AGS

Blackwell Cartoon Shorts

Martyn Zachary Leave a comment

Wadjet Eye Games, having fiendishly teased its fans for a good while now, have just published their first cartoon short for the Blackwell game series:

This might be completely uncalled for, but the way poor Rosangela is played for comic relief in the first episode feels slightly off-register. Not to complain about free laughs, obviously, but in my very generic understanding of the series, the depth of the cast goes far beyond what is on display here, and in that sense, Blackwell newcomers might be somewhat confused as to where the ‘true’ register of the game series lies.

While the assemblage of characters in the series does seem to contain some influence of the American sitcom tradition, I’m not so sure that situational comedy, at this point in time, is the best way to deepen the characters, especially since we are – forgive the worn-out turn of phrase – not laughing with Rosangela, but at her.

I’d love to hear what others think of the cartoon short, though (for all I know I might be wrong about this) and obviously for now I’ll have to hold my judgement in anticipation of the subsequent episodes. In any case, I believe the cartoon is a first for indie adventure gaming, and it’s always delightful to see an ‘extended’ universe at work!

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Downfall Demo Review

Martyn Zachary 1 Comment

At this point, most of you have probably had the chance to familiarize yourselves with Remigiusz Michalski’s odd-one-out horror adventure Downfall, so instead of simply laying down our impressions in anticipation of a full review, I’m jotting down my two cents on both the new and the old Downfall demo.

I’d also like to attempt to propose the answer to two questions: First, do either manage to capture your interest? Second, do the demos succeed in their utilization of demonstrative methodology? Difficult questions that I hope to address in my post. Read on, and check out some more comparative screenshots after the jump!

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Downfall

Martyn Zachary 2 Comments

Remigiusz Michalski’s new 2D horror adventure game, Downfall, is the latest AGS-based indie project to make it gloriously over to the retail market. The game, designed to attract those craving “…for an intellectual adventure that puts complex storyline and immersive dialogues before the polygon count”, and features “scenes of violence and gore, sexual content and strong language and it is suitable only for persons of 18 years and over”.

From the Harvester Games website:

“Quiet Haven Hotel was supposed to be just a one night shelter for Joe and Lucy Davis. But things soon start to go wrong. Lucy’s panic attacks get worse and soon she disappears. And in the morning hotel changes too. Nothing is what it seems anymore. Joe is left alone, trying to understand what is happening, trapped between reality and the nightmare.”

While the game is obviously another testament to Chris Jones’ fantastic adventure game platform, it’s also a delightful example of perseverance: Back in 2007, Downfall was a mere batch of relatively clumsy, gorey screenshots posted over at the AGS forums. In fact, an early demo version(!) is still available for download in case you’re the kind of person to obsess over a game’s entire production curve. Here is a comparison, of the “old” and “new” Downfall, to really drive home the amount of improvement that’s gone into the project:

At this juncture, the game looks fierce, and sports an interesting, aesthetically cohesive look and feel. The game will be sold, for the modest price tag of $9.99, at Direct2Drive.

Update:

A demo has been released for the game and is currently available on FilePlanet.

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At the Fountain of Youth

Martyn Zachary Leave a comment
WIP Screenshot
WIP Screenshot

If we were to gauge general goodwill and public appreciation with freeware indie game projects, one of the candidates for the top spot would have to be Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth. The well-liked and respected team have surprisingly managed to duck the guns of the ruthless LucasArts legal team and managed to release a succesful demo of considerable length some years ago, to illustrate the breadth and quality of their project.

What separates the project from its most immediate fan game peers is the impeccable taste applied to the artwork of the game, combined with the developers’ pursuit to maintain a closeness to their source material (The team hopes to tap the original actor that played Indy, Doug Lee, for a fully voiced demo) all the while offering an all-new scenario and setting.

The FOY Cast
The FOY Cast

Hopefully this is not too bawdy of me to reveal that the team does post exclusive sneak peek material in the game’s forums. One of the more recent posts includes a fantastic example of the various characters that appear in the game. The all-new character art maintains a lively, organic quality that was almost missing from The Fate of Atlantis.

Can you recognize any of the real-life “cast” counterparts?

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