Developed as shareware by Michael Denio but published and sold commercially by ComputerEasy in the early nineties, Captain Comic II: Fractured Reality is a single player, side scrolling platform game for the personal computer running the MS-DOS operating system. It is the direct sequel to The Adventures of Captain Comic, created and published by the same team a few years prior to Fractured Reality’s release. It contains many improvements and additions over the original. It is basically a run and gun platform game, but it does contain some elements of puzzle solving.
Like the original, Fractured Reality sees the user as the comic book-style hero, Captain Comic, who pilots a small spacecraft. The story picks up where the last adventure left off. Captain Comic has successfully recovered the much sought after Crown Jewels and is on his way to return them to their rightful owners when he picks up a distress signal from a distant planet. The planet is uncharted, and the curious and heroic Captain Comic immediately sets a new course to the planet to get to the bottom of the odd signal.
From there, the platform action begins. Fractured Reality features an unbelievably large non-linear playing field, which is divided into several different lands, differentiated by unique terrains. Captain Comic will jump from platform to platform,
collecting the usual Blastola Colas to upgrade his blaster weapon and make it more powerful as he mows down the enemy creatures before him. One of the marked improvements of Fractured Reality over its predecessor is the amount of new items the captain can locate and use. There will be a jet pack, a pickaxe, and even a magical wand.
Other notable changes to Fractured Reality include more detailed EGA graphics and more vivid color. There are more hidden rooms and hundreds of other bonus objects and tools. Fractured Reality introduces some non-playing characters that the captain will be able to interact with, which creates a much more in depth storyline. Captain Comic also has the ability to swim, fly, ride in a mine car and use a sled. This second version also allows the user to save and continue games, a huge bonus given that Fractured Reality is three times the size of the original.
Overall, this is a solid play and a good example of the platform genre. The cool comic book atmosphere is both engaging and appealing, and the large, non-linear playing field will keep the user who downloads Fractured Reality busy for a long time. This is a winner.
