| The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Kheops Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Tri Synergy |
| Director(s) |
|
| Designer(s) | |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS X, iOS |
| Release | Windows Mac OS X October 8, 2009 iOS January 27, 2011 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript is an adventure game developed by Kheops Studio and published by Tri Synergy for Windows. [1] In 2009 it was released on the Mac OS X. [2]
This is an investigatory game set in 1522 at Da Vinci's last home, the Cloux Manor.
Gameplay is standard for 3D first-person adventure games.
This game was a co-production between Nobilis, Elektrogames, TOTM Studio, Kheops Studio, Mzone Studio, in collaboration with the Clos Lucé. [1] It was the first ever game created about the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci. [3] In September 2005, the project was originally announced as Da Vinci Experience, [4] but this was changed to its current title in January 2006. [5] It came out at a time when the culture was saturated with Da Vinci (including a book, film, and competing video game). [6] Marianne Tostivint believes The Da Vinci Code projects helped get this game be sold to a publisher and financed. [7] A lot of effort was put into making the Clos Lucé as historically accurate as possible. [8] The designers had three key focuses to ensure an optimum player experience: gameplay, ergonomy, and interfaces. [9] In terms of educational goals, the designers wanted to make the game as historically accurate as it was fun to play. [10] Coladia (who owned the publishing rights at this time) announced the release of the title on iOS devices in February 2011. [11]
According to the Agence pour le développement économique de la région lyonnaise (ADERLY), Nobilis planned The Secrets of Da Vinci to be a hit. The publisher reportedly "hope[d] to sell at least 100,000 copies of this game in France and exceed one million units worldwide". [12]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 69/100 [13] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 4Players | 66% [14] |
| Adventure Gamers |   [15] |
| Computer Games Magazine | [16] |
| Eurogamer | 6/10 [17] |
| Gamekult | 6/10 [18] |
| GameSpot | 6.5/10 [19] |
| GameZone | 6.3/10 [20] |
| IGN | 7.1/10 [21] |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 16/20 [22] |
| MacLife | (Mac) [23] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 80% [24] |
| PopMatters | 6/10 [25] |
The PC version received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [13]
IGN concluded that the game was neither difficult nor compelling. [21] GameZone felt the game didn't offer much motivation to the player to solve puzzles and advance the plot. [20] Eurogamer thought it was pleasurable, even if it wasn't particularly groundbreaking. [17] PopMatters felt the game tread to far into the uncanny valley. [25] Jeuxvideo.com noted that the title had replay value due to the different ways in which players can complete puzzles. [22]
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