Capes REVIEW

I am sure that many people miss the XCOM series. Projects with a similar idea are still released, but they fail to captivate players. Capes is a superhero strategy with a turn-based combat system, the authors of which clearly looked towards XCOM.

• Developer: Spitfire Interactive
• Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
• Release date: May 29, 2024

Capes takes the player to the fictional city of King City. The Corporation is at work here, catching superheroes everywhere. Where they disappear to is unknown, but not a single person with superpowers can hide from the atrocities of the power group.

Against it stands a small group of superheroes led by Manifesto. At first, the team includes only the armored Aspect, who strengthens his body with crystals, and the lightning-fast Ricochet, who leaps through space. This resistance of three characters is ready to stand up for ordinary citizens, bring together other superheroes and find evidence of illegal actions of the Corporation.

The plot of the project is not its strongest point. It is presented in the form of a simple narrative inherent in the genre. Perhaps young players will be interested in watching the development of the story, but the older generation of gamers should not count on surprising and awe-inspiring stories that amaze with their twists and turns.

Capes gameplay is presented in the form of turn-based tactical battles. Each character on the battlefield moves in turns, performing various actions. In one move you can activate two skills and move five squares. Arenas are presented in small formats, so you won’t be able to roam around freely: you will have to choose the best positions and skillfully use the heroes’ skills.

Speaking of heroes. Each character has a unique set of skills. For example, the starting Aspect casts armor on himself and his allies, provokes enemies to attack only him and hurts several enemies in a row with a penetrating blow. Ricochet, on the other hand, is presented with a large number of attacking skills – she can attack several nearby opponents, protect herself from incoming damage and skillfully teleport around the map.

In addition to the basic superhero skills, you can use combination attacks: Ricochet can teleport an ally closer to the enemy, and Aspect can add crystals to an ally’s attack to increase damage.

The game separately takes into account and damage from the back, which passes in increased size, which will save the squad several times in difficult situations. And if two allies are on either side of the enemy, they will conduct a powerful attack regardless of who activated the technique. There is plenty of variety, moreover, later you can replace the heroes with other heroes and customize the squad for yourself.

The team will have to fulfill various story missions and sometimes go on patrols in the city – from the menu you can launch secondary missions that allow you to gain more experience and upgrade points, as well as learn a little more about the heroes and the city.

With the points earned, the player can gain new skills or strengthen existing ones. Experience is earned quickly, but at the end of the quest you will be able to open no more than two abilities at a time. There are plenty of missions in the game – if you successfully complete special objectives, you won’t lack experience.

The gameplay itself seems to be dynamic and moderately complex. You won’t be able to mindlessly press all the buttons in a row, although with careful use of superheroes’ skills, taking into account their peculiarities, you will be able to defeat enemies at the first attempt in almost every mission.

The graphics of the project is stylized, without a lot of details. It does not strain, but it is not able to impress with its beauty. Visuals are made in cartoon style without any emphasis on elaboration. The environment looks pretty good, though monotonous.
Most of the cut-scenes and dialogs are realized in the style of the comic book.
It will not be possible to admire the beauty of the environment and enjoy the modern detailing, but such a modest approach to the realization allowed to significantly reduce the system requirements of the project. The game is well optimized and works without any problems.

Capes, for all its positive aspects, is not surprising at all. It turned out to be a good, but very niche game, which is hardly suitable for everyone. It’s a good indie game, but without any significant personality. The plot and graphics do not excite the imagination, but the gameplay with unique features saves it.