Developer/Publisher: Index+/&wanadoo
Projected
Release Date: Release in English TBD
Platform:
Genre:
Adventures Through History
Personally,
I am looking forward to the release of this game. I find that the French designers/developers
have a special talent for combining all of the important elements of a good adventure
game with education, beauty, and considerable style. Playing one of these games
is like eating a meal that is so faultless and complete that dessert is not required
or even thought of.
Genesys by &Wanadoo and Index+ gives every
appearance of being another gem of a historical adventure. And this is no small
project, either. The player will travel to all continents in five worlds corresponding
to the various periods in the development of man and his environment. When you
visit the Prehistoric Age, you will discover the first tools and first use of
fire, and you will experience the emergence of agriculture. While you investigate
ancient civilizations, you will find the development of transportation, early
use of metals, and the rudimentary stages of writing. In the Middle Ages, you
will be involved in the invention of printing. Next is the Industrial Age, where
you will undertake great voyages, realize economic expansion through the industrial
revolution, and discover electricity. As you continue to explore the parameters
of this game, you will advance into the present day, where you can travel and
enjoy the vast improvements in communications and management of information technology.
As I said above, “this game is not a small project.”
According
to the developers of Genesys, “historical facts for each period have
been religiously respected in the production process for every game setting. The
characters are all in period costume, and the sets are constructed using precise
historical sources. Nothing is left to chance, allowing the player to navigate
through the game with full confidence in the historical accuracy of the scenes.”
To successfully complete Genesys, you must solve 17 riddles, explore 36
scenes, have access to 100 historical files, meet 100 characters, hear 30 minutes
of music adapted to each era, watch 30 minutes of video, and encounter eight scientific
experts who will enrich your game experience.
Most games that I have played
have titled the separate portions of the game as acts, levels, segments, and so
on. This game is developed into sections called “enigmas.” An enigma
is defined (by Webster) as a riddle or anything that is puzzling. The player of
Genesys will be charged with solving brain-teasing enigmas that are based
on real historical occurrences. To progress through the game, you must solve the
enigmas in linear and chronological order.
There is one more big treat
in store for you when you play in the lands of Genesys. Before each enigma,
the world-famous French actress Jeanne Moreau will set the stage for you and invite
you to explore the era/location and to interact with the development of another
new invention. Ms. Moreau won a Cesar award as best actress in 1992; a career
achievement Golden Lion at the Venice Mostra Internationale in 1992; and a career
achievement Oscar, also in the early 1990s. She will be your guide and mentor.
This
game should appeal to a wide audience such as those who enjoyed Crusader and
Vikings. The opportunity for an accurate journey through time, spanning
the centuries from the Big Bang to Cave Man to Bill Gates, is beyond my wildest
imagination, but not for long. This game will be at my house as soon as it is
available in English. And I hope that will not take very long.
