Preview MARTIN MYSTÈRE: OPERATION DORIAN GREY Developer: Artematica Publisher: GMX (Europe), TBD (North America) Release Date: September 2004 (Europe) Platform: Preview by Randy Sluganski May 26, 2004

One of the joys of the E3 is the opportunity to meet developers from around the world. Language barriers often prohibit effective email exchanges so a face-to-face encounter is a great way to not only get to know someone, but to also better grasp the meaning of those idioms that have you scratching your head in an email.

It was in these circumstances that I sat down to Starbuck frappucinos with Riccardo Cangini of Artematica. Riccardo is a very pleasant, unassuming gentleman who both speaks and understands a little English. As for me, the only Italian I speak or understand is ‘large pizza with pepperoni and anchovies.’ But somehow the language of adventure games is universal. By the end of our hour-long meeting we understood each other like lifelong friends.

Riccardo could not wait to show me his newest game – Martin Mystère: Operation Dorian Grey and JA readers are sure to be thrilled with the results.

Martin Mystère is actually the name of a detective who is an expert at archeology anthropology and computers. He does not investigate police cases, but instead attempts to solve the great enigmas of the universe such as the existence of Atlantis, who built Stonehenge and even the true identity of Santa Claus. He is in many ways an Italian version of Indiana Jones.

Extremely popular in parts of Europe, he has not only appeared in hundreds of comics and graphic novels, but also his own television show. Great care is taken incorporate realism and facts into the fictional Martin Mystère stories. His adventures have also appeared in North America under the Darkhorse comics label.

Now starring in his first adventure game, Martin Mystère is sure to have strong appeal to fans of both the Gabriel Knight series and Indiana Jones without the action elements. In fact, Martin is actually an American by birth and though many of his adventures occur in Italy, he lives not far from New York University where he is often a lecturer. He is also one of those rare comic characters who ages throughout the years.

Operation Dorian Grey is an old-fashioned point-and-click with 3D real-time characters set against a pre-rendered background. The plot’s central theme is ‘what if there were a machine capable of transferring an older man’s mind intact with all his memories and sensations into a younger man’s body?’ We don’t want to reveal anymore of the storyline, but there will be over twenty other characters in the game including Java, a Neanderthal man who returned with Martin from one of his adventures and now serves as his assistant. Java cannot speak and communicates through a series of grunts that are only understood by Martin.

Transition between scenes and character movement is effortless. The version we played had not yet incorporated all of the voices, but for the final version the dialogue will be recorded by professional actors. The interface is point-and-click with a right mouse-click allowing you to choose your option: take, use, talk, etc. We did play through much of the first scenario and were impressed by the ease of the interface.

As you can see for yourself, the graphics are stunning in their attention to the minutest detail. If I have any complaint at all (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) it is that – and maybe this is owing to the developer’s heritage and their previous adventure game Druuna - Morbus Gravis - the female characters are in serious need of breast-reduction surgery.

Artematica’s ultimate goal is to create a 3D adventure game with an old-fashioned feel that will appeal to a larger audience. Martin Mystère: Operation Dorian Grey is indeed what adventure gamers have been clamoring for and this is their opportunity to show support for modern interpretations of the ‘good old days’.

Please take time to read an interview with Riccardo Cangini in issue #15 of The Inventory, which can be downloaded here.