A Solo Review of the Graphic Novel Adventure, Captive

April 4, 2020 | Reviews | 0 comments

Take a closer look at the Graphic Novel Adventure, Captive, with an in-depth solo review of the experience.

When I took out my collection of Graphic Novel Adventures the other day, I was absolutely thrilled to start playing through them all! Captive was one of the first gamebooks I played a couple of years ago. After a few complete plays, I decided to sit down and write up a proper review. Find out what makes this adventure special and unique!

Game Overview

Game Name: Captive
Publication Year:
 2016
Designer:
 Emmanuel Manuro
Artist:
 MC
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Average Setup Time: Almost None
Average Play Time: 40 Minutes
Play Area Size: 22″ x 18″

This gamebook begins at a strange mansion. What lurks inside? There are many surprises, and the entire theme is less obvious from the start. It’s not for the faint of heart…

The Overall Objective and Paths to Victory

Survival to the end is the goal, although that’s pretty standard for all of the Graphic Novel Adventures. No surprises here! There is a table of achievements at the end to award points. In the best-case scenario, the goal is to earn the maximum possible number of points. But peeking at the achievements too early can reveal some important spoilers.

As for the path to victory, there are many! The mansion is a bit of a maze in certain sections. There are also objects to discover in different areas. Often, an item is useful for a specific situation. It’s impossible to know when something will be needed. Adding to the challenge is inventory management. You can’t take everything along for the journey!

From my experience, there is a main storyline branch that can be reached in multiple ways. Exploration and survival aren’t always intertwined, especially since there are rare opportunities for instantaneous death.

What is Reality?

Without giving away too much about the plot, there are unexplained events around every corner. The main character has a task at hand, but often questions reality.

I have to give a lot of credit to the designer and artist. Together, the text and illustrations bring a creepy theme to life. Try playing this at night. It can be downright scary!

Traveling from panel to panel leads to the rising tension. As the mystery becomes clear, it becomes terrifying.

At the same time, continuing on is fun. There are puzzles to solve, hidden numbers to find, and someone to save!

Relevant Component Information

Surprise: The only component included is the book itself! However, if it matters, there are 280 panels. I’ll be doing a comparison of every Graphic Novel Adventure down the line, which will lay out this information in more detail. Each play won’t reveal all of these panels, but I hope it provides a slight indication of the possible variety.

Additionally, there is a character sheet that can easily be bypassed. A few notes and some way to keep track of a few numbers are all that’s needed. I got away with my reusable notebook, some dice or cards, and glass beads. Very easy!

Finding the Hidden

Perhaps more pronounced here is the hunt for hidden numbers. They’re placed in unexpected places and can lead to vital pieces of information about the mystery.

Take a look at this panel. See if you can spy the 3-digit hidden number that doesn’t match the panel number.

My only quip about the hidden numbers is how tiny and well-concealed they are. I literally had a magnifying glass out at several points! The hunt is still fun, though.

In fact, there are usually major payoffs for locating the most hidden of the numbers. Keep those eyes wide open!

A Memorable Story

I should note that the storyline is in the mature realm. There is adult language, as well as content that’s certainly not suitable for a younger audience. Keep that in mind.

The theme is also rather frightening and creepy. I’m someone who scares easily, and this is almost always guaranteed to terrify me for a few hours. It does deliver!

Much of the story is very interesting, although I caution anyone who might be offended by the content.

If you’re on the fence, feel free to contact me. I’m happy to provide more details, only with some slight spoilers.

The Reusability of a Graphic Novel Adventure

How many times can something like this be played? Graphic Novel Adventures are a bit unique in their limited use. There isn’t any randomness. Variability is practically nonexistent, aside from exploring new paths.

I liken some of my favorite gamebooks to my favorite novels. I have a habit of reading the same book every year or so. Case in point: Every summer, I read part or all of Quite a Year for Plums by Bailey White. Is it the best book of all time? No, yet it holds a special place in my heart. It’s like returning to visit with old friends. No surprises. Just calm.

“Calm” is probably the last word I would use to describe Captive, though! At the same time, it has the unique ability to genuinely scare me. I doubt I’ll gladly return to it, yet I can see playing through the adventure every few years.

My Rating of Captive

Rating this one is a little tricky. Many of my rating criteria categories involve long-term reusability and variability. Graphic Novel Adventures are limited in these areas, but I also don’t want to create an exception. This is also a good time to mention that a numerical rating doesn’t say everything about a game… Hence why I write so much, too! Ha!

The theme is hardly in my wheelhouse, yet the adventure always terrifies me in a way no other board game has. That definitely counts for something! I also enjoy the puzzle of traveling through the mansion, looking for hidden numbers, and trying to piece together the clues. It may not be my favorite adventure, yet it’s one I doubt I’ll ever forget.

%

1 Play

Affordability

Price & Value

7

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

7

Originality

Design & Theme

6

Quality

Components & Rules

7

Reusability

Achievement & Enjoyment

1

Variability

Distinctness & Randomness

2

+ Pros (Positives)

  • The focus of the storyline is not apparent at first, and the mystery of unveiling the clues is intriguing.
  • A unique blend of colors and style exist in the illustrations to bring the adventure to life in a memorable way.
  • There are a finite number of ways to advance, yet there are enough different options to warrant several plays.
  • The list of achievements provides ways to encourage additional exploration and experimentation with options.
  • Each item seems like it might be important, but the carrying capacity introduces another challenge.
  • The adventure takes time to complete, which means that there are at least several hours of play from the book.

– Cons (Negatives)

  • The mature content and language can be a little jarring at times, and they can take away from the adventure.
  • Although the hardcover version looks excellent, the binding can come apart after just a few hours of gentle use.
  • The hidden numbers are a little too difficult to find at times because they can be small or obscure.
  • A fair number of decisions boil down to choice A or B with no indication of what is best, nor coherent outcomes.
  • Plays over a short period of time can be less fun because many of the paths or choices are easy to remember.
  • Despite having some control over character statistics, there is an optimal build that becomes obvious quickly.
  • Many of the areas feel like a maze with no easy way to backtrack, save for writing down the previous panel.
  • Some fonts are either very small or fancy so that it’s difficult to read the text without some sort of aid.

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Continue the Conversation

How do you like Captive? Are there other Graphic Novel Adventures or gamebooks you also enjoy? This adventure isn’t perfect and has its flaws, but I admire it for what it is! Nothing else in my collection is this terrifying… And maybe that only holds true for me. Still, I’ve enjoyed my time exploring different paths and getting through to the end!

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