Hands-On Preview The Exchange Student Developer: Pan Metron Ariston Publisher: TBD Genre: Adventure Release Date: TBD Platform: Hands-On Preview by Ryan Casey August 7, 2006

Buy this game at Trade for this game at:

From late 2002 until mid-2005, a popular magazine called The Inventory was featured here at Just Adventure. Unfortunately, due to a lack of interest from staff writers, the magazine only produced 25 issues before folding last May. But its creator, Dimitris Manos, also editor of Adventure Europe, has been hard at work on an independent adventure called The Exchange Student that will not disappoint.

TES is an "interactive sitcom" similar in structure to the Bone and upcoming Sam and Max games, with episodic installments. The primary installment is called "First Day in Sweden." The story focuses on Emilio Carboni, a 22-year-old Italian boy who, try as he may, has never been successful with the ladies. His pal Vicenzo suggests an exchange program to Sweden, where he recently spent some time and befriended many attractive young women. Thus, Emilio is determined to leave the Casa Carboni and become a man!

The game's cartoonish art fits its silly, sometimes sophomoric humor. The crowning artistic achievements are the backgrounds, created by none other than Bill Eaken. His art has been featured in such notable games as Leisure Suit Larry 3 and The Curse of Monkey Island, to name a few. They are detailed and creative, capturing the feel of each new setting with distinctive flair. The characters are more like caricatures, and if you look closely you will laugh at some of the features that the artists gave them (i.e. lots of chest hair for Emilio).

The UI is simple to use. There is a bright orange arrow that will blink when you roll over a hotspot. You have three interactive icons: look, talk, and use. (As in many recent games with this type of interface, especially Al Emmo, it is fun to try all three for each object and person!) When you roll your mouse over the top of the screen, a bar pulls down with links to the Main Menu and and in-game hint system (cleverly titled 'Ints and Tips), as well as your inventory.

The demo only included two small puzzles: ridding Emilio's room of 'incriminating evidence' (all of his, er, adult material) and making him 'look and smell like a Roman god' so as to woo the Swedish girls. These tasks are clearly outlined for you in the beginning and the solutions are quite clever. As far as I can tell, the game bases most of its puzzle on logical thinking, though sometimes with an added creative twist. Sometimes it is necessary to think like the main character in order to come up with a solution!

The voiceovers are very well-done for an independent offering. The ever-talented John Bell works his magic with the lead role, the mother's weeping and sniffing throughout her lines is a riot, and the father's Godfather-like demeanor is played to a tee. It should also be mentioned that one of the actresses, Irene Tuomainen, originally from Sweden, has been the voice coach for Jennifer Garner on TV's "Alias," to help with her Swedish accent.

Because the demo was so short, I wrote Dimitris to ask him a few additional questions about his game:

When did you decide you wanted to make an AG?

Well it's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. But, that dream seemed very distant back then. Later on when I started publishing The Inventory, I was 'forced' to play many adventure games for the purposes of reviewing. This process gave me a better insight in what it takes to make an adventure game. It was at that time that I first thought of making an adventure game. The timing was also right because the tools needed for making a game are much more accessible nowdays than they were a few years back.

How did the idea for TES come about?

At some point, I think about 2 years ago if I remember correctly, a publisher of mobile games contacted me and asked me if I know of someone who would like to write stories for their games. I suggested that I could give it a go, and write some plot suggestions for them. They said that they were looking for games similar to Leisure Suit Larry and Laura Bow... I had been an exchange student myself, and during my years as an exchange student I met quite a few 'Larry-like' characters so with real life events being an excellent source of inspiration I started writing a story about an exchange student from Italy who embarks on a quest for romance! The publisher liked the idea and we started working on the game, but half-way in development the publisher said that they would like to postpone its release and buy the rights and maybe develop it in the future. I prefered to retain the rights and look for another publisher. After about a year of negotiations I realized that the mobile market is not ready for an adventure game yet (unless that adventure game is very very simple and can fit in 20KB!) Therefore I prefered to start my own company and release The Exchange Student in episodes in the form of a casual game.

What has the experience as an indy developer been like?

Like waves in the sea. It is never easy to start your 'own thing' . There were many moments in the past 2 years when I felt like quitting. There were other moments when I was really excited. For example, it's not so often that someone happens to work side by side with someone who has such a tremendous history in gaming like Bill Eaken. Seeing the game come into life is also a fantastic experience. So all in all, it's been a mixture of feelings, but mostly it's been a learning experience. And some things I've learnt are:
- Never announce a release date
- Never work with someone without a contract
- Never give up

If you're as interested in this game as I am, be sure to visit the official website and sign up for the newsletter. In just a few short weeks, you will be able to order the PC version of Episode 1 from the website, with the Mac and Pocket PC version available a month after. The newsletter will confirm this information and let you know when the trailer is released and if any casual game portals choose to pick up the game. (Plus, did I mention that the website will have you laughing out loud?)

I encourage everyone to put The Exchange Student on your 'anticipated games' list. It is definitely one to watch out for!