Sinking Island

Not to be confused with Sea level rise.
Sinking Island
Developer(s)White Birds Productions
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Benoît Sokal
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • FRA: October 4, 2007
  • NA: August 12, 2008
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Sinking Island (French: L'Île noyée, lit. 'The Drowned Island') is a third-person perspective adventure game that uses point and click game mechanics. It was released in France on October 4, 2007, and in the United States on August 12, 2008.[2] It was developed by White Birds Productions, a company founded and led by Benoît Sokal.

Development

The title's genesis came from Olivier Fontenay, who suggested that Benoît Sokal make police games.[3] Sokal wrote a ten-page draft in 2005.[4] He decided to have a male playable character to offer a change from his Syberia series.[5] The team created a new interface for the game, entitled PPA (Personal Police Assistant).[6] The game was supported by the Centre National de la Cinématographie.[7] A sequel was originally going to be released, offering a second Jack Norm adventure set in New York.[8]

Plot

The plot is centered on the investigation of the death of a millionaire named Walter Jones. The main acting character in the game is Jack Norm, a police officer entrusted with the task of solving the mystery. The events take place on a fictional island owned by the late Walter Jones in an Art Deco-style tower. The plot takes place over three days and follows a classic murder mystery scheme where a detective needs to uncover the identity of the murderer.

Critical reception

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[9] 4Players reviewer Bodo Naser thought that while the game promised a murder mystery akin to those of Agatha Christie, the title did not deliver.[10] IGN offered a mixed review, describing the game as having "weary, stranded-island sleuthing at its soggiest".[16] GameSpot's hands-on preview thought the game would appeal to adventure fans.[18] Gamekult derided the game's difficult puzzles, sleep-inducing dialogue, and lack of plot momentum.[12]

References

  1. ^ IGN staff (April 17, 2008). "Encore and Microids sign exclusive publishing agreement for North America". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  2. ^ GameSpot staff (August 11, 2008). "Shippin' Out August 11–15: Madden". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  3. ^ "L'Ile Noyée : interview Benoît Sokal". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. July 19, 2007. Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  4. ^ "Visite White Birds Productions: Sinking Island". Atlantis Amerzone et Cie (in French). Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  5. ^ DanyBoy; Ugur Sener (September 16, 2007). "Mystery Manor Benoit Sokal French Interview". Mystery Manor (in French). Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  6. ^ Matt Barton; Philip Jong (June 27, 2008). "Benoît Sokal - White Birds Productions - Interview". Adventure Classic Gaming. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  7. ^ "Sinking Island". Microids. October 30, 2007. Archived from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  8. ^ Jack Allin (October 11, 2006). "Sinking Island coming to Nintendo DS". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Sinking Island". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Bodo Naser (October 23, 2007). "Test: Sinking Island". 4Players (in German). 4Players GmbH. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  11. ^ Dante Kleinberg (August 29, 2008). "Sinking Island review". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Aurélien Jolly (October 22, 2007). "Test : L'Ile Noyée boit la tasse sur PC". Gamekult (in French). TF1 Group. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "Sinking Island". GameStar (in German). Webedia. October 31, 2007.
  14. ^ Marc Saltzman (April 11, 2009). "Sinking Island Review". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  15. ^ Anise Hollingshead (September 18, 2008). "Sinking Island - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on September 23, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Emily Balistrieri (September 15, 2008). "Sinking Island Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  17. ^ CptObvious (October 8, 2007). "Test: L'Ile Noyée". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  18. ^ Jonathan Miller (July 23, 2008). "Sinking Island Hands-On [date mislabeled as "July 24, 2008"]". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on July 26, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2024.