Are You Game?

I splurged and bought Alan Wake this weekend. I have to say, I'm not really sure what the hold up on this one was. I first read about it over two years ago, but the game still seems to be a bit rough. It is a super cool concept, though, and I'm looking forward to down time today so I can play a bit more. The girl at the game store did say that it can be finished up in about 7 hours of gameplay, so I think I'm trying to drag it out. Those things aren't cheap!

If you haven't heard of the game, you play as Alan Wake, a horror author who's on vacation when his wife disappears. Armed with a flashlight and weapons, you have to try to navigate a nightmarish world to save her. That's about all I got for now, but you can watch the game trailer here.

In other book/gaming news, though, the fantastic Elena at Wunderkind PR had sent me some info on a game based on Marjorie Liu's Dirk and Steele debut, Tiger Eye. The book, released in 2005 from Dorchester and set for rerelease in January, is about a woman with psychic powers who purchases an ancient puzzle box while in Beijing. Inside is a shapeshifter who has been trapped for centuries. The Dirk and Steele series are all basically stand alones wrapped around a paranormal detective agency. There are nine titles out currently, and the tenth, In the Dark of Dreams is due out in November.

The folks at PassionFruit Games formed their company after layoffs at Her Interactive. Together, the founders decided to start a new studio and build a game around Liu's novel. The result is their own debut, Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box, an interactive casual game for romance fans and the first game of its kind (based on a paranormal romance) released in the US.

Elena was kind enough to let me preview the game and I have to say it was really fun. Dela and Hari's story play out through a series of puzzles that can be somewhat challenging. This is just the first part what will be a two-part game and I can't wait to play the rest. I think gamers and Liu fans will all be pleased with this first release from PassionFruit. I hope they'll have more to come in the near future. It would definitely be nice to see more games based on books. It's always seemed like a perfect match to me.

Visit PassionFruit Games for details on how to download the game yourself. You can play a sample online or buy the whole game. Note that you don't have to have read Tiger Eye in order to play the game, but if you're a Liu fan already, you'll be delighted to hear that the author herself penned the script for the game.

The game, Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box, is available for both PC and Mac.