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Blackwell publisher introduces cyberpunk thriller, Technobabylon
Point-and-click adventure game publisher Wadjet Eye Games announced a partnership to bring a new futuristic game into its catalog today, Technobabylon. Originally developed by James Dearden of Technocrat Games, the cyberpunk game is set in a dystopian future (in 2087, specifically) where an AI named Central powers the game's city and "genetic engineering is the norm." Dearden envisioned Technobabylon as an eight-part episodic series, and created the first three games in 2010. The developer revealed on its blog in October that the game is already "playable from start to finish," and Dearden is working with Wadjet Eye Games to record voices for its characters. The publisher provided a teaser trailer that introduces Charlie Regis, one of the secret police for the futuristic city. Technobabylon is expected to launch this coming spring for PC with Mac and Linux versions planned to arrive later. [Image: Wadjet Eye Games]
A Golden Wake review: The City Beautiful
PC, Mac, Linux Unlike other tales, Grundislav Games' A Golden Wake is a piece of historical fiction, dipping its toe into a deceptively hopeful economic period following the first World War. Being that the game is deeply-rooted in American history, players also have the luxury of knowing the gist of how the story ends; the market crashes, hurricanes hit the coast and the Great Depression sets in. Even with that knowledge on hand, A Golden Wake remains a delightful trip through the best and worst of times for its cast. The point-and-click adventure game skips through the era and its protagonist becomes a sympathetic symbol for a rough economic time. It stars Alfie Banks, a smooth-talking New York real estate agent that travels to Florida to cash in on the 1920s land boom. Banks is one fictional character in a very real setting, but A Golden Wake is as much about the Roaring Twenties as it is about the man that's looking to make a name for himself in the business world.
The 1920s are roaring in A Golden Wake next week
A Golden Wake, the 1920s-themed adventure game published by Blackwell series studio Wadjet Eye Games, will launch next Thursday, October 9. The publisher wants to give players a chance to check the game out in advance, so it is offering a demo, which players can download for PC, Mac or Linux through the game's website or via Steam. Developed by Grundislav Games, the studio behind the episodic Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator, A Golden Wake was first announced in late June. It stars real estate agent Alfie Banks, whose financial goals in the pre-Depression era land him in a compromising position with the mob. Those that purchase the point-and-click adventure game prior to its October 9 launch will receive a free digital version of its jazzy official soundtrack. [Image: Wadjet Eye Games]
First three Blackwell games get adventurous on iOS
The first three entries in the Blackwell series of point-and-click adventure games are now available for iOS. Blackwell: Legacy, which originally launched in December 2006 for PC, costs $1.99 for iPhone and iPad owners. The next two games in the series, Blackwell: Unbound and Blackwell: Convergence, cost $2.99 each. Developed by Wadjet Eye Games, the Blackwell series stars Rosa Blackwell and her ghostly friend Joey Mallone, who helps Rosa assist other ghosts in moving on to the afterlife. The adventure series was confirmed for iOS in December following the developer's first successful attempt at porting one of its point-and-click games based on the Adventure Game Studio engine to iOS, Gemini Rue. The final chapter in the five-game series, Blackwell: Epiphany, launched on PC in April. The series will arrive on Android, Mac and Linux "very soon." [Image: Wadjet Eye Games]
Dodge the mob, try to get rich in the '20s with A Golden Wake
Even the everyday man stood a chance at getting filthy rich in The Roaring Twenties, but Alfie Banks has more to worry about than earning a pile of money: namely, the mob that's after him. Point-and-click adventurers can watch Alfie's back this fall in A Golden Wake, a tale developed for PC by Grundislav Games and published by Wadjet Eye Games. Alfie's story plays out in Coral Gables, a housing development near Miami that's benefiting from the soaring real estate market. Alfie might have a chance of getting in on that housing boom, but the related press release notes the ever-present threat of hurricanes reducing waterfront properties to oceanic rubble, as well as the looming Great Depression. Between mobsters, Mother Nature and the course of history, Alfie's financial goals don't exactly seem like a cakewalk. On the bright side, at least there's swanky music to back his potential demise! [Image: Wadjet Eye Games]
Blackwell Epiphany adventure clicks for closure on PC
The final chapter in Wadjet Eye Games' Blackwell point-and-click adventure series, Blackwell Epiphany, launched this week on PC. Available now through Steam, GOG.com and the developer's site, the fifth installment in the series costs $14.99. Blackwell Epiphany closes out the series, which began in December 2006 with Blackwell Legacy, with a lengthy adventure that stars Rosa Blackwell and her ghostly companion Joey Mallone. Players switch between the two characters (much like Gemini Rue, another excellent point-and-clicker courtesy of Wadjet Eye Games) to face off against a "malevolent force that literally tears souls apart." Wadjet Eye Games announced plans in December to bring the series along with the rest of its catalog to iOS, with the first three Blackwell games scheduled to arrive on the App Store in June. It will also port the series to Android, Mac and Linux. Those looking to try out the game can download the demo directly from Wadjet Eye Games, which is also offering a bundle of the first four Blackwell games on its store for $14.99 and via Steam for $19.99. [Image: Wadjet Eye Games]
Joystiq Weekly: NPD sales data, Trials: Fusion review, A Realm Reborn tips and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. It seems like there are two brands of Trials riders - those who try the series and bail, seeing it for the inevitable, rage-induced heart attack it is, and those that persevere and conquer every track. We're not sure where we fit just yet - some of Trials Fusion's stages give us flashbacks to Super Meat Boy, and our patience is finite. Still, the triumph in each small victory reminds us that we can get the best of gravity, that we can guide motorbikes over ridiculous terrain with the best of them ... until we reach the next stage and the cycle of emotions renews. We've got plenty of resources for anyone that needs a sanity break from Fusion, though! You can brush up on this month's NPD data, read our verdict on Atlus' baby-making RPG, Conception 2: Children of the Seven Stars, or gain some insight on what's next for GaymerX's future. All that and more is laid out in tidy little bulletpoints for you after the break!
The Blackwell Epiphany demo launches ahead of April 24 release
A demo for The Blackwell Epiphany is available now, just ahead of the independent adventure game's April 24 release date. Developed by Wadjet Eye Games, Epiphany is the fifth and final game in the Blackwell series, which first began in 2006. As a guest on a special PAX East edition of the Super Joystiq Podcast, Wadjet Eye's Dave Gilbert discussed the upcoming game, remaining independent since his development career began and the engine that powers his studio's projects. Wadjet Eye is also well known for the adventure titles Gemini Rue and Resonance. At launch, The Blackwell Epiphany will be available for $14.99 via the developer's site, GOG.com, Steam and other online distributors. Pre-ordering the title from Wadjet Eye's website includes a DRM-free copy of the game, redeemable Steam key, soundtrack and exclusive behind-the-scenes development videos. [Image: Wadjet Eye Games]
Humble Bundle PC and Android 9 adds three games
Humble Bundle PC and Android 9 received three more games this week, bringing the total number of games (appropriately) to nine. Those that spend more than the average sale price for the bundle, which is currently $3.89, get The Shivah, Savant Ascent and Syder Arcade in addition to the six games originally announced for the bundle. Each game is available through Steam for PC, Mac and Linux, via DRM-free download and on Android. Created by adventure game developed Wadjet Eye Games, The Shivah follows Rabbi Russell Stone as he surprisingly receives a generous sum of money to keep his synagogue open. Savant Ascent comes from D-Pad Studios and blends enemy-thrashing with the music of electronic musician Savant. A PS4 version of the game was announced in March. Lastly, Studio Evil's Syder Arcade is described as a "free-scrolling, multi-directional shoot em' up." Humble Bundle PC and Android 9 will end on Tuesday, April 15 at 2:00 p.m. EDT. [Image: Wadjet Eye Games]
Pre-order Blackwell Epiphany for April 24, become a medium
Pre-orders are now available for Blackwell Epiphany, the finale of Wadjet Eye Games' adventure-driven Blackwell series due out on April 24. Aside from a DRM-free download of Blackwell Epiphany, pre-ordering will grant buyers a redeemable Steam key, access to exclusive videos featuring the game's voice actors and series creator Dave Gilbert, an invitation to a private livestreaming of Epiphany's launch party, and the game's soundtrack. If you're a bit behind or haven't started the Blackwell series in the first place, the story follows Rosa Blackwell as she copes with the recent death of her aunt, which grants her an odd form of inheritance. After her aunt's death, a ghostly figure straight out of the '30s, Joey Mallone, appears to her and explains that he's been accompanying members of the Blackwell family for a few generations now. With the passing of Rosa's aunt, she's next in line to inherit a ghostly sidekick. Naturally, the duo go on to solve mysteries together, using Rosa's abilities as a medium to communicate with the dead to piece together narratives. Their search for answers and efforts to help the deceased find peace have extended through four previous games, but Epiphany's press release teases that their work bears a "price," which Rosa and Joey will presumably discover in the finale. Blackwell's preceding episodes can be bought from GOG's Blackwell Bundle for $14.99, or purchased directly from Wadjet Eye Games for $4.99-$9.99 apiece. The developer also plans to port the Blackwell series over to iOS, but the adventure has yet to appear on the App Store. [Image: WadjetEye Games]
Twenty developers you don't know, but should
Between consoles, PC, mobile and everything in between, there are so many games released today that it's impossible to keep up with everything that's coming out – and it's even harder to keep up with the studios behind them. Even with a gaming public that's grown accustomed to following big developers like Valve and small studios like Double Fine, countless other studios slide under the radar. In the interest of sifting a signal from the noise, the Joystiq crew has selected 20 developers that deserve your attention. These studios are making games you should play, and their future work should be highly anticipated. This list is by no means exhaustive, and we invite you to share your own favorites in the comments!
Blackwell adventure game series coming to iOS
Wadjet Eye Games is planning to port its PC games to iOS. The news comes from a post by developer Janet Gilbert on the Adventure Game Studio forums, later confirmed by the indie developer to Joystiq. Gilbert's post sought help from a "skilled AGS scripter" to bring the developer's entire back catalog to iOS by "altering the AGS source of our games to make them run nicely on iPhone." Wadjet Eye Games told Joystiq that while it doesn't own the rights to Emerald City Confidential, any of its other games could be ported to iOS, "starting with the Blackwell series." The developer's first attempt at adapting an adventure game to the platform using AGS was with Gemini Rue, which we found to be particularly enjoyable on iPhone.
Indie dev gives game away, hackers steal 30,000 Steam keys overnight
Husband and wife duo Wadjet Eye Games started a giveaway yesterday, offering up Steam codes for Blackwell Deception to celebrate Halloween. The indie developer opted to cancel the adventure game giveaway today after discovering that 30,000 Steam keys were stolen by hackers. The problem was even bigger at first as founder Dave Gilbert discovered that, after issuing a press release to the media about the giveaway earlier this week, the generated keys unlocked Wadjet Eye Games' entire catalog. After sorting that issue out, Gilbert discovered that buyers were "ordering multiple copies of the game – hundreds at a time. And collecting Steam keys for reselling later," he told Red Door Blue Key. Gilbert asked his sales provider, BMT, to create an IP-detecting Steam code generator page, though it didn't stop resellers from masking their IPs to continue their thieving efforts. After removing the link to the Steam key generator, Gilbert returned today to find that because the generator itself still existed, some 30,000 keys had been stolen. He announced via Twitter that Steam has disabled the keys generated after midnight and that, per his request, no bans will be issued to those that redeemed the Steam codes. Blackwell Deception is the fourth game in the Blackwell adventure series, and was first made available on Steam in January 2012. The game can be purchased for $10, though Wadjet Eye Games is also offering a four-game bundle of the series to date for $20.
Portabliss: Gemini Rue (iOS)
Gritty, futuristic adventure game Gemini Rue started as a student project by Joshua Nuernberger. Nuernberger received help from Wadjet Eye Games, the husband and wife tandem of Dave and Janet Gilbert, who helped bring the point-and-click adventure to Steam in October 2011. The game runs on the Adventure Game Studio engine, which was first created in 1999, back when the notion of porting games to a mobile device wasn't at the front of developers' minds. Janet spent eight months adapting the AGS engine to iOS, and Gemini Rue is the first attempt at bringing one of Wadjet Eye Games' adventures to the platform. For a first attempt, it's quite impressive.Gemini Rue has players controlling two characters located across a stretch of space from one another in the distant future. Azriel Odin, an ex-assassin, is searching for his missing brother. The other playable character, Charlie, starts the game with his memory being erased after a failed escape attempt from an unknown testing facility. Each piece of the mystery unravels at a good pace. The initial puzzles provide the backdrop for the game's well-conceived universe, itself an intriguing, nearly relatable Earth-like world full of crime. As the story progresses, the plot thickens and twists in a mostly expected manner before dropping a hefty, deep series of concepts on the player at the end.If you think that sounds like a vague explanation of Gemini Rue's story, you're spot-on. I can't unveil the plot in good conscience; it simply needs to be played. It isn't ground-breaking by any means, but the tale is wholly enjoyable and worthwhile to anyone who enjoys dark sci-fi.%Gallery-185147%
Gemini Rue gets adventurous on iOS April 11
Gemini Rue, a gritty point-and-click adventure game that launched on PC in 2011, will come to iOS on April 11 for $4.99. For the first few weeks of release on the new platform, Gemini Rue will be available for the discounted price of $3.99.Wadjet Eye Games co-designer and CTO Janet Gilbert spent eight months adapting the open-source Adventure Game Studio engine to iOS in order to make the game as "touch-screen friendly as possible," studio founder Dave Gilbert told Joystiq at PAX East. Being a point-and-click adventure game, Janet expanded the hot-spots for select items in the game to make the experience less frustrating for iPhone users.Gemini Rue is the publisher's first game on iOS, and will serve as a test as to whether it will port more of the studio's titles to the platform. "If people buy this, then we could justify porting everything else," Dave said. "If it does badly then there's really no point, because this is our best-selling game on the best-selling platform, so that's the best way to gauge to see if it's worth doing."He added, "So if you want to see Resonance on iOS, buy Gemini Rue."
Dark sci-fi point-and-clicker Gemini Rue slinks onto iOS this spring
Gemini Rue, a critically acclaimed neo-noir point-and-click adventure that won the IGF Student Showcase back in 2010, is coming to iOS in the spring. The thriller, which mixes gritty noir mystery with cosmic sci-fi, was released for PCs in 2011, and indie publisher Wadjet Eye Games tells us it's now tweaking the game for iPad and iPhone.Gemini Rue follows the futuristic stories of an assassin-turned cop forced to turn to his former criminal employers for help, and somewhere across the galaxy a prisoner who wakes up in a hospital not knowing who he is or how he got there. As their lives entangle, the mystery unfolds.
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Resonance
Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Vince Wesselmann throws it back to an adventurous era with his point-and-click title, Resonance, which launched today on Steam at 10 percent off. What's your game called and what's it about?My labor of love is called Resonance. It's a point-and-click adventure game where you take control of four characters and their memories to work your way through a complex sci-fi mystery. A scientist has died after creating a terrible new technology and the race is on to secure his secret vault before the technology falls into the wrong hands. The player can use the unique short-term memory system to talk to any character in the game about practically anything you see. So you'll have to do some logical thinking to figure out how to navigate the game's tricky puzzles and twisty plot.What's the coolest aspect of Resonance?One of the unique features to this game is the Short-Term Memory system, which is tightly interwoven with the dialogue system. In most adventure games, when you talk to a character, you choose from a small selection of dialogue options the designer has chosen for you. Resonance has that as well, but it adds on the ability to "remember" any object you see in the game using your Short-Term Memory. You can then use these memories in conversation with any character in the game.Since the correct options are no longer served up on a silver platter, you'll have to think critically about which topics of conversation might help you in each situation. And with hundreds of possible objects to talk about, brute-forcing these solutions is right out the window. The window, by the way, can also be used as a Short-Term Memory in dialogue.
PAX 10 winner Puzzle Bots available for half price during expo
Erin Robinson's excellent Puzzle Bots was chosen as one of the PAX 10 winners for this weekend's Seattle convention, and as a result, Wadjet Eye games has it on sale all weekend long. By entering the code "PUZZLEPAX" at checkout, you can play the cheerful little strategy puzzle title for $4.99 instead of the usual $10. There's a free demo available if you want to try before you buy and the game will also be playable on the PAX show floor -- so if you have a friend in Seattle, ask them what they think. An excellent deal on an excellent indie title, even for those of us who aren't partying with Tycho and Gabe this weekend.
