Captain Disaster in Death Has A Million Stomping Boots Review

By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)

Captain Disaster in Death Has A Million Stomping Boots is an indie point and click game that utilises classic puzzle gameplay with strong storytelling elements. The result? One heck of a crazy adventure!

The Story:

Captain Disaster takes a job delivering a package from Acturus-1 to Proboscis Major – not realising that he is actually transporting something that will put the entire galaxy in danger! Though just getting the package in the first place is quite a challenge in itself…

Our intrepid nitwit investigates interesting peculiar people, puzzling places and panicky problems along the way to saving the day, once he finally realises that something is wrong. Expect lots of laughs and head-scratching dilemmas before you reach the shocking conclusion and find out what all this “Million Stomping Boots” business is actually about!

For fans of the Monkey Island & Maniac Mansion games, like myself, you instantly feel at home with the SCUMM style engine. The classic point and click tropes of ‘out of the box’ thinking puzzles and large-scale world feel made for an extremely enjoyable playthrough. The obvious comparison is the Space Quest games. But to call this game a knock-off does the game a major disservice. It more than holds it’s own and has a charm that is not easy to come by.

So what are the drawbacks? Well, It’s not as polished as some of its peers and the transitional elements are a little temperamental. But these things do not hold the game back nor do it any harm. They are barely noticeable issues in what is otherwise an exemplary piece of indie game design. The fact is a had a blast playing this game, point and click is my favourite gaming genre and it always will be. I will never tire of the genre, so it is great to see there are still game designers out there who share that passion, meaning there will always be new, exciting games to play. Captain Disaster is one of them.

As well as the puzzles and the adventure storytelling aspects, humour plays a big part of the best point and click games. Ranging from obvious to subtle, there are a plefora of pop culture references and gags in the game. But the blend and timing are the right amounts. They are not overused or heavily relied on, but instead, add to the overall gaming experience. It is not always an easy job in getting this right, but in Captain Disaster, they’ve found that sweet spot.

For gamers passionate about point and click games, Captain Disaster is a shining example of the genre. The array of unique and interesting puzzles is perfectly blended with quirky humour, pop culture references and skilled storytelling. It’s everything a point and click game should be and more!

Want to try the game for yourself? Download the FREE DEMO (approx 45-60 minutes gameplay) HERE.