The PC version of Adam’s Venture: The Search for the Lost is set for a release on October 2nd 2009 in the UK. In other countries the game will be released later in Q4-2009. Twitchy gets to ask Tristan Lambert of Vertigo Digital Entertainment for some details pre-release
1) Hi, it is at this point were I would normally ask for you to introduce yourselves and your individual roles in the development of Adams Venture The search for the lost garden.
My name is Tristan Lambert and I’m one of the founding members of Vertigo Digital Entertainment. For the Adam’s Venture series I’ve done work both as a programmer and as a writer. A quite unusual combination of activities one might say, but then again…I’m quite an unusual fellow.
2) For those of us who have not been following the development of Adams Venture The search for the lost garden, could you please provide us with a brief synopsis of the game.
Adam’s Venture – The Search for the Lost Garden, is the first episode in the Adam’s Venture series. The story begins when Adam Venture, a young explorer, discovers an ancient scroll in an old templar church in France. The scroll seems to pinpoint the exact location of the long lost Garden of Eden.
Adam and his girlfriend, Evelyn, than set out on an expedition and quickly find out the scrolls were right. However, Eden’s mighty gates have been closed since the beginning of time, and to open them is no small undertaking…
3) It has been documented that the game has been developed using the Unreal 3 Engine. What elements do you feel have made it possible to improve by doing so.
Our company already had quite a bit of experience with the Unreal Engine, which enabled us to focus our effort on those things we feel are important for an adventure game: atmosphere, story line, immersiveness and game play.
4) Adams Venture The search for the lost garden is an episodic adventure how many episodes will there be and as it is middle band pricing how long do you expect a gamer in which to complete each episode?
The Adam’s Venture episodes will appear in series of three, wherein each series tells a complete story. So, at least three episodes are already planned for. The first episode is good for approximately three hours of game play, and we strive to make subsequent episodes even longer.
5) Has development begun on the next episode?
It sure has! We’ve learned a lot from the first episode, and couldn’t wait to put those lessons into practice. Furthermore, we feel it’s important not to keep our fans waiting for too long between episodes. We strive to constantly improve ourselves and the games we make, so hopefully episode II will reflect this.
6) Can you give us some sort of indication of the puzzle type – are they inventory based and what level of difficulty can we expect?
Most puzzles in the first episode aren’t really that difficult. Although there are several though ones in there for the fans, we didn’t want hours of frustration to distract players from the story -or worse- discourage them from playing further.
To add to the sense of immersion into the Adam’s Venture universe, we’ve opted for a minimalistic interface. You can still play around with items of course, but only within the context of a single puzzle. In the first episode every puzzle is based upon a different biblical theme. Game play wise they are quite diverse, with turning disk puzzles providing hints and context throughout.
7) What is your favorite game of all time and what is your inspiration?
I tend to like games that are heavy on the storyline. I can’t name a single favorite, but: Syberia I & II, the Baldur’s Gate series, and Half Life 2 are all games I thoroughly enjoyed.
My inspiration mostly comes from those things I remember feeling absolutely thrilled about when I was a small child: Indiana Jones, Star Wars, all sorts of cartoons and comic books. Ok, I admit it: I still feel absolutely thrilled by those things!
Thank you for your time. I look forward to the release of Adams Venture The search for the lost garden and hope it brings success
