Under development adventure games that are worth a mention

Adventure/Lucasfilm Games
21

There is an under development adventure game that I would like to mention, because I was pretty much intrigued by its atmosphere and because some of the users of this forum like games inspired by Lovecraft.

Saint Kotar

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Description

Saint Kotar is a 2.5D point and click adventure game in development for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The game merges psychological horror narrative and classically inspired point 'n click adventure mechanics with switchable characters.

Digitally hand-painted with a distinctive art style that fits the game’s mood, fully voiced and featuring an original eerie soundtrack, Saint Kotar draws inspiration from p&c classics like Broken Sword and Monkey Island, along with the works from horror fiction writers such as H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe.

The plot

Invited to attend an exhibition of rare medieval art, the protagonists travel to Saint Kotar at the end of October 2006. The welcoming is cold, as they find themselves dragged abruptly into a macabre series of murders, allegedly related to Satanic worship and witchcraft. These dreadful acts compel the protagonists to follow the shadow of something deeply hidden behind the town’s dark past.

Notes

I have discovered the game thanks to this thread on AdventureGamers and since then I have been followed its development.

For example, here you have a video that compares their old 2D mode with the new 2.5D mode, explaining why the developers finally have chosen the 2.5D solution (a la Grim Fandango):

Links

Official website, concept art and first images
Development blog

22

@LowLevel thank you! I saw some Obra Dinn screenshots a few years ago and couldn’t remember the title. I’m so looking forward to PAX! :slight_smile:

23

The Indiemegabooth seems very interesting this year. I’m sure that you’ll have a great time attending the event. :slight_smile:

24

Am I the only one who can’t see any more horror (adventure) games? It seems they are very popular at the moment?

But I have to admit that “Saint Kotar” looks very interesting. :slight_smile:

25

I have the same impression. I usually skip horror adventure games when I see them announced in the news and I remember a lot of skipped news in the last two years.

For some reason “Saint Kotar” caught my attention, probably due to its graphics.

There are other under-development horror adventure games that I really really would like to play but I don’t want to share them here because I don’t want to create false expectations. Their developer is Jonathan Boakes and that probably means that we will see them not sooner that thirty years from now. Boakes is a master of creepy and suspenseful adventure games (their audio design is especially good) but he’s also extremely s l o w.

26

Despite Amanita Design (Machinarium, Botanicula, etc.) being one of my favorite adventure game developers, their new under-development game completely slipped under my radar.

If you have already played some of their games, you’ll immediately recognize the quirkiness of their style. The game is called…

Chuchel

Currently there are just a couple of video teasers (here is one)…

… and also an official website and a Twitter profile, that I will follow from now on. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
27

Same here - thanks for the links! Here is a “trailer” with gameplay:

Seems to be a very funny game. :slight_smile:

1 Like
28

I didn’t notice that video, thanks!

Very charming graphics and animations, as usual. Should be a selling point for kids as well.

The kind of gameplay seems to be very similar to the one of Botanicula. If it will turn out that all the activity is restricted to the current room/scene, it might also feel conceptually similar to Gobliiins and Windosill.

29

I have started to follow the development of a new promising adventure game. It is developed creating physical miniatures of scenes and objects, that are eventually captured with a 3D scanner.

I really like its photography and the references to “Twin Peaks” and “The X-Files” (does that remind you of anything?).

Trüberbrook

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Description

Gameplaywise, »Trüberbrook« is a somewhat classic point-and-click adventure game with a modern approach.

Mood and atmosphere of the game are inspired by TV series like »Twin Peaks«, »The X-Files« and »True Detective«. The game mixes German folklore with a gripping sci-fi storyline, covering universal themes like love, friendship, loyalty, rootlessness, self-discovery and dinosaurs.

One of the most distinctive features of the game is it’s unique visual style: The whole scenery and all backdrops will be build as real miniature scale models, captured with a 3D scanner, digitally polished and then blended with animated characters, visual effects and set extensions.

Story

»Trüberbrook« is a thrilling mystery adventure game set in rural Germany in the late 1960s. The player takes the role of young american physicist Tannhauser, who happens to end up in the eponymous village of Trüberbrook, an ageing but beautiful health resort somewhere in the densely forested countryside of West Germany. Tannhauser, while working on his PhD thesis, comes to Trüberbrook seeking to crack a tiresome mental block. But something in this town seems strangely spaced out.

The superficial german homeland setting gradually evolves into a puzzling sci-fi mystery. Tannhauser teams up with Gretchen, a paleoanthropologist seeking to unravel the folkloristic mysteries surrounding the village. He also bumps into the enigmatic inventor Lazarus Taft, a stranded traveler yearning for home.

Links

Official website
Development blog
FAQ

2 Likes
30

That one looks really nice.

31

Yes, very interesting find. I’m curious how the animations are when you actually play it.

32

I hope that they will be similar to the Unity 3D in-game footage shown in the video. Characters have smooth movements and the camera pans to keep the playable character visible.

33

One problem could be the shadows and how smooth the animations are. But the video looks very promising.

34

Why could shadows be a problem? In the Unity footage the main character seems to cast shadows with no issues.

35

But he stays/rest at the same position. If he walks around, the game has to render his shadow dynamic depending on his position. In the scenes are very small and complex objects (for example the model of the solar system or the suitcase) and complex lights. If you aren’t very careful, the computer generated shadows aren’t looking very realistic or are wrong. For example have a look at the second picture where the hero looks into the window. In this position his face and the upper(!) parts of his body have to be brighter. If he walks over to the cupboard this face has to be darker. If you forget to model this in the game, the face will have the same brightness. This will recognize the brain of the players.

36

I’m referring to the shadow of his arm on the floor, when he moves his arm to smoke. It seems correctly projected.

Am I wrong to assume that if the developer correctly positions the different types of lights in the 3D scene, Unity just correctly cast the shadows in real time? Unity even supports global illumination. I would be surprised to discover that a developer “forgot” to design the lights of the scene.

37

In this case, yes. :slight_smile: The question is, if the shadows are correct rendered if you (the player) let the hero walk around.

Yes, this is correct. But you have to model/scan the objects correct and set the lights correct. Especially if you would like to have a photo-realistic scene, that’s not that easy as it sounds.

The problem is, that they combine photos with 3D objects. But let’s wait for the result. :slight_smile:

38

I’m really impressed by the graphic style of this under-development adventure game.

The plot doesn’t seem very new (random guy saving the world) but I’ll keep an eye on the game, that should be released in a few weeks.

Unforeseen Incidents

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Description

Unforeseen Incidents is a classic interactive mystery set in a beautifully hand-painted world. Join Harper and experience a challenging investigation, smart dialog and a rich cast of characters in this thrilling new adventure game from Backwoods Entertainment and Application Systems Heidelberg.

The plot

When small-town handyman Harper Pendrell meets a dying woman in the street, he unwittingly stumbles into a diabolical conspiracy – a mystery only he can solve. An unknown disease is spreading across the country, and between them a scientist, a reporter and a reclusive artist hold the key to stopping it.

Links

More screenshots and press kit
Development blog

3 Likes
39

Wow, looks real nice! The first and the last image have that Andrew Wyeth style(intentional or not), that I really like.

40

Here is a second teaser of Trüberbrook, the adventure game with hand-made environments. The video shows also some of the techniques used to create a scene: