. The drawing on the Forbidden Stones book is of Ziggurat, a pyramid temple in Iraq. The papers to the left also mention "Ziggurat clue?". This could suggest multiple locations in the game, with Indy investigating around the world.
- There also appears a letter addressed to a "Father ...." sat unfinished on Doctor Jones' typewriter. We also see "I will be arriving in Rome ... Tuesday". The camera also pans over a map that is mostly covered by other items, but it is in fact a blueprint of the Vatican. These two clues lead us to believe that Indy will have a connection with the Vatican and will hopefully be sent on a holy crusade to recover some religious relic on their behalf - a mission of importance that is similar to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- A plane ticket to Rome means the game is set in 1937 at some point, which puts the timeline between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Interestingly, in 1937, fascist leader, Benito Mussolini returned to Rome after a trip to Germany, and the two countries signed a military alliance to form the Berlin-Rome Axis. In the same year, in Tripoli, Mussolini received the Sword of Islam from Iusuf Kerisc, which could quite easily be the relic Indy is out to recover
The game itself is still shrouded in mystery, but here's hoping we get more videos to decode from MachineGames and Bethesda.
Project 007
Whoever takes on a 007 adaptation will have the weight of the world on their shoulders, being compared to GoldenEye 007 - almost certainly - and to a lesser extent, Quantum of Solace. Both of these Bond games were met with critical and public acclaim, earning their stripes with a hardcore fanbase of gamers and movie lovers.
Project 007 - the working title for the new Bond game - was announced by IOI in November 2020 in a YouTube reveal (above) that showed us... absolutely nothing. We see a bullet chambered, and the camera pans around in the barrel to show the inimitable rifling that precedes every 007 movie. We began to learn a little more about the game from the official website, and found out that IOI (the team behind the Hitman trilogy), would be developing and publishing the game. Further, we found that Project 007 would feature a "wholly original Bond story" that would allow players to step into the polished shoes of the world's favourite Secret Agent. Incidentally, the irony of that sentence is not lost, believe me.
The exciting news is that this game will be an origin story, where players will earn their stripes as a British Secret Agent. This kind of spin on an adaptation is welcomed by most gamers, who tend to be put off by direct ports from movies that quite often don't provide any originality.
Studio Director, Hakan Abrak told Danish publication DR, that Project 007 could be the start of a new trilogy, and speaks of creating a 007 universe from scratch, not leaning on the Bond actor in the development process.
The job listings gave away a little more information, too. IO Interactive were clearly looking for rich narrative, with their (now filled) job position for a game writer. The role required the writer to create "character-driven scenes with substantial dialogue", which is parallel to "complex storylines and in-game subplots" which "lead players down a story path". This beings to sound like a deep and meaningful cinematic experience for gamers, and not just a shoot-fest with recognisable characters for good measure.
The job listing for an AI programmer required the candidate to have experience in third-person action games, console programming and agile methodologies. Another job listing solidifies the third-person aspect, requiring candidates to be able to work with animations in IOI's proprietary game engine - Glacier 2. Glacier 2 is the highly optimised PC/console engine responsible for the success of the Hitman trilogy, and will provide the perfect foundation for what seems to be a similar type of game - stealth, action and highly technical game design.
Lastly, the job posting for an audio designer requires the candidate to have experience with a sandbox storytelling game - which in itself sounds incredible. Wikipedia's version of this genre is "sandbox storytelling occurs when the player can move through the story independently of their movement through the game space."
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
After watching the new Suicide Squad movie, I have to admit that this game is certainly something I'll be watching out for as news is released.
A week ago (Oct 17th) we were treated to an official story trailer by DC on YouTube. The trailer opens with the infamous gates of Arkham Asylum, and sees our anti-heroes strapped down to vertical gurneys. With implants in their heads that are designed to deliver an electric shock or - naturally - explode (in case they get any ideas about escaping), Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and King Shark are the four criminal misfits recruited into Task Force X, aka the Suicide Squad. The story suggests that Metropolis is under siege by Brainiac, and everyone has been brainwashed by his powers. Sadly, that includes the Justice League, too. Who else could we call in such a time of crisis?
Deadshot - Credit: DC
An official press release stated: “The game’s original narrative follows the four Suicide Squad members as they take on an impossible mission to save Earth and kill the World’s Greatest DC Super Heroes,”
Developed by the Batman: Arkham series’ creator Rocksteady, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be an action-adventure shooter, but has no official release date as yet.
Confirmed Book-Game Adaptations
You may not realise it, but some of our favourite games like The Witcher, Bioshock, Assassin's Creed and Metro 2033 were actually based on books. The bar has been set high by some of these titles, and the few adaptations we know about are interesting to say the least.
The Invincible
The Invincible is a sci-fi game based on Stanislaw Lem's classic novel and we are already spellbound by the incredible trailer.
The game follows the story of an interstellar spacecraft stranded on Regis III, an inhospitable planet that provides the backdrop for this luscious looking adaptation. The Invincible was one of the first pieces of literature to derive concepts of nanobots, referred to as necroevolution by author, Stanislaw Lem, and has earned a place as a science fiction classic.
The official press release said "Set in a distant galaxy on the mysterious planet, Regis III, players will take on the role of scientist, Dr. Yasna, and can look forward to multiple story paths and endings in this cinematic adventure thriller,"
Though we don't know how closely aligned with the original story The Invincible will be, with the potential for multiple twists and plot hinges, it will be an interesting game.
“The story takes place in an alternative retro-future timeline, where digital technology has not been invented. Although humanity uses analogue technology, it has conquered vast amounts of planets and ventured into many other galaxies thanks to it.” The retro futuristic aesthetic screams style and class, allowing players to delve into a universe that feels much different from the usual sci-fi fayre.
Starward Industries are set to deliver The Invincible in 2022, so there's not long to wait.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
The incredible universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien has had its share of adaptations, with LotR Online, The Lord Of The Rings: The Battle For Middle-Earth, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, and even Lego The Lord of the Rings still having a huge fanbase that spans all formats and generations. The latest in the adaptations comes with Gollum, a game that ha many critics on the fence as to its potential popularity. Not the most appealing of Tolkien's characters, Sméagol/Gollum has a rich story that has not yet been told or experienced, and this game aims to provide players with an opportunity to see the world of LotR through his beady eyes.
Daedalic Entertainment say on their Steam page for Gollum: "Use stealth, agility and cunning to survive and overcome what lies ahead. Climb, leap and grapple your way past dangers or into advantageous spots." which makes the game sound a lot like it will offer an interesting perspective not dissimilar to Shadow of Mordor.
What's more, the decisions made as you traverse the game and the way in which you decide to play will have an influence on Gollum’s personality; his struggle between the dual personality of Gollum and Sméagol. You will choose between the darker side of Gollum and the more reasonable Sméagol.
Credit: Daedalic Entertainment
Sméagol and Gollum dual personalities -
Although we don't have a release date, the Steam page will be updated by the publisher and developer, Daedalic Entertainment, so wishlist it now for info.
Black Myth Wukong
The most interesting game of the bunch, potentially, Black Myth Wukong is an upcoming action-RPG from Chinese studio Game Science, based on the classical 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West.
In a flurry of videos featuring stunning graphics and exhilarating hard-hitting combat demonstrations, Game Science showed us just what to expect from this sprawling Souls-like game in a 13-minute trailer that just leaves you in a state of awe.
In the original trailer, we saw the game begin with a mysterious storyteller, who chronicles the life of Sun Wukong, a legendary mythic figure in Chinese folklore, and referred to as "the Destined One"; Wukong is a mythical monkey who has the ability to transform into both a golden cicada and a giant monster (as far as we can see from trailers). When the pre-alpha gameplay begins, the camera follows the cicada flying through a dense forest, and when the character happens upon enemies, we see the transformation into a monkey, and the enemies are dispatched quickly using seriously fluid combat.
Black Myth Wukong Combat Gameplay Footage
Since this initial reveal trailer, we have seen more footage surface, and in the video below we can see a lot of attention has been paid to the look and feel of the game. The sections of the game that involve snow, for example, show off Unreal 5 engine's capabilities and the developers' talent, though on the whole, the world around the Destined One looks authentic and realistic.
The original video was met with an immense amount of praise and anticipation, and the game has continued to garner followers and eager fans as more footage has been released by Game Science. The team's debut game, Black Myth Wukong continues to appear on lists along the lines of "Awesome looking games you never knew existed" mainly due to the usual constraints of the independent developers/publishers at the helm.
“While we will not necessarily need 500 years to finish, we will ship it only when we feel satisfied as players.” Game Science said, following up with; “After all, more works in the Black Myth series are in serious planning.” With the potential for a series of games from this talented team, if the pre-alpha is anything to go on, their future looks very bright. The hype is real for this game, it seems.
