Preview Still Life Developer: Microids Publisher: The Adventure Company Release Date: 2005 Platform: Preview by Shannon Hall February 23, 2005

More Screenshots & Trailer

IS THERE STILL LIFE POST MORTEM?

According to Microids, creators of the award-winning Syberia series, the answer is a resounding “yes”. Loosely connected to the murder-mystery-turned-occult-conspiracy Post Mortem, Still Life takes you forward to another crime and another time—along with Gustav McPherson’s granddaughter, Victoria. If you’re worried about leaving poor Gus and his tortured artist/clairvoyant soul behind, don’t be. You’ll play both characters as the game progresses, and experience two different locations and eras as well.

To say that the preview copy piqued my interest is like saying my dog likes walks. You may not know my dog, but you know a metaphor for understatement when you hear it. From my seat, (or the edge of it, rather) it looks as though Microids has achieved that elusive balance between gripping story line, amazing graphics, and relevant puzzles. It’s the kind of game that makes you feel as though you’re actually participating in a mystery, not just idly clicking your way through excuses for puzzles masquerading as a plot. By now you’re probably just dying to know what makes it so great, so let’s get down to business, shall we?

You’ll begin the game as modern-day Victoria, a brilliant young FBI agent tracking down the killer who’s left 5 gruesome bodies in his wake. Needless to say, you’ll have quite a few more tools to work with. Hey—the world has changed since Gus was gum-shoeing the streets, and Still Life takes advantage of the forensic advances Gramps didn’t have. Gus’ circumstances have also changed (or did change, depending on how you view it.) He is now/was a PI of some esteem in Prague, investigating a series of murders eerily similar to those his Granddaughter will face/ is facing in 2005.

This dichotomy between old and new is the perfect set-up to create game that has breadth, depth, and more than a little grit. As you can see from the screenshots, the graphics convey this concept beautifully. Much attention has been paid to detail, especially in the depressingly romantic1920’s Prague. Once-majestic architecture is covered in grime, creating the perfect symbol for a once-affluent community that now only the desperate, the hopeless, and the disaffected can call home.

Contrast that with Victoria’s Chicago, which is high-tech and shiny on the surface, a thin veneer that barely hides the kind of grit and grime displayed openly in Prague. Victoria is very much at home in this atmosphere, and it seems as though more than a generation stands between her and mild-mannered, soft-spoken Gus. She’s gutsy, ambitious, and never shies away from a well-placed quip. Catchy come-backs aside, her attitude is also a veneer that hides a nature deeply affected by the world and events surrounding her.

No matter which character you’re playing at the time, you’ll notice many differences between Still Life and its predecessor. They’ve dropped the first-person perspective in favor of third, completely changed the graphics and puzzles, and have done away with the make-the-wrong-choice-and-you’re-toast dialog tree. According to writer and lead designer Mathieu Larivière, the only thing these two games have in common is Gus.

Gone, for example, are the dark, eye-squinting graphics of Post Mortem. Larivière says, “We stayed away from that film noir ambiance in Still Life.” He went on to cite films such as Saving Private Ryan, Seven, and especially The Ring as inspirations for this project. This inspiration shines through in the sometimes gruesome, always beautifully-rendered cinematics that pull you into the game and keep you there. Though the worlds that Victoria and Gus inhabit may be poignant, you’ll be very reluctant to leave them.

As mentioned earlier, Still Life takes a radically different approach to conversation, a development Larivière believes will please a lot of players. Instead of being given game-altering options, you’ll have a mouse indicator showing whether you can spur business-oriented conversation, or off-topic conversation with a right click. “So basically the players who want to finish the game without endless conversations…can,” he adds. “The only thing they will miss out on is character depth.”

While the game itself if layered with mystery, game play itself is fairly simple. The point-and-click interface is very easy to manage, with the cursor changing to indicate movement, possible actions, whether an item can be picked up and examined, etc. Inventory consists of a briefcase of sorts for carrying items, a file folder for storing documents, and a journal for storing dialog and key points. If interruptions from your dog, cat, or significant other cause you to miss an important clue, no problem. You can read through it all at your leisure.

So it seems that Still Life has taken a great game and run with it-- all the way to the next level. It’s a safe bet to say that if Post Mortem kept you on the edge of your seat, Still Life will kick the chair out from under you. In fact, this game (which, by the way, is rated M for Mature), has only one down side: you won’t be able to play it until Microids’ projected release date of April 14th. If that creates a painful contrast with the fact that you want it NOW, consider yourself simply preparing for the game.