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WildStar previews upcoming adventures
It's fortunate for adventurers on Nexus that they won't be alone. And that's not just a matter of their faction; no, they'll have a little help from the Caretaker, a sentient AI left behind by the Eldan. Yes, he may have been waiting just a little while to deal with another sentient life form, but he's certainly not bitter about untold centuries of complete neglect without any word or even so much as a steady stream of information. So when you meet him in WildStar, why not let him take you on an adventure? The latest WildStar teaser is just past the break, and it hints at how adventures will work -- players will be put into a virtual construct wherein they can choose how to proceed, with consequences depending on which choices are made. They're also replayable, allowing groups to go back through and try different choices on the second time around. Click on past the break to let the Caretaker explain it in his own words... but you might want to sit a little further back from your monitor. He's a bit on edge. [Source: Carbine Studios press release]
Nevermind: a biofeedback horror game for your mental health
In horror-adventure game Nevermind, your performance is influenced by your emotional state. Nevermind is built on biofeedback technology: You hook up a heart-rate monitor and play, becoming more unhinged by the PC game's subject matter, after which tasks and scenarios immediately ramp up in difficulty. Like other first-person adventure games in the vein of Myst, you must navigate strange environments in Nevermind and solve the puzzles within before you can progress. In one scenario, a kitchen is filling up with milk and you're in danger of drowning unless you figure out how to stop the flood. The faster your actual heart rate, the faster the room fills with delicious-yet-deadly Vitamin D. Calm yourself and the tide will slow, giving you more time to figure out how to proceed. You explore the subconscious mind of severe trauma patients in Flying Mollusk's Nevermind, so naturally the subject matter will be a bit grim. Creator Erin Reynolds, a former Zynga full-timer who ditched the day job in late September to dedicate herself entirely to this, is not only trying to create a horror game that excels in its own right, but wants to provide players with an experience that instills real-life skills for dealing with stressful situations.
Daedalic schedules Randal's Monday to right its wrongs in Q3 2014
When someone wakes up with a hangover, you'd expect them to hydrate, take aspirin or rest up to get through the day, right? We don't consider selling a friend's engagement ring par for the Regretting Booze course, but apparently Randal does. In Randal's Monday, this choice results in his friend Matt killing himself, leaving Randal cursed to live through the same Monday until he finds a way to fix his mistake. Randal's Monday is a point-and-click adventure game from Daedalic Games and Nexus Game Studios, layered with geek and pop culture references from the past two decades. More than 50 characters will cross paths with Randal in his quest for decency, which is scheduled for a digital release on PCs in Q3 of 2014. [Image: Randal's Monday YouTube channel]
Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse submitted to Apple
The first episode of two-parter Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse should be available soon on iOS. Developer Revolution Software says it has submitted the final build to Apple and is awaiting approval. Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse made its debut on Steam back in December. The game is available on PC, Mac OSX and Linux; a PS Vita port is also available. The second and final part of Broken Sword 5 will be available in Q1 2014 as a free update to the base game. Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse, the latest in the iconic point-and-click adventure series started in 1996, was financed through Kickstarter, where Revolution managed to secure $771,561 to make the game. Broken Sword 5 follows lawyer George Stobbart and journalist Nico Collard, both of whom find themselves caught up in the theft of a mysterious painting – an art piece that has ties to Spanish fascists in the second World War. Image: Revolution Software
Broken Age Act 1 now available, have a launch trailer
The first half of Broken Age, the latest adventure from Grim Fandango designer Tim Schafer and his crew at Double Fine Productions, is now available to the general public. As Ludwig points out in our review of Broken Age Act 1, the game is clearly the offspring of the classic point-and-click adventure games that Schafer had a big hand in popularizing, though the archaic elements of the genre are mated with more modern, user-friendly features, resulting in an enjoyable, if staid, adventure. "The lack of challenge and a dearth of branching dialogue (sorry – these dialogue trees resemble bamboo shafts) disappoint, yes, but Broken Age always elicits a smile and a desire to continue," our review states before awarding the game 4 of 5 stars. Whether you prefer the PC, Mac or Linux platforms, you'll find Broken Age Act 1 now available on Steam for $25. Broken Age Act 2 is slated for release "later this year" when it will become available to owners of Act 1 as a free downloadable addition.
Divinity: Original Sin now on Steam Early Access
After drawing in more than $900,000 on Kickstarter, Larian Studios' prequel to Divine Divinity, Divinity: Original Sin, is ready for a bit of open-world questing on PCs via Early Access. While buying in will grant you the full game once it's finished, Divinity's Early Access page estimates the current offering to be "the first 15 hours of the game." It also suggests that those looking for something representative of the final version's content and polish should pass on the Early Access version, which is meant to allow players to "influence development" with feedback. Sounds reasonable! The page also notes that while Larian will be updating the game regularly, save games will "not be compatible between versions." Sooo maybe don't get super attached to any adventures you start until Divinity's final version is released. Of course, the final version will include an RPG maker, so you could just get familiar with Divinity's mechanics and then make your own adventure. Larian is encouraging all participants to share their thoughts concerning balancing, bugs and potential improvements on Divinity's discussion board. If you're interested in helping or just itching to venture through the first chunk of the game, $39.99 will get you an Early Access copy. You can also go for the $59.99 double pack and try out the Early Access multiplayer with a friend.
Sherlock Holmes adventures dev bringing Call of Cthulhu to PC, next-gen
Frogwares announced the development of a Call of Cthulhu game today for PC and next-gen systems, presumably Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Published by Focus Home Interactive, Call of Cthulhu is based on the tabletop RPGs that are themselves rooted in the 1928 novel by H.P. Lovecraft. The developer is known for its series of Sherlock Holmes adventure games, its most recent being Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments. Whether Call of Cthulhu is also in the adventure genre remains to be seen, but the developer did offer four pieces of concept art, which can be found in the gallery below. This isn't the first time a developer adapted the Lovecraft story to video game form. Bethesda published Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth on Xbox in 2005, bringing the game to PC one year later before re-launching it on Steam in 2009. Red Wasp Design also brought forth its own interpretation of the book in Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land on iOS in January 2012.
Broken Age goes public on January 28, taking pre-orders now
The first act of Double Fine's graphic adventure game Broken Age will be available to the public on January 28 for PC, Mac and Linux. The game will launch two weeks after being made available to Kickstarter backers today. Broken Age is available for pre-order on Steam at a 10 percent discount ($22.49) until it launches. Double Fine earned over $3.3 million on Kickstarter in March 2012 for its "Double Fine Adventure" crowdfunding campaign, which was given the name Broken Age one year later. A backers-only update on the game's Kickstarter page revealed that the game will skip Steam's Early Access program and launch in full on Steam with season pass support. While Broken Age will land on iOS, Android and Ouya at an undisclosed date, the concluding second act of the game will launch as a free update to owners later this year.
GOG.com points at, clicks the deals button on Telltale, Daedalic adventure games
GOG.com is offering 16 adventure games or bundles on sale, with discounts up to 85 percent off until Tuesday, January 14. Each PC or Mac game in the sale is published by either Daedalic Entertainment or Telltale Games, including games in the Sam and Max series, Deponia series and Tales of Monkey Island. Among the more noteworthy deals is a combo pack for two games in the Edna and Harvey series: The Breakout and Harvey's New Eyes for $2.99, which amounts to $17 in savings. Additionally, players can pick up the Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures pack for $2.99, which saves an additional $17 on four episodes: Fright of the Bumblebees, The Last Resort, Muzzled, and The Bogey Man. Head past the break to see the full list of discounted games and their respective prices.
The Witcher travels to cardboard land with Fantasy Flight board game
A board game based on The Witcher property is coming courtesy of a partnership between CD Projekt RED - developers of the Witcher games - and Fantasy Flight Games. Gameplay details are light, but according to the game's official site, players will assume the role of one of four heroes: Geralt of Rivia, Dandelion, Triss Merigold and Yarpen Zigrin. Each hero has a unique set of skills and their own deck of what are called "Development Cards," though what these cards do is unknown. The site also emphasizes storytelling and adventuring, as players will have to tackle various quests which range from simple monster hunts to exposing a traitor in the royal court. Sure, The Witcher Adventure Game is a board game, which means it won't have the pretty graphics that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was known for, but who needs those when we have our imaginaaaations?
American McGee's Grimm twists fairy tales on Steam
American McGee's Grimm is now available on Steam. Developed by Spicy Horse, the game includes 23 half-hour-long episodes based on fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood, The Golden Goose, Cinderella, Pinnochio, Sleeping Beauty and Jack and the Beanstalk. The developer stresses that the contained episodes can be enjoyed in any order, so players that want to see the "darkly twisted" side of Cinderella can start with that. The 23 episodes are available for 99 cents apiece ($25.77 total when purchased individually). Players can buy the first eight-episode season for $3.99, which is listed at $8.00 on Spicy Horse's website. Otherwise, the game's complete pack is available for $9.99. American McGee's Grimm first launched for Windows in July 2008, and arrived on Steam's Greenlight service in July 2013.
Start digging with The Cave on Android
Android fans need go without oddball adventure game The Cave no longer, as the game found its way to that platform late last week. The Cave costs $4.99 on the Google Play store, and arrived a few weeks after making an appearance on Ouya. The adventure game comes from The Secret of Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert and Double Fine, the developer Gilbert left in March. The Cave first launched in January on PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac, Linux and Wii U. Our review of the XBLA version considered it the "cruelest of Double Fine's games," noting its sharp writing and somewhat tiresome repetition.
Silence: The Whispered World 2 arriving in late 2014 on PC and Mac
Silence: The Whispered World 2 will arrive in late 2014, Daedalic Entertainment announced today. The German developer will bring the sequel to its 2010 adventure game, The Whispered World, to both PC and Mac. As indicated by the title, players return to the dream-like world of Silence in the game, controlling a boy named Noah on his journey to find his younger sister Renie. Daedalic noted that some "familiar faces" will return in the sequel along with "a host of new features." The developer didn't mention any specifics, though the adventure game will likely adopt similar point-and-click mechanics as those used in the first game. Gametrailers has a debut video for Silence: The Whispered World 2, which sets up the game's dreary environments and wartime-like atmosphere.
The wolf is among iOS today
Telltale's The Wolf Among Us is set to launch today on iOS. The game's first episode, titled "Faith," will cost $4.99, while a pass for the game's entire season will be priced at $14.99, Touch Arcade reported. The latest trailer for the game notes that it will also arrive "soon" on PlayStation Vita. The Wolf Among Us' first episode launched in mid-October on Xbox 360 and PC. The series is based on Bill Willingham's Fables comic series, guiding the werewolf-like Sheriff Bigby through a section of New York City known as Fabletown. Our review of the episode found the game to be a "perfect beginning" to Telltale's new series, and it made us "invested in protecting these curious creatures from our storybooks."
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.
Familiar character returning in The Walking Dead season two
Telltale Games took to Twitter to tease the return of a familiar face in the opening episode of The Walking Dead's second season. The episode, titled "All That Remains," is expected to launch this month. Telltale already broke the news in July that Clementine, the leading lady of the adventure game's first season, would be a part of the second season in some capacity. As for the other character, we've placed the original screen Telltale tweeted after the break to account for those that consider it just a little too much of a spoiler. No, the image above does not indicate that Kitten McFluffykins is returning in All That Remains, but that would be pretty unexpected, wouldn't it?
Hotline Miami publisher to tackle crowdfunded point-and-clicker Dropsy
Devolver Digital announced that it will publish crowdfunded indie adventure game Dropsy. The game's Kickstarter project, which successfully surpassed its $14,000 goal, is slated to end on November 24. Designer Jay Tholen explained in an update on the project's page that Devolver Digital will help the developer with marketing, QA and localization of the game, and will top off development funds to ensure it reaches its stretch goals. In development since 2011, the PC, Mac and Linux game is a point-and-click adventure game in which characters guide a "misunderstood but cheerful" ex-clown named Dropsy through a "surreal, grotesque world." With his dog Eughh at his side, Dropsy journeys through the world to bring happiness to others, offering unwanted hugs to everyone, as he "doesn't recognize anyone as his enemy." Tholen notes in the game's pitch video that it is almost entirely text-free, replacing traditional point-and-click elements with symbols that players need to interpret on their own to reflect Dropsy's inability to speak. Devolver Digital noted that "any and all funds collected via Kickstarter will of course remain with the developer to fund the development of Dropsy," and that it "is not involved with money from backers nor do we have any say in how it is used." Tholen and his team sought funding on Kickstarter for the game twice before: The developer raised $1,613 in November 2011 before failing to reach its $25,000 goal in July of this year.
1979 Revolution shakes down to PC, Mac and Android
1979 Revolution, Ink Stories' 3D adventure game that places players in the midst of the tense Iranian protests of that year, will come to PC, Mac and Android. This is in addition to the game's initial platform of choice, iOS, which is being developed in Unity, making the transition to the other platforms easier for the developer. The episodic indie game is currently seeking $395,000 by December 16 on Kickstarter to launch its first episode, Black Friday. Those looking to back the project and obtain a PC or Mac version of 1979 Revolution will need to invest at least $20, whereas the iOS and Android reward tiers are listed at $15. Ink Stories' campaign is currently sitting at $56,163 in funding.
1979 Revolution tells the true story of Iran protests
Indie developer Ink Stories recently launched a Kickstarter project for its iOS adventure game 1979 Revolution. The game takes place during the riots and protests in Iran in that year of history, which Creator Navid Khonsari lived through personally before his family moved to North America in 1980. Khonsari first told Joystiq about his vision for 1979: The Game in February 2011, though it's not clear whether Ink Stories has overhauled the previous open world-style game or if 1979 Revolution is a new adventure entirely. 1979 Revolution is an episodic, 3D adventure game that has players avoiding authorities and making consequential decisions during the tense historical period. As Khonsari describes in the crowdfunding pitch video, the game features triage and photography mini-games, the latter granting players access to real-life photographs of the Iranian revolution. The Kickstarter project is seeking $395,000 by December 16 to launch the first episode, titled Black Friday, in spring 2014. With enough support, Ink Stories hopes to bring the game to Android, PC, Mac, Linux and other consoles.
First episode of Broken Sword 5 pointing and clicking on December 4
The first episode of Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse will launch on December 4, developer Revolution Software announced. The point-and-click adventure will arrive on PC, Mac and Linux first with Android and iOS versions following "soon after," though no release date for the mobile games has been set. The game will also come to Vita later this year. Revolution Software earned $771,561 on Kickstarter in September 2012 to fund the next entry in the adventure series, which began in 1996. Broken Sword 5 is split into two episodes, each episode being "a full sized game in its own right," the developer writes. The second episode is due out in January 2014.
