Moebius hands-on
While the classic puzzles of Moebius are very traditional, these experiments are refreshing and show that the game won’t be entirely what you might expect. In total, Moebius will span seven chapters that will slowly unravel the supernatural mystery of why historical figures are re-appearing in our modern age and how Malachi figures into it. “This is a convergent point in Malachi’s life,” said Jane. “Moebius is his origin story and is designed to be an origin story for a series.”
The first two chapters are very linear. There are a few decisions that you are allowed to make (and different dialog options), but the conclusion of each chapter is nearly identical. In addition, though you can force Malachi to make incorrect conclusions from his analysis, the story won’t advance until you correct them. While the game won’t likely be as lethal as the Sierra catalog, Jane mentioned that Malachi will find himself in lethal situations that may merit a few reloads of saved games.
It’s important to note that the version I saw was simply a preview build – in many ways, a proof of concept for her backers – and as expected, there were certainly some rough edges to be seen. The graphic style and interface have been designed by Phoenix Online Studios (Cognition) and the high-definition graphics were impressive, if a little uneven (some animations are particularly strange at this point).
Malachi will be visiting a number of locations across the world, and the Venice and Cairo on display in the preview represented their exotic locales well, though the early color palette did seem a little gaudy and saturated. It absolutely looks better than you might expect from the $400k Kickstarter investment that Pinkerton Studios acquired (Jane pointed out that the first Gabriel Knight cost over a million dollars in 1993 for comparison), and touches such as the moving water in Italy and minute changes in characters’ facial expressions are welcome.
Moebius‘s sound elements are also a mixed bag so far. Jensen’s husband (and frequent collaborator) Robert Holmes returns to score the game, and his haunting compositions provide a compelling noirish backdrop to the mysteries. Most of the characters are already voiced, and while Malachi’s egoism and arrogance (and UK accent) were perfectly captured by the actor who plays him, dialog and character exchanges are sometimes a bit awkward. What was meant to be a humorous exchange between Malachi and a companion, for example, came off as uncomfortably forced.
The game’s tone itself feels very uneven in the early going, blending the serious and dangerous situations Malachi quickly finds himself in with some peculiar moments of absurdity. In the first chapter, Malachi is approached by a secret government agency whose acronym of F.I.S.T. is frankly comical. I couldn’t help but think that Moebius felt very much like a very personal, classic B movie. It’s clear that Jane is being playful with concept, character, and expectation, yet she made it a point to say that she wanted players emotionally invested in Moebius, and the result is clearly the work of her singular vision. “I think it’s a great story. It’s the best one I’ve ever done,” said Jane. “It’s the layers that you uncover throughout the journey that make it really feel like a true Jane Jensen game.”
It’s certainly a challenge to juggle the expectation of gamers familiar with classic Jane Jensen games with the desire to create a new and contemporary gaming experience. Will Moebius be a retro throwback or can it contribute something truly special to the medium as part of a renaissance for adventure games? It’s too early to tell, but either way it’s obvious that this game is a labor of passion and love for the genre, as well as an opportunity to show how games can tell intriguing and complex stories. It’s good to see Jane have her crayons back.
The game does not have a release date yet but has been promised for later in this calendar year. For now, it’s simply too early to tell what the final version of Moebius will be like, but I can absolutely say I’m very much looking forward to seeing how Jane and Pinkerton Road will answer the questions and mysteries that were presented in this early sneak peek.
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