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Crooked Bee

(no longer) a wide-wandering bee
Patron
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Messages
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In quarantine
Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire MCA Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Read Only Memories also looked good but was actually pretty terrible. Don't get hyped just based on looks.
 

avory

Barely Literate
Joined
Jun 15, 2017
Messages
4
On 13th January 2016, Detention, a horror point-and-click adventure game set in Taiwan during the 60s, is released. It's made by a Taiwanese indie studio (duh).

Cannot see the video, probably the URL is broken.
 

CryptRat

Arcane
Developer
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
3,548
Cascade quest
Box.jpg
Deaths.gif

Coming in early-2018 for PC and Mac.
 

Boleskine

Arcane
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
4,045
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2134345733/du-lac-and-fey-dance-of-death

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About this project
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Players take on the roles of immortal knight Sir Lancelot Du Lac and cursed sorceress Morgana Le Fey as their latest adventure brings them to the smog-shrouded streets of Victorian London during the infamous Whitechapel Murders of 1888.

They become embroiled in the gruesome mystery due to the occult nature of the killings, which leads them to hMary Kelly: a Whitechapel local with a magical secret who could be the key to stopping the murders.

The three join forces to explore the capital’s underbelly in an attempt to decipher clues, hunt down the Ripper and uncover the shocking truth behind the killer’s bloody rampage.

Project homepage (external link)

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The game allows you to play as 3 characters: Sir Lancelot Du Lac, Morgana Le Fey and Mary Kelly. You will be able to switch between them and experience a unique set of encounters as you move through the world.

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On your journey there will be crime scenes and places of interest for you to investigate. Each character has their own set of skills so you will be encouraged to switch back and forth in order to find clues and piece together what has happened.



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We are a character driven experience and interested in exploring the lives and relationships of our protagonists as well as the various people they meet along the way. When interacting with other characters you will be able to select dialogue options and tailor responses accordingly. You can even encourage or dissuade characters in their actions, impacting the resolution of their story.

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Du Lac, Fey and Mary will have the opportunity to interact with a contrasting cast of characters that live in the world.

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In game capture of James Leach - Journalist - ‘Alas, the police do not see us noble scribes as allies in this fight.’
We want to show players what life was like for the men and women who lived in Whitechapel at the time, and experience the different and often powerful stories they have to tell.

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In game capture of Sidney Young - Dock Worker - ‘Join the other lads on the stones if you’re lookin’ for work.’
Some of these characters will seek your help or advice and it is up to you how you choose to interact with them, but consider your approach carefully for whatever you decide your actions will have consequences.

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Concepts for 3D characters currently being created! Art by Ayran Oberto


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Sir Lancelot Du Lac voiced by Gareth David-Lloyd - star of Dragon Age: Inquisition and Torchwood
While immortality protects Du Lac from the ravages of time, the world around him is over a thousand years away from Camelot and King Arthur. He longs for a past when knights were praised; a time of thwarted dragons and rescued damsels. But maybe a hero isn’t about how many weapons you have or how many enemies you kill - it’s about the choices you make and the relationships you foster.

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Cursed sorceress Morgana Le Fey voiced by Perdita Weeks - star of Penny Dreadful and The Tudors
The legendary sorceress suffered her curse during the fall of Camelot and has been forced to live in canine form ever since. It has been a constant struggle for Fey to reconcile how the world sees her and her personhood, her femininity, her desires. Will she ever regain her human form, but more importantly who will she be when that happens?

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Mary Kelly voiced by Alexandra Roach star of Utopia, Black Mirror and Inside No. 9
Will Mary ever confront the guilt in her past? Why won’t the enigmatic gentleman and his strange dog leave her alone? Is the man in her dreams really the killer? These are just some of the mysteries Mary must solve in a journey of survival, friendship and redemption.

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Additional voices by Rupert Vansittart (Game of Thrones, Outlander), Nina Kristofferson (Billie Holiday Story), Inel Tomlinson (CBBC), Harry Hickles (EastEnders), Pri Burford (Silent Witness, Fearless), David Morley Hale, Jack Kristiansen, Eden Vansittart, Sam Hughes, Kitty Dearlove and Emma Vansittart.

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Visit the police station on Leman Street and speak with the loose-lipped Sergeant Gully - you never know, he might have a lead on one of the suspects.

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In game capture
After, you could take a stroll along Commercial Street and buy a posy of Aster off poor Kitty - takings are down since the murders started. Or maybe the Ten Bells is more to your liking – lots of sorrows to drown, and just as many secrets to uncover.

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In game capture
We’ve taken painstaking care to bring 19th century Whitechapel to life. With the help of world renowned Historian, Judith Flanders, we are ensuring our environments, characters’ fashions and their dialogue are as period accurate as possible. It is important to us that we show Whitechapel as it was and give an honest account of the diverse community that lived there.

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In game capture


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We wanted to explore the origins of legends and how they shape our culture. Perhaps the most notorious of modern British legends is that of Jack the Ripper. What did the Whitechapel murders mean to London? What effect did they have on the people who lived there? And how do they still impact us today?

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In game capture of Annie Chapman's Crime Scene
What better way to explore these questions than through the eyes of Arthurian legends; Lancelot and Morgana, stories about who were especially prevalent in the 19th century as the ruling classes sought to revitalise chivalric codes in an attempt to control a society that was rapidly changing along lines of class, gender and race.

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Animation still - Art by Romain Leguay


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As well as creating a truly cinematic experience with a cast of amazing actors, we also wanted to design a visually distinctive game.

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Early concepts by Mike McCarthy
We have drawn inspiration from the many amazing concept artists we have worked with throughout our careers. It is often a shame those incredible artworks are rarely seen outside of the development studio - we sought to change that.

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Early concepts by Mike McCarthy
By utilising classical techniques and the latest technology, we’ve crafted a beautiful and unique visual style that harks back to the atmospheric paintings of Grimshaw and Whistler and allows players to explore a living work of art.

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Salix’s in-house composer, Jools Scott, has written for the BFI, Brodsky Quartet, Transport for London, Philharmonia Orchestra and the St. Paul’s Cathedral Choir, since leaving the Royal Academy of Music in 2003.

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The theme tune from Du Lac & Fey is taken from Vice: A Jazz Opera, Jools’ first collaboration with Sue Curtis and was in fact inspiration for our game’s subtitle, Dance of Death. This haunting melody takes a central role in Du Lac & Fey, and transports the player straight back to the dark world of 1880s London.

While our team of award winning sound designers are hard at work bringing the game to life, we have also been working closely with Soundcuts and Pinewood Shepperton Studios to record our lead actors and supporting cast. As the game features so many dramatic moments, it was essential for us to have our lead actors record together so that we could capture the very best performances possible.

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As well as providing world class Foley to recreate the unique sounds of Victorian London, we are also working with Saluki breeders to make sure Fey’s barks, pants and whines are truly authentic! We have also arranged to mix the game at Shepperton with the help of some of gaming’s finest sound designers.

 
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Boleskine

Arcane
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
4,045
https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/34049

AdventureX 2017 round-up: Part 1
Written by Steve Brown — November 22, 2017

It’s the most wonderful time of the year again. No, not Christmas, but AdventureX, the only convention dedicated to narrative gaming. On the weekend of 11th and 12th November, a horde of developers and gamers descended on the Professor Stuart Hall Building of Goldsmiths University, London. With a bright and friendly atmosphere, it was a weekend packed to overflowing with adventure gaming goodness. Early arrivals engaged in an impromptu game of Pub Quest on the Friday evening when our first choice of drinking spot proved less than accommodating. The MMORPG Live! event proved surreal from the start, with a spider's elbow and a spider with ice cream organs going on a quest to defeat a creature that was half-rat, half-avocado. The Ratvocado. In what may become a yearly tradition, I also took a cake along for the after-show drinks. But the most important thing was the games, and there was a wide selection of excellent adventures on offer. Here is just the first sampling of those on show this year.


K’NOSSOS

It was supposed to be a standard three-day assignment on a remote space station. Unfortunately, an accident has brought your ship to a stop in remote space. Awakened from stasis, you will have to improvise repairs if you are going to survive, let alone reach your destination. This accident will have even longer-term consequences too, as you will soon find yourself taking refuge on a nearby planet, and seeking to unlock the mysteries there before they destroy you.



Michael Stein and Nikola Vetnic

Svarun Games’ K’NOSSOS aims to be a classic science-fiction point-and-click adventure with a decidedly unique presentation. The graphics are done in a distinctive expressionist style, with walls and panels made up of almost abstractly-placed rectangular panels. The colour scheme in the demo was also limited, with shades of green predominant and just some hints of other colours. Whilst the design aesthetic is unusual, the overall look in realistic in tone. The soundtrack playing was a haunting tonal piece that would not be out of place in a high sci-fi movie.

Those of us playing the demo were faced with an immediate problem, as the main ship transport system has been blocked by falling debris. Getting past this initial obstacle required locating a key code that proved challenging for some. Once the debris was cleared, it was possible to travel to other areas of the ship, including the bridge and the power plant. Both of these were out of action, requiring us to jury-rig repairs with some less-than-ideal material. Whilst there was some back and forth between locations, most puzzles I encountered could be solved in a single location. Experimentation with machinery to get an understanding of how things worked, and hence learn what was required to make it work properly, was key to advancement.



More information can be found on the developer's website, including a link to a downloadable demo.


Du Lac & Fey: Dance of Death

Arthurian immortals Sir Lancelot Du Lac and Morgana Le Fey have been travelling together for centuries. The chivalric code has led to them facing monsters and helping others over the years, not always for reward. Now the year is 1888, and their journey has brought them to London on the trail of the notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper. With the city under threat, will this famous pair be able to bring down the legendary murder? In doing so, will they be able to lift the curse that has left Morgana trapped in the form of a dog?



Jessica Saunders and Philip Huxley

Salix Games was formed by industry veterans who have worked previously on AAA franchises such as Batman, Assassin’s Creed and BioShock, and that experience is now being applied to creating Du Lac & Fey: Dance of Death independently. The Victorian London setting on show at the convention was a highly detailed realistic depiction, with dynamic lighting and locations displayed both day and night. The fully 3D modelled characters are also well produced and animated already, though the lip-syncing to spoken dialogue still needs to be done. Some renowned talent has been recruited for the voice work, with the leads played by Gareth David-Lloyd (Solas from Dragon Age) and Perdita Weeks (Catriona Hartdegen from Penny Dreadful). The demo’s action was accompanied by dramatic strings and piano.

A scene I observed involving a conversation between Lancelot and Morgana served well in setting up the dynamic between the two. Lancelot’s noble refusal of a cash reward was much derided by the more practical Morgana asking how they were to live without those funds. Including many character close-ups, this exchange nicely demonstrated the character modelling as well. Another scene took place on the docks, with a much wider view. Control is point-and-click, with actions for hotspots appearing when you near them. The final version is to include a character swap mechanic, activated by use of an on-screen button. As the canine-shaped Morgana, you will be able to converse with animals, opening up new avenues of investigation.



The aim is for the game to be released in summer 2018. More information can be found on the developer’s website, and until December 9th you can contribute to the game’s Kickstarter campaign, which still needs a fair bit of support if it’s to meet its target goal.


Whispers of a Machine

For a while, artificial intelligence was creeping into every part of our lives. It was in our homes, it was in our cars, it was even in our bodies. But fear of what AI could do resulted in it being brought to an end. With the resulting social collapse from ending a technology so heavily relied upon, however, mankind has struggled. Now, in a world without AI, federal homicide detective Vera has been called to investigate a series of murders. When evidence of an AI-worshipping cult surfaces, she soon finds this case larger than it first appears.



Joel Staaf Hasto and Petter Ljungqvist

Whispers of a Machine
, by Clifftop Games (Kathy Rain) and Faravid Interactive (The Samaritan Paradox), features graphics done in a pleasant pixel art style depicting a realistic world. The demo mostly took place in the dark locker room of a mill, with some broken concrete and a generally run-down condition. In the corner of this room, the victim lay covered in blood and watched over by an ordinary constable. Vera dressed smartly and with neat short blonde hair, strolled around the scene smoothly. Her activities were backed by a tune that would not have been out of place in a tense TV detective drama.

Using simple point-and-click controls, from the outset players can choose how they wish to approach other characters, and this will have an effect on later parts of the game. Vera can exert her authority, attempt to engage with others, or simply adopt a sterile analytical approach. Whilst AI has been banned, augmentation has not, and Vera also has abilities beyond the human norm. The most important of these is a Forensic Scanner, which allows you to search for hidden evidence. In Smart Scan mode, it simply seaches for evidence generally. Once you find something, such as the DNA and fingerprints of the murder victim, you can switch to scanning for that, allowing you to identify things he touched. The demo ended with finding a key to another location and evidence of the AI cult, teasing more of the greater story to come.



The developers’ goal is to release Whispers of a Machine by the end of 2018. More information can be found on the game’s website.

Guard Duty

Many of us have had days start like this. We wake up with a hangover and a less-than-perfect recollection of the night before. But when you are a palace guard, and you wake up in a room locked from the outside with your armour nowhere in sight, this could be serious. Such is the situation Tandbert finds himself in, waking in a small tower room where the main window appears to have been ripped free of its frame. If he is to report for duty on time, he will not only have to escape this precarious perch, he will need to locate his missing equipment. By the end of his adventures, he may regret not just turning over and going back to sleep.



Nathan Hamley

Whilst the demo I saw of Sick Chicken Studios’ Guard Duty seemed entirely comedic fantasy, developer Nathan Hamley assures me this game has some sci-fi elements as well. The graphics have a retro pixel art look, with the Simon the Sorceror series a major influence. (The fact that some people hate that particular protagonist is acknowledged in the opening scene here, with a picture of Simon heavily pierced by darts.) From the fairly small tower room at the start, I got to the nearby gardens and the palace entrance – though most unsuitably clad for such an august location. The game is fully voiced, and the demo came with gentle background music and sound effects like birdsong.

Control is point-and-click, with a single-click examining and a double-click interacting. Just getting out of the opening room proved quite a challenge, as the exit trapdoor was locked from the other side. Once down on the ground, Tandbert's luck did not improve as he briefly got his head stuck in a wasp's nest. This caused all subsequent dialogue to be heavily mumbled, though on-screen subtitles made the actual words clear. I was told that, later within this same fantasy setting, the villain actually achieves immortality, leading to the subsequent futuristic portion of the game where they become an evil dictator.



More information can be found on the developer's website while you wait for Guard Duty's targeted 2018 release date.


Purgatory

Young Alex has not had an easy life to date. A journey with some friends across Switzerland was supposed to be fun, but an incident on the road has put an end to that. She wakes from the car crash to find herself lost in a deep forest with her friends missing. Searching nearby for help, she comes across an abandoned mansion. But it turns out the previous inhabitants of this place are not as absent as it might seem, and Alex will have to face up to her own dark past if she is to save herself and her friends.



Joel Mayer

Purgatory
is being developed as a solo project by digital artist Joel Mayer. The game features a side-scrolling presentation with retro pixel art graphics, reminiscent of games on the SNES console. The top two-thirds of the screen are taken up by a view of the current location. In the demo this included the remote crash site, a forbidding entrance flanked by two fierce lion statues, and a garden decorated with some disturbing features. The bottom third of the screen includes a detailed head-shot of the protagonist which animates fully with her actions and feelings. The remainder of the bottom bar is taken up by the three available inventory slots, plus Alex's phone which is useful in puzzles, initially as a light source. No sound had yet been implemented into the current build.

This is undoubtedly a horror game, and the author cites inspiration from classic Italian horror movies like Suspiria. Keyboard control moves Alex left and right and interacts with hotspots she stands in front of. Even deserted, the mansion was an uncomfortable place to explore, with foreboding decor and gravestones in the garden. I have no doubt further horrors await in the future. In a nice touch, the phone does not solely serve as an in-game tool, but also as a way of filling in the backstory, as it includes old chats and pictures, telling you about Alex's life without resorting to clumsy exposition.

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Purgatory is tentatively on schedule for a late 2018 release. More information can be found on the developer's website.

Silent Streets

In the town of Snowport, detective Thomas Horgan has been found dead. Once he was a famous name, but his reputation faded over the years. An old associate of his, arriving in town just too late, was in the frame for the murder, but he has since proved himself in solving a local mystery. Whilst still not on best terms with the police, he has now been able to set up on his own as a detective. As he hunts for his former associate's murderer, the lost and lonely of Snowport bring their troubles to him. Like when a husband does not return home, which means setting out to solve another mystery.



Demid Tishin

The first episode of Funbakers' mobile-exclusive, augmented reality adventure Silent Streets was covered in the July 2017 Following Freeware. The second, and this time fully commercial episode was being demonstrated at the convention. The same fine art style, black and white with the occasional touch of colour, continues to be used with many of the same locations available. There are also returning characters, including the dour Inspector Gage and the investigative reporter Evelyn McGrath. The game also includes area-appropriate sound effects like before, including music where suitable.

Though most of the gameplay has carried over from the debut instalment, there have been a few tweaks. Originally, walking between locations required you to actually cover that distance for real, or take a cab by making an in-app purchase. This time around, two more options have been added. You can now complete a minigame to advance, or simply wait for the time it would take someone gently strolling to travel that far. The other major changes occur in the augmented reality portions of the game. Previously, objects simply floated in the air against a view of whatever you were actually looking at through your phone. The new system detects a flat surface for the floor, and then locks items onto it. Thanks to this improvement, I was able to perform a full inspection of a body on a mortuary table that appeared to be sitting right there in the exhibition hall.



The first episode, The Boy with the Flowered Skin, is available free on the App Store and Google Play, with further episodes to become available via in-app purchases. Further information about the series can be found on the Silent Streets website.
 

Boleskine

Arcane
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
4,045
Massive Galaxy
As a space trader, you have not always operated on the right side of the law. This has come back to bite you, as your latest venture sees you stopped by the authorities. Hopelessly outclassed, you barely escape the confrontation with your life. Now you have to find yourself a new ship and start rebuilding your business. One of your underground contacts, Creamly, should be able to set you up with a new ship, but he's not going to do it for nothing.



Martyn Stonehouse and Gonçalo Monteiro

Massive Galaxy has point-and-click adventuring at its heart, but offers optional trading and fighting elements for a wider game experience. The graphics have a very retro aesthetic, with the classic platforming adventure Flashback cited by the developers as a major influence in the visual design. The overall look also owes something to the film Blade Runner, with tall skyscrapers decked out in bright neon. The latter influence also comes through in the sound design and its synth soundtrack. The character animation matches the simplicity of the graphics, but is effective nonetheless.

The demo included the opening turn-based ship-to-ship fight, showing off the battle interface, though in an unwinnable challenge. Escaping to a nearby city, I had to track down my contact. This proved no easy matter either, as the club he was in had a most unfriendly bouncer at the door. After making my way inside, the task I was given was to pick up a package from a specific set of coordinates, but this “package” proved to be a young girl, presenting me with the first choice in the game. The intention is to have a branching narrative throughout, with my choice to release the girl instead of delivering her as instructed just the first of many choices that will alter how the storyline plays out.



Massive Galaxy is zeroing in on a 2018 release target. More information can be found on the game’s official website.


Selling Sunlight

Your world no longer rotates, and this has had devastating consequences. One half of the planet is in eternal darkness, whilst the other is scorched by blistering sunlight. In the narrow strip between these two states, life struggles to go on. Given the strange nature of this world, the cult of sun worship has become a powerful force. You have transgressed against this religion, and face punishment as a result. Your name and face have been taken, a feat achieved by affixing a magic mask that covers most of your face. Should you try to tell others of your past, the mask burns you. Yet you are also a merchant, a trusted trader between towns. Will you be able to get people to see past the mask and work to restore your life?



Giada Zavarise and Gaia Lambruschi

Developers CoseBelle describe Selling Sunlight as a narrative role-playing game, but there is no fighting to gain experience points. Instead, your actions and words serve to shape your character. The graphics feature a soft hand-drawn style, depicting a world which appears to have Arabian influences. The main character is robed, with the spiky mask covering most of their face. To make it clear who has punished you, a symbol representing the sun forms the centrepiece of the mask, situated right over the character's eyes. Others have more traditional fantasy appearances, such as a bard friend who invites you to a nearby festival.

Control of the game is done entirely through the keyboard. The demo started with me returning to the guild house, finding my friend there. The first stage of character-building took place there. It is possible to respond to dialogue in either a friendly or gloomy fashion, with multiple responses available for each. I took the friendly approach, eager to see my friend and join him on his journey. This took us to nearby Green Hamlet, where a major festival was to take place soon. Here a second feature, the bartering sub-game, came out. You can either accept a merchant's price, or seek to drive them down. Again, friendly and gloomy approaches are possible, but different merchants are more open to different types, requiring experimentation to find out what works. The demo also set up the story well, with some fascinated by the mask and others wary of what it meant.



Selling Sunlight isn't set to rise until sometime in 2019. In the meantime, more information can be found on the game's website.


Elemental Flow

A woman that just wanted to grab a morning drink at her local coffee shop finds herself transported to a strange world. This place is populated by spirits representing each of the classic elements: Fire, Air, Earth and Water. With their very different approaches to life, the four groups have come into conflict and trouble is breaking out everywhere. With her unique perspective, perhaps this new arrival can resolve the problems and find her way home.



Florencia Minuzzi and Dustin Connor

Having taken a new approach to dialogue mechanics last year, Tea-Powered Games have introduced a new innovation this year for Elemental Flow. The environments are 3D in overall appearance, though the objects within them appear to be flat panels facing the screen. This fits in with the otherworldly setting, as does the light but semi-realistic art style. The character close-ups you get in conversations are more like watercolours, with the spirit characters appearing faceless. The music backing up the demo was largely percussion-based, though with a smattering of piano.

The mechanic introduced in this game is simple in concept, but proved surprisingly difficult to master. Using a console controller, I moved around and initiated conversations with other characters, during which the four action buttons each represented one of the four different elements. These had a unique effect on your approach to the conversation, be it forceful talking or sympathetic listening. The goal in each conversation is to fill a bar showing you have reached “understanding” with the other participant. At first, simply holding down the “Fire” button achieved this goal for me, but later conversations needed a variety of elements, as wearing yourself or your counterpart out ends the conversation without consensus. With spirits of different elements reacting differently to the elements you apply, a surprisingly complex system soon arose from a simple concept.



With a release date still be determined, more information about Elemental Flow can be found on the developer’s website.

Bury me, my Love

In Syria, a country riven by conflict, a young couple is torn apart by the ongoing unrest. When a bombing attack kills her sister, Nour decides she has to leave the country at all costs. Her husband Majd is unable to leave, but is willing to see his precious wife safely to a new home. Thus begins the story of a long and dangerous journey, with the loving couple only held together by the thin thread of a communication app.



Florent Maurin

Bury me, my Love is the result of a collaboration between developer The Pixel Hunt, digital design studio FIgs and television station Arte. The inspiration was a true story, reported by the French newspaper Le Monde, of a couple separated in a similar way, maintaining contact through mobile devices. The title is from an Arabic expression meaning “Take care,” as in “Do not die before I do.” The presentation is similar in appearance to the WhatsApp messaging system, with you, playing as Majd, receiving messages from your wife. These are mostly text in nature, but can include pictures such as selfies showing how she feels about your last message. These are presented in a line-drawn art style, with the colours mostly reflecting the dry, arid nature of much of the Syrian countryside.

Interaction is performed by selecting from a list of possible responses to messages received from Nour. In the section I played, a taxi that had promised to take her onwards suddenly upped its price dramatically. Ways of keeping the price down or finding alternative means of continuing the journey were discussed. An element of danger also crept in, as armed men arrived at the bus station she was in and started checking people’s papers. The conversations between husband and wife are naturally written, and convey the story and atmosphere well. For the convention, the game was running in fast mode, meaning that dialogue was continuous. In normal play, there will be a suitable delay between messages when Nour is travelling or otherwise occupied.



Bury me, my Love is already available for iOS and Android devices. More information, including a browser-based playable prologue, can be found on the game's website.


Girth Loinhammer's Most Exponential Adventure

Things have not been going well for Dungeon Lord Girth Loinhammer of late. He filled his subterranean domain with dangerous traps and a variety of monsters, as was expected of him. However, something appears to have gone wrong with his advertising. The "Knights" and "Princesses" arriving appear to be expecting a wholly different sort of dungeon. With despair looming, the time has come to make a decision. Will he stay moping at home, or will he head out into the world seeking adventure? Little does he know what varied tales these two simple choices will lead to.



Damon Wakes in his Dungeon Lord cloak

Produced entirely in Twine, Damon Wakes’ humorous text-based Girth Loinhammer's Most Exponential Adventure offers a dizzying array of potential stories. The starting point is always the same, with Girth bemoaning his dungeon's apparent failure, but each decision from there leads to another small piece of story, followed by another binary choice. With each option leading to unique content, the branches of possible narratives spread further and further out, leading to over 500 different possible endings.

On my first playthrough, which was about 10 to 15 minutes with my relatively fast reading speed, I decided to linger around the dungeon, subsequently deciding to change it to something else entirely. As luck would have it, a series of choices resulted in an ending perfectly suited to my real-life day job as an accountant. I'm sure not many people can say they turned a dank dungeon into a centre for studying tax-deductible business gifts. The second time around I elected to search for adventure instead, and was soon given a familiar-looking ring to carry to an Elf King. Eschewing the call to a noble goal, however, I wandered the countryside boasting to all and sundry about the ring instead. This led to my downfall, as those I taunted ended up mugging me for my ill-gotten trinket. The writing in both storylines was deeply humorous, often spoofing standard tropes of the fantasy genre.

A full release is expected shortly. More information, and a demo containing a limited number of endings, can be found on the developer’s website.

Save the World

On a messaging app, you receive a mysterious note from a stranger, thanking you for volunteering to help save the world. Taking them up on this offer leads to being asked to engage in a series of objectives akin to a scavenger hunt. The stakes are high, as the task-giver informs you that only your actions can prevent the world being invaded by creatures from space. But can you really stop beings from other worlds with chalk, string and paper clips?



Julia Noomen

Julia Noomen’s Save the World is an entirely text-based adventure, written in Twine, that can be played online for free. The first choice you are given is which city you are in, including London. All the cities play host to major gaming conventions, and the starting location the game places you in is the venue for that convention. Accordingly, attendees choosing London found themselves in AdventureX’s Professor Stuart Hall building, both in the real and game world. The first tasks require you to have chalk, string and paper clips in-game, all of which developer Julia Noomen provided in physical form at her booth. These were no ordinary paper clips though, including some shaped like hearts and stars.

The game is played by simply selecting from a list of on-screen choices. Earlier choices do affect later gameplay, even to the point of being able to reject the task outright (though you have to persist) and end the game early. Those who accept the job are directed outside the building towards a real-world fence to attach paperclips to it. The option to perform such errands for real lent a nice augmented reality feel to proceedings, though the game itself is entirely text-based and played online. The tasks are interspersed with strange tales from your contact about the threat and how they came to know about it. It is, of course, entirely possible to play the game sitting at home instead, but being at the actual location, with actual objects, did make it more fun.

Save the World can be played online at the game's website. (The display is optimised for mobile devices to get the full experience.)
 

Modron

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The Inner World sequel came out a month ago and like nobody noticed so I am spreading it around a few threads here, seems like it is doing poorly since it already is marked half of
 

Boleskine

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https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/34050

AdventureX 2017 round-up: Part 2
Written by Steve Brown — November 24, 2017

It was a weekend of familiar faces and new friends. It was also a weekend of seeing several former freeware games expanding into fully commercial releases. I learned about a new text adventure engine, still in development, that may well be the basis of future AdventureX games. I also added to my photo album of game developers waving to my wife, including Brian Moriarty and James Dearden (my wife actually having provided voice-overs for one of the latter's games). Yet there were still more games to be played, so in addition to the first round-up of adventures on display, here is the rest of our 2017 coverage from London.


Gibbous: A Cthulhu Adventure

Private eye Don Ketype is a man on a mission, sent to retrieve the Necronomicon from the creepy local library. Young librarian Buzz Kerwan meets his request with scepticism, assuring the sleuth that the book is entirely fictional. But when cultists blow up the library foyer and kidnap Don, the book almost literally falls into Buzz's hands. Inadvisably reading from the dread tome and then wishing his cat Kitteh could talk, he suddenly finds himself with a very vocal feline. Just what eldritch forces has he unleashed?


Liviu Boar and Cami Cuibus
Developers Stuck in Attic describe Gibbous: A Cthulhu Adventure as comedy cosmic horror, or Lovecraft by way of classic LucasArts. Whilst the LucasArts influence does come through, the hand-painted graphics here are more detailed and modern than those games. The start of the demo saw Don climbing the long staircase to the library. The gothic town depicted in the background was actually inspired by the architecture of the developers' home town in the Transylvanian area of Romania. The library is similarly detailed, with tall unsteady shelves crammed with books. Full voice acting is planned but not currently implemented, though the game did feature environmental sound and gentle background music.

Clicking on a hotspot brings up a selection of actions, with only those relevant to the particular hotspot appearing. The spacebar reveals hotspots with a gentle glow that does not overwhelm the view. The intention is that you will control two characters over the course of the game, detective Don and librarian Buzz. You will also be able to ask Kitteh to do things, although, being a cat, she will not always be amenable to direction. The opening involved a brief conversation as Don, before switching to Buzz. A relatively simple puzzle revealed the forbidden book, which kicked off the main plot.



Further information, including a (different) demo, can be found on the game’s website while we hopefully await a first-quarter release in 2018.


Lamplight City

The year is 1844, and the city of New Bretagne is beset by crime. Together with his partner Bill, detective Miles Fordham pays a visit to a flower shop to investigate a most peculiar transgression. Someone has been breaking into the shop at night, taking flowers and leaving money for them on the counter. Whilst the proprietor, who does not have high opinion of the police, was happy to let it lie, her assistant was worried. This case will prove fateful for the investigative duo, as a confrontation inevitably ends in tragedy that has far-reaching implications for the rest of the game.


Francisco Gonzalez
The graphics are similar to high-resolution versions of the Ben Jordan freeware series, which isn’t surprising since Francisco Gonzalez is also the main developer of Lamplight City. The setting comes across as an alternate version of Victorian London, with a steampunk vibe to set it apart. On the dark streets, lamps cast shadows over the pair as they travel. Within the shop itself, a vast array of colour is on display in the well-lit sales area. Action is backed up by dynamic strings playing a tune suited to the historical mystery setting.

Control is classic point-and-click. The demo covered an initial case to set up the story for the main game, but Lamplight City will have five other cases, with multiple suspects in each. In an attempt to break away from the norm, it is possible to accuse the wrong person, or even render cases unsolvable by your actions. Players should be careful not to do so too often, as this will bring about the downfall of the lead detective. Conversation played a large part in this initial case, with the interface showing close-ups of the characters in a way that mimics the interface of the first Gabriel Knight game. A casebook was only ever just a click away, storing clues, objectives, suspects and documents found.



While we wait for the game's targeted spring release next year, further information can be found on the developer's website.

Growbot

A remote station has come under attack from a dark and mysterious force. This assault has resulted in strange crystals springing up all over the place. With communications down, a little Growbot on the lower decks will have to fend for itself. With scant knowledge of the station or its strange inhabitants, things look bleak for the small automaton. But this brave little robot is not dissuaded, and sets out to get back to the rest of the crew and drive the attacker back.


Izzi Mear and developer Lisa Evans
Growbot’s graphical style is reminiscent of Samorost, but designer Lisa Evans has not simply copied Amanita’s style and called it a day. The soft-focus hand-drawn graphics are full of new ideas and creations, most notably the Growbot itself. This robot has a huge glass bowl forming the top half of its head, placed atop a comparatively tiny body. The problems this disparity naturally causes are illustrated in the protagonist’s decidedly wobbly walk. I personally found this particular animation so delightful, I would stop to move Growbot whenever I passed Wabisabi Games’ stand, just to see it again. This attention to detail carries over to the rest of the graphics, making this game a visual treat. Sounds I heard were limited but effective, mostly consisting of environmental ambience. A scratchy effect, as if being played on an old record, actually fit well with the otherworldly atmosphere.

Using simple point-and-click controls, the demo started in Growbot's bedroom, with a few small puzzles to get started. There is also an important item to pick up here, the Growbot manual, and you cannot leave without it. This starts off with only a few bits of information, but fills in as you discover more about the station and the other creatures living there. In a nearby cabin I found a creature called a Brainapilla, which was happy to take up residence in my oversized cranium. Once acquired, this creature can be used on hotspots encountered, serving as an additional source of information. Another puzzle I came across but did not resolve involved a recipe I found near a jam-making machine. The game's slightly surreal tone came through in this, as I had never considered the need to remove white and black holes from jam before.



With final release not scheduled until early 2019, for now you'll have to make do with the additional information found on the game's website.


Theropods

Living in the time of dinosaurs is a harsh existence. The great creatures can be wily and, if you are not careful, extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, you cannot always rely on your fellow tribesmen to assist you in hunting them, as a young cavewoman discovers when she arrives at the hunting ground. One of her companions is precariously balanced up a tree, whilst the other has fallen foul of one of his own traps. This is only the start of her problems, as a visit by a strange being will soon have an enormous effect on her life.


Sarah Duffield-Harding and Kostas Skiftas

A small, Flash-based version of SeethingSwarm’s Theropods was made for Adventure Jam 2015. Now shifted to the Unity Engine, the commercial version expands greatly on the original concept. The same low-res pixel art style has been retained, though the characters are still quite distinctive, including the protagonist with her flowing red hair. The demo was set within a smoothly animated jungle, with muddy tracks and towering trees covered in vines. The game is technically fully voiced, though given the primitive setting, all the dialogue is grunted. The music I heard was a slow and simple piece, similar to the late part of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Control is point-and-click, and the initial task appears a relatively simple one. You simply need to catch a small dinosaur to provide meat for the tribe. Sadly, this particular creature seems well aware of humankind’s threat, and fled to a different location each time I approached. The key seemed to be in building a simple trap, and directing my two companions to help drive the dinosaur into it. Except they didn’t seem too bright, the tree-bound one dropping on his face just after the dinosaur left, so getting them to help was a challenge. Fortunately, a bright glow indicates when you are pointing at a hotspot, so at least the bait and parts I needed to build the trap were easy to locate.



A release date is still to be determined. For a sneak preview of Theropods in action, however, a selection of animated GIFs can be found on the game’s website.

The Almost Gone

A young girl is trapped in the limbo between life and death. Imprisoned in this surreal reality, apparently imperfectly drawn from her own memories, she must work to decide her ultimate fate. In the real world, only a single second will pass. When that time is up, which side of the divide will she end up on, and will she help others with the same problem on the way?


David Primsmel
Developed by Happy Volcano, The Almost Gone revolves around the subject of mortality. The story was written by Joost Vandacasteele, a writer who has been published in both Belgium and the Netherlands. The game is to be split into several levels, each taking place within a particular location. The demo on display was set in a flawed copy of the protagonist’s home. She finds this place disturbing, as the contents are not quite as they should be and it appears devoid of other inhabitants. A minimalist art style is used, with a limited pastel colour palette. The view is isometric, with two of the four walls of the current location visible. An on-screen button rotates the view 90 degrees at a time, allowing the player to see the other walls, along with items previously hidden behind other objects. The accompanying soundtrack is a sonorous echoing chime that mirrors the minimalist visual style.

Control is entirely point-and-click, including buttons to move between rooms. The demo covered the entire first level, which is already considered complete. There was a great deal of exploration to be done, with a keen eye needed to spot all the useful items around the house. There were also puzzles in the form of lock combination challenges. It is possible that some of these will be adjusted further, as many attendees struggled to put all the clues together. There were also hints of the greater world beyond, with a small tree in the toilet an exact likeness of the one holding the girl’s treehouse in the real world. I was also shown screenshots of later levels, including a more open garden space containing another spirit in need of help.



The second level is almost ready to be implemented, with the final game planned to have four levels in all. The projected release date for the finished game is late 2018. More information can be found on the official website.


Before I Forget

Why did you come? Are you meant to be here at all? There is so much here that seems vaguely familiar, and yet you don’t remember any of it clearly. Perhaps if you look around, it will start to come back to you. Isn’t Dylan supposed to be here as well? Can Dylan help?


Chella Ramanan and Claire Morley
With Before I Forget, 3-Fold Games have produced a game with a subtly disturbing psychological theme. At first I thought the game had crashed on me, as the graphics were blurred beyond recognition. However, a bit of sweeping around the screen soon located the protagonist’s glasses, revealing a first-person view of a hallway. Whilst overall realistic in style, the colours in this hallway had a washed-out look at the beginning. Using a console controller to move down the corridor, I soon found objects that I could interact with, a large label appearing when I was looking directly at any of the generously sized hotspots. Clicking on these caused text-only memories to appear on-screen, though the lettering was very shaky and soon dissolved away. These interactions also caused nearby parts of the environment to become painted in more vibrant hues. Sound initially consisted solely of environmental audio, though a late interaction triggered a pleasant piano piece.

Whilst only a fairly short taster, the demo proved effective in conveying the central concept. It was truly disturbing to be put in the shoes of someone who had apparently forgotten so much of their past life. The thoughts of the protagonist were unsettling, with the peculiar fade-out of the text akin to memories slipping away. This feeling was heightened by the environment itself proving unreliable, with a section where doors that had previously led into rooms suddenly all opening into the same cupboard.



The game is projected to be released in late 2018. More information can be found on the developer’s website.
 

Boleskine

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Path Out

In 2011, young Abdullah lived in central Syria. Whilst there were some problems, most notably the power cutting out intermittently (and always just before he reached a save point in his game), he had a comfortable life. But as unrest in the country grew, his family became more worried about his safety. So, whilst still young, they set him off on a journey to get out of Syria and find a safer place to live. The journey will not be an easy one, and he will face danger every step of the way.



Georg Hobmeier
Based on the real-life experiences of Abdullah Karam, who wrote the story of Path Out and appears throughout the game to deliver personal commentary on his experiences, this is a harrowing real-world tale, only the first part of which has been released so far. The developers, Causa Creations, have used the RPG Maker engine, with the presentation thus having a birds-eye, retro RPG look. This is supplemented with more detailed hand-drawn close-ups of the characters speaking when you engage in conversation. The game also has dynamic lighting effects, with the opening nighttime scene in a forest clearly visible in only a small area around the protagonist. The music also fits well, having a Middle Eastern feel.

Control of movement and interaction is handled entirely through the keyboard. The demo’s opening scene was set later in the journey, at which point Abdullah finds himself abandoned by a smuggler. The forest around him appears to be surrounded by minefields, and the only unmined exit proves equally hazardous. Finishing this section took me back to 2011, and happier times with the boy’s family. I got to meet several family members and go on a fetch quest for a lamp, which required me to get another item first. This served to set up the premise and establish necessary background, giving a solid grounding for the rest of the story.



The game is available for free on Steam, with future episodes continuing Abdullah's journey through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans to his destination in Central Europe, which will be subject to a small fee to cover development costs. Further information can be found on the game’s website.


Don’t Make Love

It is an age-old story. A young couple, deeply in love, are pondering taking their relationship to a more physical level. However, for this particular pair, that creates a peculiar difficulty. Being praying mantises, they are only too aware that having sex may lead to one of them not surviving the experience. Can their love prove stronger than animal instincts?



Dario D’Ambra
Maggese’s Don’t Make Love presents a love story with a difference. Players are given the choice of controlling either the male or female partner at the start. The meat of the gameplay is a text parser through which you type your side of the conversation. To a certain extent, the natural flow of conversation makes likely player responses predictable, but I was still impressed by how well the parser worked. It also avoided the “I don’t understand that” response so prevalent with lesser parsers. Instead, your partner’s response to an unrecognised sentence is to try getting the conversation back on track, indicating a suitable subject to use.

The graphics are a slightly stylised representation of the couple standing in a field of grass. The format is a slideshow presentation, with a soft fade between images. To break up the text-only conversation, you are able to change your mood or undertake actions via on-screen buttons. Moods such as happy and angry logically affect the tone of conversation as a result. Actions include hugging and kissing, with a brief series of images representing them. These choices also impact the music, with the simple tune going from joyous to melancholy as your mood changes.



The game is available now for Windows PC on Steam and itchio.io. You can also find more information on the developer’s website.



Detectiveland

It is 1929, and in the fictional city of New Losago, private investigator Lanson Rose faces another full day. Three cases present themselves: a simple missing person case, a house that may or may not be haunted, and a problem with the city’s liquor supply. With none of these cases proving as simple as they first appear, Lanson will have his work cut out for him.



Isak Grozny and Robin Johnson
If that story sounds familiar, that’s because it is the basis of the winning game from the 2017 Interactive Fiction competition. Having achieved well-deserved success with Detectiveland last year, Robin Johnson (aka Versificator in interactive fiction circles) is now looking at expanding on his original entry to make a bigger and more complex commercial game. The new version will include additional background art and an array of sidequests, discovered both by simply explore the city and as part of the main cases. Players who seek out and complete all the sidequests are to be treated to an enhanced ending, revealing more of New Losago.

For the convention, the demo was restricted largely to the original competition entry, though there were some minor graphical enhancements in the form of pictures of your locations showing as background to the action. The left side of the screen displayed the story text, presented in a font that looked like it had been printed with a broken typewriter with smudged and misaligned letters. The right-hand side included the interactive portion of the game, including your inventory, general actions and conversations with highlighted topics. Interaction is handled through these highlighted words rather than a full text parser, but the simpler control system definitely does not mean an easy game. Whilst the story appears at first to be a typical noir thriller, the content is decidedly tongue-in-cheek.

The game is on track for an early 2018 release. Further information, including a download of the original version, can be found on the developer’s website.

True Legacy
The year is 2084, and advances in detecting technology have resulted in most criminals being apprehended quickly. The same cannot be said for progress in other areas, with many in Hong Kong living in squalor. As a homicide detective, you are in a relatively privileged position, but it doesn't feel like it tonight. You are at the scene of a murder, and the killer appears to be highly sophisticated, having used a DNA shroud – a device intended to strew lots of extraneous genetic material to cover up the perpetrator’s own DNA – of extremely high quality. This is not going to be a simple case.



Dejan Levi
Blindfire Limited’s True Legacy is entirely text-driven, though it comes with minimalist semi-realistic stills to illustrate the action. Transition between locations is achieved by having a block of text with a black background scrolling to cover one picture and reveal another. This future Hong Kong is not a happy place, beset by constant rainfall and bearing more than a little resemblance to the dystopian world of Blade Runner. As well as the background pictures, there are some close-ups of devices you must employ.

Designed for tablets, the game text is scrolled, with decisions appearing at various points in the narrative. These are presented as a list of options to choose from to determine the next part of the narrative. There are occasional alternate avenues of investigation, indicated by on-screen arrows pointing off to the side in the location illustrations, indicating it is possible to reveal more story and clues in those directions. Players need to keep a close eye out for these, as the side routes often contain vital information. Highlighted words within the text can also be tapped to bring up definitions of the futuristic technology referenced. These should also be read carefully, as one contained a vital clue to resetting the AI device I was using to analyse the crime scene.

city_overview.jpg


The game's release is not far off, but no launch date has yet been announced. More information can be found on the True Legacy website.

Returning Games

Last but certainly not least! With so many new games on display this year, it was tempting to skip the ones that Adventure Gamers has already reviewed or I'd seen and covered before and were making a return trip. But, with their creators’ enthusiasm for the genre adding to the overall convivial atmosphere, it seemed only fair that their contributions are duly acknowledged, if in a slightly less traditional way.
The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 2 – A Bleaker Predicklement



Seb Burnett

Already available on Steam and the App Store, the second part of this tale of a Victorian gentleman detective is as humorous a spoof as the first. For AdventureX, lead designer and artist Seb Burnett produced a four-page paper, The Evening Burble. This included tales of pre-eminent crook thwarter Sherlock Holmes, adverts for upper lip stiffeners, and a stimulating word puzzle on the back. Sadly, Seb was unable to convince his daughter to dress up as an authentic newspaper-selling street urchin. His own attempt at filling the role in her absence was also less than convincing.

More information can be found at the Bertram Fiddle website.

Lancelot’s Hangover


Jean-Baptiste de Clerfayt

Immediately recognisable in his bright yellow t-shirt, Jean-Baptiste de Clerfayt brought his naughty knight tale back to AdventureX. His attempt to emulate his game hero at the post-convention Saturday drinks did not go as badly for him as might be expected. (Apparently our British beers are generally weaker than the Belgian kind.) He also had a friendly rivalry with Seb Burnett, whose paper included a less-than-flattering advertisement for Belgium. Whilst the game has been in development for some time, it was previously greenlit on Steam and is now aiming for a release in the first quarter of 2018.

More information can be found at the Lancelot’s Hangover website.

The Mystery of Woolley Mountain


James Lightfoot at work

Development on the cartoonish tale of Victorian scientists on a grand quest continues apace. Two parts are now considered complete, subject to final testing. With the final part also well along, the hope of releasing the finished product in early 2018 is looking increasingly achievable. Whilst taking up the same space as last year on the Saturday, a sudden illness prevented developer James Lightfoot from returning on the Sunday. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope we can look forward to seeing the finished results of Lightfoot Bros’ work soon.

More information can be found at the Mystery of Woolley Moutain website.

The St. Christopher’s School Lockdown


Laney Berry and Roger Benoit

With their school-based drama released in October, the development team from Classroom Graffiti Productions took two very different approaches to dressing for AdventureX. Roger Benoit donned a smart dress shirt whilst his partner, Laney Berry, wore a more retro outfit that wouldn’t look out of place in the ‘60s student setting of their game. The very British location of St. Christopher’s was made clear by a tablecloth covered in patriotic imagery used on their display table.

The game can be purchased through Steam or itch.io.

Unforeseen Incidents


Tristan Berger and Matthias Nikutta setting up

Whilst the original planned launch date of early 2017 was not quite achieved, this tale of a small town handyman facing a big conspiracy is headed for release soon on Windows, Mac and Linux as well as Android and iOS devices. Exhibiting at the show with their publishing partner, Application Systems Heidelberg, developer Backwoods Entertainment promise players an intriguing classic mystery with a unique art style and unusual setting.

More information can be found on the Unforeseen Incidents website.

Four Last Things


Joe Richardson

Having greatly enjoyed Joe Richardson's original freeware version of Four Last Things, I was looking forward to checking out the commercial version at AdventureX. This was, of course, entirely because I wanted to see the results of the hard work of a talented developer. The thought that I would publicly look like a genius thanks to my knowledge of the puzzles from the earlier edition hardly entered my mind at all. When I came to play this collage-based parody game about having to commit the seven deadly sins to gain absolution, my expectations were only partly fulfilled. On the positive side, Richardson has undoubtedly taken a brilliant and original idea and made it into a great looking and fun full game. On the negative side, in doing so, most of the puzzle solutions I thought I knew were changed to become harder, resulting in my not looking as brilliant as I had hoped. I still got a lot of enjoyment from this clever and humorous game, though.

Four Last Things is already available on Steam, and the developer hopes to release it on iOS and Android in the near future. Further information can be found on the developer’s website, and you can read our full impressions in our review of the game.

The Frostrune


John Satrang

Over the course of the convention, I kept meeting up with professional game translators from various countries. Unfortunately, they all stuck to translating modern languages, so no-one was able to help me understand the Old Norse used for all the dialogue (including some songs) within The Frostrune. That being the case, it is probably a good thing that the developer, Grimnir, saw fit to include English subtitles in their game. Both their posters and the cards they were handing out displayed, as their central feature, an image of a female spirit. Sure enough, with a modicum of exploration, I was able to locate the spectral lady herself within the game. Given her prominence on promotional material, and the stern command she laid upon me when we met, I have no doubt that she is central to this mystic first-person tale of the time of the Vikings.

The game is available on Steam, the App Store and Google Play. More information can be found on the developer’s website, as well as a detailed analysis in our complete game review.

Final Thoughts


Steve bids a fond farewell from the cool chair

It was another great year at AdventureX, with a wide variety of fun games to play. With some careful planning of my coverage this time, I even managed to get to some of the excellent talks as well. I managed to see Jon Ingold's hilarious tale of the highs and lows of the procces of creating Inkle's new game Heaven's Vault, illustrated by a handy graph. I also caught Brian Moriarty's intriguing story of how one of his game design lectures became an Easter egg in The Witness. I also finally achieved my dream, after many years of attendance, of being on the winning team in the quiz (a feat achieved through the cunning ploy of sitting on the same side of the lecture theatre as people who could answer the questions). As always, the atmosphere was friendly, with gamers and developers hanging out together to share their love of the genre. This convention shows just how much the genre is thriving, and I look forward to having more excellent games to write about next year.
 

CryptRat

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3,548
Train to nowhere looks promising.
The intro of the game, I dig the jazzy atmosphere :

Train to Nowhere it's a Adventure Game that tries to call our "little gamer" inside making him remember the old adventures of LucasArts and other companies of 80-90's. This is the first game that I developed alone and until a few months ago I didn't know to program anything. But let's go to what we're interested in: The story.

The Buried Express™ is the train where the souls travel to their last destination: Nowhere. The city where "The Agency of the Dead" is responsible for separating the souls to Heaven or hell. Tom, our protagonist, wakes up lying on the floor of a bathroom with blood-stained hands. Being in the buried Express means being dead, but Tom doesn't get to remember how he died. Upon reaching his seat, another traveler comments to Tom that there has been a murder in the Coffee Wagon...

Our mission will be to solve the murder while we help Tom to remember how he died.
Sometimes things are not what they seem, and maybe Tom made mistakes during his life... or his death.
45002243499a1072403233c88cf78758.gif
 

CryptRat

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They mentioned Limbo and Machinarium as inspirations, I hope that the game won't be too much easier than those games.
 

ortucis

Prophet
Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
2,015



Dear god, had to fast forward through most of them, just awful. Maybe awful trailer or awful trailer material. Not sure, but some of them (like that Cthulhu and EXTRA) really need to work on their trailers more.

Anyway, I just don't find the premise for most adventure games interesting. Feels like games for kids (only they would find the "comedy" in these games entertaining) or trying too hard to be noir and failing.
 
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