Critically acclaimed Benoït Sokal of Syberia and Paradise infamy is bringing a new series of adventures simultaneously to the PC and DS. Sokal’s studio White Birds have announced Sinking Island, in which 40-something PI Jack Norm tries to solve the murder of a billionaire hotel-owner before the island it sits on sinks under the weight of its enourmous Art Deco bulk. Apparently he has 3 days of game-time to find the culprit, and there will be evidence in the lower levels of the hotel that will be lost to the player once they have sunk below water. Sounds cool? Sokal’s ideas usually do. Now if only he could write… (I shouldn’t give the guy too much crap: I’ve never played his games in their original French; only ever in English translation.)
Gaming site Adventure Gamers have been barracking for the DS to cause a renaissance of Adventure games since the release of Another Code. Sokal represents the first heavyweight in the genre to make the move. Will others such as Ron Gilbert and Jane Jensen (both known for shifting to lower-fi games) follow suit? Anyway, here’s the mock-up White Birds have provdided of what it might look like:
Let’s hope he gets as inventive as Cing were, and includes things like blowing on the microphone to clear dust away.