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| Stefan talks to an old friend in Kapia |
| Quick Info | |
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| Reviewed by: | Mark Goninon |
| Developer: | 2FOR2 |
| Publisher: | 2FOR2 |
| Release Date: | 25 Jan 2022 |
| Time played: | 5 hours |
Inspired by point 'n' click adventures of the 2000s
A few weeks ago, I was provided a review key by Montenegrin developer 2FOR2 for a point 'n' click adventure game called Kapia. 2FOR2 is a small husband and wife team and the original idea for the game Kapia came to them while living in Latvia a few years ago. They spent the next few years working on the game but approached Kickstarter in 2020 in order to raise funds for music, voice acting and further development work. They successfully raised $13,615 USD and the game was finally released earlier this year.
Kapia is a typical 3D point 'n' click adventure that reminds me of games such as Escape from Monkey Island, The Longest Journey and Syberia in terms of controls and its general vibe (especially Syberia). The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a war is being fought between a coalition of nations from the West versus a coalition of nations from the East. You play the role of a little girl called Reny as well as her ex-fighter pilot grandfather Stefan. Both end up stumbling upon a giant conspiracy and unwittingly find themselves changing the course of history.
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| There are occasional snippets of lore but I wish this could be expanded upon |
Intriguing plot but it could flow better
Kapia's story is an intriguing one and I was always keen to learn more about the history of the world and the game's lore. While there are snippets of news articles scattered throughout the game and by the end of the game you'll get the general gist of what's going on, there still feels like there are a lot of gaps in terms of character and plot development. The overarching plot follows a typical trope used in other science fiction stories but even then there are some parts that come out of leftfield (like the game's ending) and sometimes the motivation to solve puzzles isn't clear. Sometimes you'll be repairing random items not knowing how it helps you advance the story, other times you'll be accepting a side hustle as a waiter because, why not I guess?
One of the strengths with Kapia though is that this is a family friendly adventure and so it's something that can be used as a primer of sorts for young kids with respect to this type of science fiction.
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| The game allows you to look at inventory items in first person |
Gorgeous graphics but occasionally shonky camera angles
One of the advantages that Kapia has over other indie and retro point 'n' click adventures is its gorgeous graphics and I especially love the retrofuturistic styling. Initially, I was put off by what appeared to be excessive bloom effects but I either got used to it as the game went on or it wasn't as apparent.
Unlike older point 'n' click adventures which tend to only have one camera angle per room (even with 3D adventures), Kapia has decided to employ multiple camera angles. While sometimes this is warranted, other times, it seems a bit unnecessary and jarring since you're trying to take a closer look at something in the distance, only for the camera to change to another angle with the object of interest now out of focus. I guess on the bright side it means you discover sooner, rather than later, that it's unimportant, right? But, it can still be somewhat annoying.
On the plus side, I like what has been done with the inventory which has you looking at items in first person. It definitely helps with immersion and it also allows you to take a much closer look at the items you carry in the game world.
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| Sometimes you'll find yourself doing certain jobs that seem to only be there as an excuse for more puzzles |
Solid puzzles and plays well with Steam
In terms of the game's puzzles, there's nothing to complain about as they're all rather logical and should be easy enough for point 'n' click adventure veterans to solve. I didn't encounter any bugs while playing the game (which is something that is hardly mentioned in this day and age) and the game integrates well with Steam: there are 11 Steam Achievements you can earn and it works well on the Steam Link with Logitech F710 controllers.
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7
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Kapia is a short but sweet, family friendly point 'n' click adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world. It has gorgeous graphics, solid puzzles and an intriguing plot yet the occasional shonky camera angle and lack of coherency in the narrative hold it back. |
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