I need a hero
As a huge superhero fan, I have had my eye on the game Capes for a while now. Its promise to mix “superheroes with the XCOM tactics’ was dope to me, especially coming off of Marvel’s Midnight Suns. I was able to play the demo for Capes in last year’s Steam’s Next Fest and at that time, I am not going to lie the game was a bit rough. I enjoyed the tactical aspect, but the superhero action was nowhere near as bombastic as in Midnight Suns which was disappointing but the team at Spitfire Interactive had time to ratchet up the action, now with the full version on Xbox were they able to stick the landing?
MSRP: $39.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
No. No they didn’t, and ill explain why; Capes unfortunately looks and feels like a cheap knockoff of a lot of properties. It’s inspired by XCOM, true but the game never rises to the level of those games. Combat felt dull and uninspired and made battles feel more like a slog than some heroic affair. Characters look like multiverse smash-up versions of your Marvel and DC favorites. The cutscenes for the lackluster narrative all looked rough, the voice acting wasn’t the greatest the superhero abilities just fall flat. Especially when Midnight Suns made a tactical superhero game where every move and ability exemplified that heroes’ powers. Capes allows for their heroes to launch enemies with a punch or teleport in and out for a quick attack; but none of these moves ever feel impactful.
Players will be able improve their characters and increase their power as the game progresses. These upgrades help the flow of battles but the grind that players will have to go through to get there isn’t much fun. This is all exacerbated by ugly animations and fights that take place on the same small maps again and again. Cape’s does at least offer a team of superheroes from which to choose; ironically not one of them wears a cape. Players will be able to mix and match to create the perfect synergy for their team, which is important because Capes does offer team-up moves. I wish the voice acting for these characters was better, as it stands almost all of the voice acting is less than great, but honestly some of that may be the writing.
Its not all doom-and-gloom for Capes though, I was able to find a few bright spots during my time with it. For one, I salute the developers for going all-in on the superhero motif. Cutscenes are told through comic book style panels with the Batman 66’ style of BAM, or ZAP popping up when various attacks happen during battles. Also, some of the hero abilities have cool effects; like the character Weathervane’s lighting strikes. But these few bright spots weren’t enough to make the whole game shine in my opinion.
Capes has a really neat idea for sure, superheroes are still the hot thing and putting them in a tactical game is a cool idea. Unfortunately, the execution here was less than stellar; lackluster voice acting, dull combat, and heroes that frankly just don’t feel heroic. If you are looking for heroic, tactical action you’d be better off looking elsewhere; this isn’t the game you’re looking for.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
