April 11, 2008

Great Storytelling is Number One for Jack Keane
By Louis Bedigian

“The story needs to appeal to the audience, making it funny, adding mischief, slapstick and even romance at times. Without a story, there would be no game.”

“In the point-and-click adventure genre, you must have a solid, supportable storyline,” said Brock Beaubien, Producer at Strategy First. “You need characters with depth to develop on. The game must have a well-written script, with plenty of interesting dialogue and lots of options. Also, an easy to use game engine is important, leaving more room for enjoyment of the game, and not learning the controls. Everything can be operated with just the mouse. To make a point-and-click adventure game you really need to remember one thing – keep it fun.”

It’s that attitude toward game development that formed the building blocks of Jack Keane, the next adventure game from Strategy First. “We have likable characters, attractive scenarios and a humorous story,” Beaubien says. “On top of that we have witty and comical dialogue that branches out into many areas and fun puzzles to keep you thinking. You basically can’t go wrong! Jump into the game and try everything, it’s almost more fun to do something wrong so you can chuckle at everything the game offers. There is always another laugh around the corner.”

Introduce us to the cast of Jack Keane. Who's good? Who's evil? Who's just plain wacky?

Brock Beaubien: Jack Keane is our hero. He is the captain of the “Charming Princess”. Unfortunately, he is not a very good captain. Let’s just say, Jack could benefit from a little seasoning. His three years of adventures around the world have produced little capital and now he finds himself in debt with the wrong people who have sent some thugs to persuade him to pay back the money.

Not to fear though, Jack has landed himself a highly rewarding deal with Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Rendezvous with the British secret agent at Cape Town and take him to Tooth Island. Easier said then done.

We will learn all about Jack throughout the game uncovering his past while creating his future.

“Tooth Island” is ruled by the strange Doctor T, who is cultivating man-eating plants and has his own dastardly plans for the British Empire. What are Doctor T's plans? Can anyone stop his army of monkeys and man-eating plants? The doctor is a little wacky and very evil.

Agent Montgomery – you can say he’s good, but it’s more likely good for nothing. He is the Agent sent by Queen Victoria to foil Doctor T’s diabolical plan. He is very eccentric and tends to get Jack into a lot of trouble including sinking his ship.

The beautiful, young and naive Amanda is looking for a little adventure in her life and has traveled to Cape Town as a hired gun on her way to Tooth Island. Her and Jack run into each other, or should I say, Jack catches her at a bad time in Cape Town. You will also get to play as Amanda later in the game.

There are over 40 memorable characters in game; you will have fun meeting them all throughout the adventure.

There has been a lot of discussion in the gaming community about the importance (or lack thereof) of storytelling in games. What are your thoughts on this? What does it take to bring a game's story to life in a meaningful way?

BB: Jack Keane is definitely story driven. Digging into the story to find information is what makes it exceptionally fun. The story makes the game, especially in a point and click adventure title. The story needs to appeal to the audience, making it funny, adding mischief, slapstick and even romance at times. It also helps to make the comedy a little edgy to deliver the laughs. Without a story, there would be no game.

In this genre of game, one of the key elements is empathy for your characters, and Jack Keane certainly has that. Throughout the game, there is good character development integrated into a cohesive plot. The other great element here is the real life type of reactions and comments by Jack and others in this fantasy adventure setting, which in effect is putting real life into a fictional world. The audience will always be able to identify with environment and the characters. The message presented in the game also re-enforces the backbone of the story. All these elements are crucial if you want the story to be interesting to your audience.

What can you tell us about the gameplay? Is there anything particularly unique about this adventure?

BB: Jack Keane and Amanda are an interesting composite of pop culture icons, such as Indiana Jones, Jack Sparrow, and even MacGyver! You are also given lots of character information on the secondary characters, which is kind of rare. So in effect this becomes more of an ensemble piece than just one character amidst a slew of none descript secondary characters.

I think the dialogue also stands out. Even when you are doing something wrong it ends up being fun. It really immerses you into the game.

The puzzles are also very entertaining. You can’t imagine the amount of trouble Jack manages to get himself in and out of. There is so much to explore. Don’t worry too much about getting lost, Jack likes to talk to himself and helps you solve the tougher problems.

How will the story link up with the gameplay? In what ways will the actions you take effect what comes next?

BB: This is another strong point for the game. Puzzles may need to be solved in order to progress. Your actions can move you into new areas, provide access to valuable clues, or complete key components required for finishing the game. Check out the game demo to see what I mean.

Jack Keane hopes to offer replay value in the form of unlockable extras. Talk about these, and explain why the player will want to go through the trouble of getting them.

BB: One bonus feature is the Waxworks museum. You will be able to travel around the museum interact with all the characters you have encountered throughout the game. Whenever you do bonus tasks or collect bonus in-game items you will receive new characters in the museum. There are other bonus features as well, but I don’t want to spoil all the fun!

Are these extras only going to be offered after you finish the game, or can you unearth each secret with skillful playing the first time around?

BB: All this and more will be waiting for you throughout the game and it’s always available to you as soon as it’s unlocked in game. You can very possibly unlock everything your first time through, but chances are you’ll have to go back to find most of the hidden items.

Tell us about the soundtrack – who composed the score and what can we expect from it?

BB: The “Jack Keane” theme song was done by Jan Klose. The theme song fits in perfectly with the game and environment.

The soundtracks were done by Dynamedion (www.dynamedion.com) and composed by Alexander Roeder, Markus Schmidt, and Alex Pfeffer. Dynamedion has worked on many popular games and have written some pretty incredible stuff for Jack Keane.

Anything else you'd like to share? Any Jack Keane revelations we may not be aware of?

BB: Only that if you liked Ankh, Monkey Island, Sam & Max or you just like adventures games in general, don’t miss out on this fantastic title. It will make you laugh and you will have a lot of fun.

Thank you for your time.

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