Adventure Gamers - Forums

Hello everybody,
I’ve excited to announce that I’ve just released a demo on Steam for my game “Spooky Crew: Mask of the Mysterium.”
It sure would be super if some adventure fans tried it out!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2463610/Spooky_Crew_Mask_of_the_Mysterium/

Join the Spooky Crew and uncover the secret of the Mask of the Mysterium in this point and click adventure game. An encounter with a masked figure leads the crew to investigate the secrets of a local museum.
Classic adventure gameplay that isn’t stuck in the nostalgic past. Modern twists like different ways to approach puzzles and multiple endings update the formula and keep the game moving along without the player getting stuck and bored.
The Mask of the Mysterium is the pilot episode of a planned ongoing series of shorter games with a focus on tight pacing while still retaining a sense of freedom and rewarding the player for experimentation.

Meet the Crew

Alyssa
The tattoo of a magnifying glass on her arm is dedicated to her lifelong commitment to unravelling mysteries. Alyssa cracks cases with a, mostly, thoughtful and considered approach.

Ethyl
A robot built for mystery solving. Ethyl’s analytical skills prove to be essential in almost every case the Spooky Crew take on.

Hector
Hector’s passion for mysteries is matched only by his recklessness. There is nothing he won’t do to get to the bottom of things.

Bert
A kangaroo in a man suit? A man in a kangaroo suit? Who knows really. All we know is that he’s dedicated to solving mysteries. Probably. Only his life companion, Hector, seems able to understand him.

Developer’s Statement
I am a fan of adventure games, especially the classic point and clickers. However, I acknowledge that the classics have issues with pacing and “getting stuck” that are unappealing to revisit in 2023 and would deter new players.

My aim is to create a point and click style adventure game with tight pacing, enjoyable and rewarding exploration and no parts where the player is stuck and would become frustrated.

I looked back to a favourite classic from the past.

At the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis the player is tasked with getting in to a theatre to see a presentation by their eventual companion. The player has to get past a security guard. There are three ways they can accomplish this: fight with the security guard, talk him in to letting you pass or sneak in another way by moving crates around. This multiple solution format is never revisited after this in the game.

Multiple solutions to all problems is one of the fundamental design aspects in “Spooky Crew.” It makes it unlikely that a player would become stuck and unable to progress. It allows the player to feel that their play through is a unique experience, especially because there will be slight variations on events and conversations dependant on the ways they solved problems earlier.

The pacing of the game is also determined by the way the player approaches the game. They can speed through to the end or they can take the time to look around, go down optional dialogue trees and experiment. As much as possible I have created unique, often humorous, feedback to the player for all possible item and hotspot combinations.

My aim with “Spooky Crew” is to refresh the point and click adventure with a game that is fast paced, that the player will not get stuck in but still rewards exploration and experimentation.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2463610/Spooky_Crew_Mask_of_the_Mysterium/