, while remaining faithful to the more noble themes from the genre.

Bruno Dias explores themes of class conflict, gentrification, and the corruption of authority in this impressively long choice-based game. Interactive elements feel meaningful and clearly telegraph your agency as you tell the origin story of a superhero.

There is no sense that you're closing off parts of the story, and the writing is fairly clear around choices, so you may or may not feel a need to play this one twice. I felt completely satisfied with my choices; the excellent writing made all of my decisions well-informed ones, and the sense that the story didn't change (just my character) left me feeling satisfied that I'd learned all there was to learn.

Plot-wise, the climax was less satisfying than expected; the writing is solid throughout (both in characterizations and plot development), but the ending feels somewhat quick and unsatisfying. This may be a very subjective bit of criticism; others may enjoy this as a self-contained setup for future stories (which seems to be the intent), but I couldn't help but feel like the pacing loosened up at the end.

To be frank, this is a quibble, and shouldn't detract from the rest of the experience. Cape is friendly and welcoming for newcomers and veterans alike, and is an excellent way to spend your time. I highly recommend it.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Brilliant, evocative, original writing, November 19, 2015
by Felicity Banks (Canberra, Australia)
Related reviews: IFComp 2015

This blew me away.

I loved the story and the world and enjoyed the way the room-mate related to the PC.

I really enjoyed the mechanism of having two ways to highlight words - one to add detail to the scene, and one to move on. I clicked on all the extra bits, feeling supremely confident that the high-class writing would make it worth my while (normally I'm desperate to get to the resolution of a story, and I rush through as quickly as possible).

I was terrified the end would suck and ruin everything, and it didn't. It was more like the ending of a prologue than the ending of a story, but it worked.

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