Preview: Genesys
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.
