For details on the first two episodes, be sure to check out Cubed3’s reviews of Issue 1 – A Patriot is Born and Issue 2 – Patriot Frames. After being disappointed by the first and overjoyed at the improvements made in its follow-up, how does Supreme League of Patriots‘ final part, Issue 3 – Ice Cold in Ellis fare?
Thus far the world has been witness to the unveiling of Kyle as superhero The Purple Patriot, and had his trusty sidekick, Mel, a rather sarcastic Brit, thrust up it. Across the three episodes there have been plenty of ups and downs, with the first outing proving to be extremely laborious in nature, and the second picking up the pace, including genuinely funny dialogue moments and very well thought out puzzles. The main sticking point throughout, though, came from a clunky inventory system that does not appear to have been properly thought out before release, and features prominently here as well.
As Issue 3 – Ice Cold in Ellis rolls around, The Purple Patriot has now been officially recognised as a superhero, rather than a crazed loon in a colourful outfit, and is tasked with attempting to save the day…or at least not make it any worse by making any bumbling mistakes. Easier said than done…
The premise is not what makes the game, though, and sadly neither is the humour this time, since it goes right back to Issue 1‘s hit and miss status, with too many topical references forced in, not even trying to delicately balance the British-American divide, instead plunging head first into one side of the pond for certain jokes and then leaping into the other for more attempted satire. It never seems to know where it wants to lay its hat, and US players will find most of the British humour confusing, and likewise, from a British viewpoint, there will be plenty of stoic reactions to mentions of people that bear absolutely no relevance to European or British culture. It kills the script on far too many occasions, and tie that in with the weak logic for puzzles (not as bad as the first chapter, but much worse than the second), as well as the poor inventory system that makes item usage and combination a chore, and Supreme League of Patriots goes out with a whimper rather than the expected bang.
