Captain Kaon

About

"Captain Kaon is a challenging twin-stick shooter inspired by 80's classics, featuring vibrant pixel art and enemy-filled levels. As Captain Kaon, protect humanity's new home in the Regulus sector, carefully managing resources and engaging in intense battles. With its throwback sci-fi setting and tough gameplay, Captain Kaon offers a fresh take on a cherished sub-genre."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 25 reviews

grinding3 negative mentions

Captain Kaon offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic retro games, appealing to fans of titles like Thrust and Sub-Terrania.
The game features satisfying twin-stick shooting mechanics and intuitive controls, making it engaging and accessible for players.
Players appreciate the challenging gameplay and sense of achievement when completing missions, along with the colorful retro graphics.

The game suffers from numerous bugs, including crashes when attempting to play the Mars campaign and issues with achievements not triggering correctly.
Graphics and music are criticized for being outdated and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.
Gameplay can become frustrating due to confusing mechanics and controls, particularly when navigating the ship in tight spaces.

story
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
79%
10%
The story in the game is described as light and reminiscent of 80s titles, lacking depth but featuring a variety of mission types such as escort and seek-and-destroy. Players engage in a non-linear campaign with a focus on challenging gameplay, where mission objectives can lead to frustrating moments, especially when mechanics are not clearly explained. Overall, while the narrative may not be groundbreaking, it supports a strategic element that enhances the action-oriented gameplay experience.
- “After completing a mission, you can exploit resources which can result in the mother ship getting attacked and having to defend it or, in some locations, heal your mother ship (the Argus) should it have been attacked. This is a nice touch as it adds a strategic element to the overarching plot of the game and also gives it an edge of simulation beyond the frantic action of the missions.”
- “It's a welcome, distinctly action-oriented modernization of the retro formula that Captain Kaon riffs on, and paired with frequent directions provided during any given mission, it makes the game far more accessible than its forebears.”
- “A non-linear campaign, an arsenal that grows progressively larger with completed missions, customizable loadouts that let you pick and choose your primary/secondary weapons, plus a variety of ships to unlock all work to fill out the package quite nicely.”
- “Those in a sector are adequate, definitely looking like an earlier era, while the animated sequences introducing the story are just bad.”
- “Story is light and typical of 80’s games, so no in-depth love triangle or buddy revenge.”
- “Me thinking this is normal, I continue with the mission just to find out that I now cannot complete my mission anymore because that was the 'virus data packet' I was supposed to deliver to the end of the map in order to complete it.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The gameplay of Captain Kaon is a blend of simple mechanics and retro pixel platforming, featuring a gravity mechanic that adds a modern twist to classic arcade elements. While the controls are intuitive, players may find the gameplay frustrating during harder missions due to enemy swarming, and several mechanics require explanation for successful navigation. Overall, the game offers solid, engaging gameplay that appeals to fans of cult classics, earning a score of 7/10 for its rewarding experience.
- “Captain Kaon is a 2D retro pixel platformer with a sci-fi theme, using a gravity mechanic.”
- “A good game that introduces modern elements to classic arcade gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is solid, fun, and rewarding.”
- “So the gameplay is fairly simple and not very interesting, as are the graphics.”
- “Gameplay can be frustrating, since on harder missions you get swarmed by enemies, which cluster around you making it difficult to aim accurately or even move.”
- “A typical space game with confusing gameplay.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
The music in the game has been described as a repetitive loop that, while initially fitting the game's hectic style, quickly becomes tiresome due to its lack of variety and length. Players noted that the limited soundtrack detracts from the overall experience, especially during prolonged gameplay sessions. Despite its nostalgic 80s vibe, many reviewers expressed a desire for more diverse musical options to enhance immersion.
- “I started the first mission and noticed the music, oh my god, the music.”
- “The game-play is very much in the theme of games such as Thrust and Gravity Force 2 but perhaps has the most in common with Sub Terrania on the Sega Mega Drive, in that it’s quite hectic with a driving, well-suited soundtrack.”
- “The music is also 80’s fantabulous.”
- “The music consists of a small sound sample of, I am guessing, roughly 5 seconds long that keeps looping.”
- “With regards to the music in the game, whilst it is quite suited to the style of Captain Kaon, I must admit I found myself tiring of it quite quickly.”
- “As the game’s difficulty is quite steep and missions will either be regularly re-tried or could take a long time as you plan your attack carefully, I became very aware of the music looping and I did find it a shame that there wasn’t much in the way of variety here.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic, retro aesthetic reminiscent of mid-90s PC and Amiga titles, featuring sharp and distinctive visuals that some players find appealing. However, opinions are mixed, with some describing the artwork as cheesy and in need of improvement, while others appreciate its unique charm. Overall, the graphics contribute to the game's nostalgic feel, though they may not appeal to everyone.
- “Graphics have a hi-res PC circa 96/97 feel, very sharp and distinctive, which is reflected in the tightness and accuracy of the controls of the game. A key point in this particular genre, as poor controls can often be the deadliest enemy.”
- “Captain Kaon has been in development for several years and was entirely developed by one man. The art style here is very British, and the character portraits especially reminded me of the Amiga in the early to mid-nineties.”
- “The graphics are retro, geeky, and gorgeous.”
- “So the gameplay is fairly simple and not very interesting, as are the graphics.”
- “Graphics have a hi-res PC circa 96/97 feel, very sharp and distinctive which is reflected in the tightness and accuracy of the controls of the game, a key point in this particular genre as poor controls can often be the deadliest enemy.”
- “A lot of people will probably not like the artwork; it's a little cheesy.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unengaging, with a score of 3/10 indicating that it quickly becomes monotonous, primarily revolving around repetitive card farming activities.
- “3/10 - It got boring fast; the playtime is mostly just card farming.”
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, but it felt like I was getting nowhere.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization has received criticism for its limited options and repetitive music, alongside performance issues, as it runs at a locked 30 fps, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The music is very, very repetitive, the options are limited, the performance could be better, and the game runs at a locked 30 fps.”