| A Second Face | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Jospin Le Woltaire |
| Series | A Second Face |
| Engine | Adventure Game Studio |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release | December 23, 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Point-and-click adventure |
A Second Face is an independently produced adventure game that was created by German developer Jospin Le Woltaire in 2008 and released as freeware. It contains elements of fantasy but also science-fiction, however it also unifies them with elements of classic Cyberpunk and overtones of Enlightenment Thought.
The story is set on a tide locked planet. The sun-facing side is inhabited by the Strefis, the illuminated ones, while the dark side is populated by the Ugeltz, the people of night. No Ugeltz has ever seen a Strefis however each civilisation remembers the other, in legends. Ugk, the sovereign of the dark realm, has summoned his two sons Rabokk and Torg to send them on a quest that solves the energy problem of the dark side. The dark society depends on a substance called Margin, that is the only energy source and also the main currency of the realm. This substance is running out, because it can't be harvested any longer. Ugk hopes to find a solution for this problem by looking for the legendary realm of light, which could be a new energy source. He offers his position to the son who will succeed in finding the Realm of Light.
A Second Face was scripted in Adventure Game Studio, with puzzles invented during the scripting process. Le Woltaire improvised much of this, starting with some backgrounds and characters until he got ideas for the plot and puzzles. Then the main cut-scenes were written to model the basic plot structure, and then the game was developed non-linearly. "Drawing, CAD-modelling, dramaturgy and scripting were mixed together which was a good way for me to make things grow together." [1]
Character design began with a charcoal sketch, then coloured with watercolours. These were scanned and reduced in size to make the characters more detailed. Locations were also sketched, then used as a background reference for 3D-CAD models. These were then digitally edited to match the tone and style of the characters. Characters and locations were hand animated with photo editing software, and limited to six frames to make a compromise between economy and fluid motion. [1]
Le Woltaire was influenced by a city map of ancient Babylonia for the design for City of Ugeltz. [1]
The plot develops with cinematic cutscenes and gameplay, controlled with a verb coin interface and an inventory-based action system that follows the tradition of classic point and click games. [2] A characteristic text box makes open dialogues with other game figures possible when a single word is entered.
A Second Face received 15 nominations for the 2008 AGS Awards. It won a total of three, namely "Best Game Created with AGS", "Best Original Story" and "Best Backgrounds". [3] [4]
The Secret of Monkey Island is a 1990 point-and-click graphic adventure game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games. It takes place in a fictional version of the Caribbean during the age of piracy. The player assumes the role of Guybrush Threepwood, a young man who dreams of becoming a pirate, and explores fictional islands while solving puzzles.
Grim Fandango is a 1998 adventure game directed by Tim Schafer and developed and published by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows. It is the first adventure game by LucasArts to use 3D computer graphics overlaid on pre-rendered static backgrounds. As with other LucasArts adventure games, the player must converse with characters and examine, collect, and use objects to solve puzzles.
Beneath a Steel Sky is a 1994 cyberpunk science fiction point-and-click adventure game developed by British developer Revolution Software and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment for MS-DOS and Amiga home computers. The game was made available as freeware – and with the source code released – for PC platforms in 2003. Set in a dystopian future, the player assumes the role of Robert Foster, who was stranded in a wasteland known as "the Gap" as a child and adopted by a group of local Aboriginals, gradually adjusting to his life in the wilderness. After many years, armed security officers arrive, killing the locals and taking Robert back to Union City. He escapes and soon uncovers the corruption which lies at the heart of society.
Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans is a cancelled graphic adventure game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and Animation Magic from 1996 until 1998. Set in the Warcraft universe after the events of Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, it followed the orc character Thrall in his quest to reunite his race, then living on reservations and in slavery following its defeat by the human Alliance. Assuming the role of Thrall, the player would have used a point-and-click interface to explore the world, solve puzzles and interact with characters from the wider Warcraft series.
Zelda's Adventure is an action-adventure fantasy video game developed by Viridis Corporation and released for the Philips CD-i console system based on The Legend of Zelda franchise. Set in the land of Tolemac, the game follows a non-traditional storyline, in which Link has been captured by the evil lord Ganon, and Zelda must collect the seven celestial signs in order to rescue him.
Apprentice is a point-and-click adventure game released on Windows by American studio Herculean Effort Productions as freeware in 2003. It was created using the open source development tool, Adventure Game Studio.
Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, released in Japan as Shin Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 2. It is the sixth installment of Capcom's Onimusha overall series, while being the fourth game in the canonical main series. It was released in Japan in January 2006, followed by North American and European releases in March. The plot is set in medieval Japan decades after the events of Onimusha 3: Demon Siege and focuses on Soki, a warrior who possesses Oni powers. Soki is on a quest to stop Hideyoshi Toyotomi, who has unified Japan in league with his demonic army of Genma, and he also joins forces with several allies who all share the same goal in stopping the demons and Hideyoshi plans of wanting to conquer the world.
In the 1990s, Philips Interactive Media published three action-adventure games based on Nintendo's Legend of Zelda franchise for its Compact Disc-Interactive (CD-i) players. The first two, Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, were developed by Animation Magic and released simultaneously on October 10, 1993, and Zelda's Adventure was developed by Viridis and released on June 5, 1994. The two latter entries are the first to feature Princess Zelda as the protagonist instead of Link. Faces of Evil and Wand of Gamelon use the side-scrolling view introduced in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987), while Zelda's Adventure has a top-down view reminiscent of the original 1986 game. All three are non-canon to the Zelda franchise.
Dave Gilbert is an American designer of independent adventure games using Adventure Game Studio. He began creating home-made, freeware games, and went professional in 2006, founding Wadjet Eye Games and releasing commercially The Shivah and The Blackwell Legacy.
Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! is a point-and-click adventure game by British developer Alasdair Beckett. It was created as an indie game using the Adventure Game Studio game engine and released for free on the Internet on March 6, 2007. The game has been translated into Spanish, French, German and Polish.
Lords of Darkness is the name of two accessories for the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.
King's Quest: Mask of Eternity is a hybrid point-and-click adventure and action-adventure developed and published by Sierra Studios in 1998. It was the eighth official game in the King's Quest series, the first and only game in the main series where the main character is neither King Graham nor a member of his family, as well as the first in the series to use a full 3D engine as opposed to the 2D cartoon or pixel style of the earlier games and the first to omit the sequel numbering system on box artwork and title screen.
King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones is a fangame reimagining/retelling of Sierra Entertainment's King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne by AGD Interactive produced through a fan license by Sierra Entertainment. It was followed up by King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human. In 2009, the version 3.0 Enhanced Edition was released, with improved graphics and full-speech narration. The game earned the AGS award for best music and game in 2002.
King's Quest III: To Heir is Human is a VGA-style fangame remake/reimagining/retelling of Sierra Entertainment's King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human by Infamous Adventures. It was released on June 19, 2006. A slightly expanded remake offers new material including; new cutscenes, a few new characters, expanded narration or dialogue, additions and changes to some of the plot, full speech, new or modified locations, and Easter eggs. Most of the original puzzles remain intact or item placement changed. The game received the AGS reward for best documentation in 2006.
Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator is a freeware episodic point-and-click adventure video game for Microsoft Windows developed by Francisco Gonzalez of Grundislav Games. The game consists of eight individual episodes, or cases, with an overarching plot connecting them together. The game has won numerous Adventure Game Studio Awards, including a 2005 AGS Award for Best Gameplay.
Technobabylon is a cyberpunk adventure game developed by Technocrat Games and published by Wadjet Eye Games for Microsoft Windows. Originally intended as a series of 10 free episodic games, of which three were released, it was released as a full game on 21 May 2015. The game's story covers 10 chapters, and focuses on three characters who live in the future city of Newton that is governed by an autonomous AI administrator, each of whom is faced with a complex matter, but soon find themselves caught up in a conspiracy surrounding the city's AI, including murder and hidden truths about its creation.
Tales is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Ape Marina and published by Screen7. The game was released DRM-free on Steam, Humble Bundle and GOG for Microsoft Windows and Linux on November 14, 2016. Since its release, it has been met with mostly positive reviews. Reviewers praised the story, puzzles, voice-acting, and humor, noting it's great to play something suitable for the whole family.
Alternativa is a 2010 Czech adventure game developed by Centauri Production and First Reality, and published by Bohemia Interactive and IDEA Games for Windows.