You know how when you compare
adventure games to the recent classics, you invariably use the titles
The Longest Journey and Syberia? Well, get ready
to add a third title to that elite list: Post Mortem
by Microids.

Randy gave me the opportunity
to play a pre-release version of Post Mortem and I was blown
away by the experience. Very simply stated, I predict this game will
become another instant adventure classic. It is that
good.

Post
Mortem presents the harrowing tale of the brutal murder of an
American couple vacationing in 1920’s Paris. The introductory
cinematic is every bit as awe-inspiring as Syberia’s
opener. Wow! Just like sitting in a movie theater. The animation,
music and SFX synergistically contribute to drawing you into a “cinema
noir” feel of the locale and era. A word of caution, however
– Post Mortem involves a brutal and ritualistic murder.
There is one graphically gruesome scene in the intro which may not
be suitable for young teens. Beyond that, however, the game is delicately
presented as a crime investigation (at least as far as I’ve
played).

Okay, we’ve got a
double murder in a Paris hotel room. The protagonist is a sometimes
private investigator named Gus MacPherson. He awakens to a knock on
his door. A lovely young lady, Sophia Blake, appears asking Gus for
his help. Turns out that it was her sister and husband who were murdered.
She feels that the police believe that the crime was simply a botched
burglary attempt and that they are trying to sweep it under the rug.
In fact, she specifically encourages Gus to stay away from the cops.

Post
Mortem is played in first person mode, but presents third person
NPC conversations and cut scenes. The cut scenes are of the highest
quality – as in Syberia. Microids is using a new technology
in this game which they call the “natural dialog engine”.
Depending on the dialog your character employs, different “trees”
of available conversation lines are presented. In fact, I haven’t
even clicked an inventory item on a “hotspot” or NPC.
Once puzzles are solved or required conversations take place, new
opportunities are presented and new destinations become available.
So far, for me at least, Post Mortem is totally dialog driven.
Microids promises twenty 3D real time characters, non-linear play
offering different paths to solving the case, and multiple endings.
Sounds like lots of re-playability potential, huh?

Post Mortem does
have a few in your face “puzzle” puzzles. Think 7th
Guest (read TOUGH!). One puzzle has you sketching a picture of
the suspect based upon information garnered in your investigations.
Another has you discerning differences between an original painting
and a fake copy. Then there are lock picks – four per door lock
– each placed in a different key hole location and each having
three orientations (up, down, left, right, etc). Trust me, the puzzles
are very challenging! The “puzzle” puzzles, however are
extremely well woven into the storyline and are very sophisticated
and well designed. You’ll love ‘em.

The
Post Mortem interface is a snap. Simply right click, and
your stuff pops up at the bottom of the screen. Each item is named.
The game stores cinematics, documents, and conversations for your
review. Unlimited save games also.

Hold on – I’m
in the middle of the game and something very strange just happened.
Nope, I’m not gonna tell ya…………. Okay,
if you insist! I just became a different character. I’ve gotta
quit writing now – I need to get back to this enjoyable and
addictive game!

I surmise you’ve
figured out that I love this game. JA will have a
full review soon. But for now, I strongly suggest you put this upcoming
adventure on your “must have” list.

The game home page is located at www.postmortem-videogame.com