Captain Comic II: Fractured Reality is the direct sequel to the shareware title, The Adventures of Captain Comic. Capitalizing on the popularity of The Adventures of Captain Comic, Fractured Reality was authored by the same individual, Michael Denio, and was published by ComputerEasy in the early nineties. It is a single player run and gun platform game that was created only for the personal computer with an MS-DOS operating system. It is primarily a shooter, but the huge, non-linear playing field does offer some fun puzzle solving elements.
Fractured Reality continues the story of The Adventures of Captain Comic, which sent the heroic spacecraft captain to the planet of Tambi to fetch the crown jewels that had been plundered from the planet Omsoc. On his return, Comic receives a distress signal from an uncharted planet where a research facility has come under fire. Comic quickly resets his heading for the planet to help the scientists against the unknown forces that have attacked them. Upon entering the planet’s orbit, a tractor bear is sent for him, and he courageously enters it and goes to battle.
Fractured Reality features a gigantic playing map, and Comic will find himself in several different lands, differentiated by very distinct landscapes. His main weapon to user against the alien Skrejgib is the
faithful blaster, which can be powered up by collecting Blastola Colas, similar to the original game. One of the improvements to Fractured Reality, however, is the introduction of other tools and bonus items that Comic will have to learn how to use. He will have pickaxes, magic wands and even a jet pack. Because of such items, Comic will do more than just jump and run. He will be able to swim, fly (courtesy of the jet pack), bobsled, and even control a mining car.
There are many other improvements to the game as well. The user will immediately notice the improved color and graphics. Beyond that, the gamer will quickly meet some non-playing characters that Comic can interact with, greatly adding to the depth of the story. Within the actual game, the user will find hundreds of interesting tools and weapons, and there will be multiple hidden rooms containing cool bonuses. Fractured Reality also features a save and continue feature in the main menu, which is helpful because of the game’s massive size. It would be almost impossible to complete in one setting.
As a whole, Captain Comic II: Fractured Reality is a good platformer and comes recommended for download. It is large, diverse, non-linear, and will keep the user entertained for hours.
