I have a confession to make. 

Like a lot of people, I didn't really put much stock in my geography lessons. When people mention Croatia, my first thought is usually, 'Isn't that a little country up in Europe somewhere?'. If someone were to press and ask me what else I know, I'd probably give them a somewhat distressed look and run away in the opposite direction. 

The last thing I ever thought I would associate with the country would be the possibility that somehow, somewhere, someone there had produced quite possibly one of the finest adventure games of recent years. And given how obsessively I poke at adventure games, this is not a compliment I give lightly!

Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World sets itself apart from the competition in many ways. But what really got to me first was how approachable the game is. Unlike other titles in the genre, Kaptain Brawe gives you  the option to receive hints. Hints, mind you, not walkthroughs; genuine hints, little nudges that point you the direction you're supposed to go. While the assistance given can occasionally be too blatant for my liking, the game does coerce you into using your brains.

One of the hallmarks of any good adventure game is its ability to make you click randomly on every pixel on the screen in an attempt to discover something, anything, that will allow you to progress to the next stage.

Oh, those hours I spent bashing my head against the monitor. I remember them so well.

Thankfully, Kaptain Brawe came prepared for that eventuality. Along with the hint system, Cateia Games' latest release gives players the option of having every area of interest in their current screen highlighted with but a single click of the button. Players have the option of thoroughly abusing the in-built help but I've yet to see an instance where the solution is neatly deposited on your lap. 

After all, it is an adventure game. Head-bashing is a vital component of the experience.

KAPTAIN BRAWE: A BRAVE NEW WORLD
Ahem. Let's continue.

Much like people, games cannot be judged based on one criteria alone. No matter how nice someone is to kittens, the fact he might be a terminally insane homeless person cannot be erased. Fortunately, Kaptain Brawe has a lot more to offer than its understanding of how the novice mind works.



Set in an alternate universe where budget space travel seems to consist of glue and shoddily-built engines, Kaptain Brawe: A Brave New World is a rather whimsical steampunk affair. From the very first moment you begin, it is easy to tell that the developers had a lot of fun with this game. The characters are bold, brazen caricatures and parodies of a hundred different people.

Take the protoganist for example. Kaptain Brawe is a huge, barrel-chested man with a bushy red beard and the IQ of a six-year old. He is fearless, somewhat illiterate, heroic and dressed in flagrant lavender tights that most men would be caught dead in. His ensign and only subordinate is a cynical, long-suffering blonde boy who doesn't even bother to humor his captain's alleged position half the time. By the end of the first ten minutes, most players would probably have gone 'Hey, these two look kind of familiar!' at least once.



As some other reviewers have noted, the humor in the game isn't exactly laugh-out-loud material. Chuckle, perhaps. Slap-your-forehead-and-go-'Doh, definitely. But, laugh-out-loud? No, sorry. I haven't seen anything like that so far. Most of the lines in the game often end up sounding a bit too familiar, like a rehash of something else you've already seen or heard. Strangely however, it isn't actually a bad thing. Because the game doesn't force itself, the humor never ends up sounding too stilted or contrived; a problem that plagues a lot of similar titles. 

But Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World definitely has its moments. Not too far past the beginning, players will find themselves treated to a rather tastefully executed segment revolving around recreational herbs and the deception of a slightly high-strung hotel manager. Rest assured, much like Kaptain Brawe himself, even children will be able to solve this puzzle with their innocence fully intact.  That was probably the other thing that really made the game for me. I mean, how often do you see something like that? In most cases, one of two things are compromised - the interest of their grown-up audience or the sanctity of the juvenile mind. Here, for once, both parties will likely come out satisfied and feeling very amused about the whole thing.

GRAPHICS AND SOUND 
I like three-dimensional graphics as much as the next person. I like Square Enix's FMVs and the staggering realism of today's visuals. I do. I really do. But, they just don't work for me when it comes to adventure games, you know? It's like having chocolate with steak; both are delectable but it takes a unique mind indeed to imagine a composite of them.

Fortunately, Kaptain Brawe took a more original route when it comes to aesthetics. The graphics in the game are lush and lovingly hand-drawn with strong colors and flawless shading. Animation is smooth though primitive; facial expressions are nearly non-existant and the characters do little more than walk around in circles.



The developers seem to have also done their best  to steer away from complicated animations, occasionally resorting to 'fade to black' moments in order to execute a particularly complex scene. I can't tell whether this is the result of an inadequate budget or laziness but again, this isn't really a bad thing. Given that its fluidity is one of its biggest strengths, I'd really rather not see this aspect of the game jeopardized by overambition.

Would you? 

Sound-wise, the game, well, the game doesn't overdo itself. The music isn't what I would call especially memorable but neither is it unpleasant in any way. Those expecting stellar voice acting will likely find themselves extremely disappointed. Do the Croatian voice talents have far too much of an accent? Is the pronounciation atrocious? Do they sound stilted and unnatural? Is it just plain grating on the ears? 

None of the above, actually. Then again, given that all dialogue in the game is delivered via colored text, you'd be hard-pressed to find the aforementioned problems in such an enviro -- 

Yes. You read right. Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World does not have voice acting. 

You can probably imagine why.

CONTROLS

If there's one word I would associate with Kaptain Brawe, it's the word 'smooth'.

Well, not exactly. 

Kaptain Brawe himself isn't what you would call the most charismatic person in the universe. The game, on the other hand, definitely has far more charm. 
The controls are non-obstrusive and elegantly intuitive. When your cursor moves over a point of interest, it either transforms into a magnifying glass or a purple-gloved hand. When you mouseover an exit, it transforms into a blatant red arrow. Conversation is marked with a speech bubble, text is large and legible. Your inventory is a gigantic cabinet that looks suspiciously like the insides of your ever-faithful robot.

As fond as I am of the game, it is also here that I have a rather major complaint with the user interface. Whenever you make a mistake with the item combinations, you're automatically ported to the main screen. While not what I'm used to, it really isn't much of a problem at all. However, what bugs me is the fact that you're not allowed to click on the inventory button when that happens which, as far as I can tell, is what most people would do. Instead, players are forced to click somewhere on the main screen before they're allowed to interact with their items again.

To be fair, it really is an infinitely tiny little thing but amidst the general smoothness in the game, I find this glitch unpleasantly jarring. This was an oversight that could have been very easily corrected but wasn't. While it probably won't interrupt anyone's enjoyment of the game, it will likely still cause a few rolled eyes. 

CONCLUSION

Sometimes, developers get a little too caught in trying to be the 'next big thing'. 

When that happens, the details often go forgotten. Nonetheless, like how the old cliche goes, it's the little things that really matter. It has always been these small touches that make fans fall in love with a game. While Kaptain Brawe: A Brave New World doesn't push the envelope in any way, it somehow got this important part right .

Cateia Games made a title that anyone can play. They made something that almost anyone can love and that really is an accomplishment onto its own. If you enjoy the adventure genre at all (or have always been wanting to try your hand at it but have been put off by the steep learning curve), you owe it to yourself to pick this game up and test out what might be one of the best things to come out of Croatia.



  • TAGS:adventure games, kaptain brawe, cateia games, gamersgate
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    • About the Author
    • Cassandra Khaw is one of those people who takes pride in the fact she's a full-time, hardcore geek. She claims to be capable of reading binary still and spends too much time rewriting her code. By day, she's a PHP programmer who moonlights as designer. By night, she's either MUDding, in a cybercafe or practicing street dance. She can also be bribed with penguins and brownies. Right now, she's webmistress and columnist for TK-Nation as well as a contributing writer at JayIsGames.
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