Return of the Obra Dinn

July arrived as scheduled.

This year on Independence Day, gamenova unusually did not release any new titles, instead giving that opportunity to its affiliated studios.

That's understandable.

After all, they just created such a big surprise at the CES exhibition, and there simply wasn't enough time to come up with any new tricks.

Even miracles take time to develop.

However, for Gamenova die-hard fans, this Independence Day sale wasn't entirely fruitless.

At least the official announcement did confirm that there would be remakes and sequels for Street Fighter and the King of Fighters.

Leftovers are better than nothing.

The fighting game industry hasn't had anything good to eat in far too long.

Despite reports that Sega Namco have recently begun developing their own fighting game projects.

But for fighting game enthusiasts, Gamenova, which pioneered three completely different paths in fighting games— Street Fighter, the King of Fighters, and Mortal Kombat —is undoubtedly the king of action games.

If it's a fighting game, then Gamenova is naturally the most authoritative. While players were debating Gamenova's latest developments, an unassuming copy of a video game quietly appeared on store shelves.

A work for the nx platform.

Its cover is particularly interesting. Among a host of works that are flashy and try to pile on special effects, afraid that they will not be as shocking as others, its iconic 1-bit black and white pixel art style makes it stand out from the crowd.

A merchant ship floats on the pitch-black sea.

A bright white star hangs high in the sky, making it impossible to tell whether it is the moon or the sun.

[return of the]

[Obra dinn]

Two lines of cursive script, alternating between black and white.

Frankly speaking, judging from this title alone, it would be difficult for any casual observer to immediately understand what kind of game this is.

But its unique 1-bit pixel art and its mysterious cover design possess a magic that makes it unforgettable at first glance.

Of course, equally surprising is the production team's name written on the back.

[Developer]: [Lucas arts] [Publisher]: [gamenova]

It wasn't released by Activision!

It's a work personally signed and published by the headquarters!

Within the entire Gamenova lineup, very few works have received this honor.

Most of the time, those small-budget productions or ordinary masterpieces can only be credited to Activision.

Even independent third-party studios, if they intend to release their games through Gamenova, can only do so through Activision.

The release of Gamenova means that the official team will be responsible for all aspects of the distribution process, from disc production and packaging to marketing and sales.

Not to mention that the name Gamenova itself possesses terrifying power.

This special privilege alone is enough to make distributors in various regions realize its significance and place it in a prominent position.

The name [Lucas Arts arts] itself evokes a lot of thoughts.

Considering the recent news of Lucas investing in Infocom, this may be Lucas's first foray into the gaming industry.

... Lucasfilm ' game titles?

Li An picked up the game from the shelf, his gaze lingering on the Lucas Arts section for a long time.

This is California, or more specifically, Hollywood.

Everyone here knows the name Lucas.

The creators of Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

They are also Gamenova's only designated production studio and all-weather strategic partner; their relationship is closer than that of blood brothers.

But Lucas personally leading the charge in developing a game? This is indeed a first.

[Game Type]: [Adventure Game]

The Obra Dinn, the ship of truth and goodness, disappeared at sea in 1803.

"Huh? That's it?"

Li An frowned slightly, carefully trying to find more clues on the box.

Unlike other games that delve into the details of gameplay, this game is very restrained in its descriptions. The synopsis simply tells the story of the Obra Dinn, a merchant ship carrying over 200 tons of trade goods, which disappears at sea and then reappears.

As for the gameplay?

It only briefly mentioned that this is a mysterious first-person 3D puzzle game.

To be honest, Li An didn't come here to buy games at all today.

Or perhaps he came to California, to Hollywood, not for video games at all.

Besides video games, movies are also a giant in the entertainment industry.

Hollywood movies, in particular, are truly world-renowned.

For a director, coming here is undoubtedly a pilgrimage to pursue a dream.

Director, screenwriter, producer— Li An is practically omnipotent.

Of course, we'll have to wait until his first film is released at the end of the year to see how good he really is.

Even now, he remains a "stay-at-home dad," relying on his wife's income to make a living.

Every day, besides taking care of the kids, I shop for groceries and cook. I only have time to write scripts in my spare moments. Honestly, the pressure is immense.

This trip to California was also a process of searching for answers for myself.

But before he could find the "opportunity" he was so desperately seeking, he somehow ended up walking into a game store by accident.

Then...

I saw this strange game before me.

To be honest, I did have a vague idea of looking for Gamenova's works to learn from.

After all, it's Independence Day.

According to urban legend, every year around this time, Gamenova presents a new gift to the entertainment industry.

Unexpectedly, he encountered an exception on his first visit.

"But..."

Li An flipped the cover back to the front, looking at the peculiar 1-bit dot matrix cover, and felt a strange itch in his heart.

What would a video game made by a film company be like? "They sell games like this? At least tell me how to play!"

If they don't explain anything, how are people supposed to buy it?

But somehow, his own instincts kept giving him a strong signal.

Buy it!

Li An, buy it! You won't want to miss it!

"Oh..."

Honestly, I really want to buy it.

but...

It's expensive!

As a new director, Li An really didn't have many words in his pocket.

Aside from the salary paid by the investors, no matter how big a hit the film becomes, it's all just a fixed amount of money for him.

This trip to California was only possible because my wife strongly encouraged me to come. And to actually spend over two hundred dollars on an NX and a game when I'm practically broke?

Li An has forgotten how he walked out of the store.

All he knew was that when he came to his senses, the NX was already connected to the hotel's television.

If you don't spend money when you should, then money is meaningless, you bastard!

Turn on the power and insert the disc.

For this up-and-coming filmmaker, who wasn't particularly wealthy, playing games, especially console games, and 16-bit console games at that, was definitely a novel experience.

With the mindset of "just consider it an expensive movie ticket," he awkwardly picked up the controller and quietly waited for the game to load.

Thanks to Gamenova's mature file system, game loading wasn't particularly long.

Before long, the game's title screen appeared on the television.

It is almost identical to the cover of the card box.

The sea was still as black as ink, and the merchant ship was still there. The only difference was that there was a start button in the lower right corner and a list of creators and settings in the lower left corner.

It must be said that it does a really good job in terms of the tension in the shots.

As a director, he almost subconsciously focused his attention on the composition of the entire frame.

But what surprised him most was the black and white image of the dot matrix.

Video games have come to have color.

Even though he played very little, he already knew this.

Not only do they exist, but they are also very abundant.

But this game does the opposite, suddenly returning to a retro style.

A black-and-white mystery...

The first image that flashed through Li An's mind was the 1957 film "12 Angry Men".

That film used only a scene in a lounge and the discussion of twelve jurors to depict a suspenseful, mind-bending, and captivating story that was impossible to put down.

It's considered a pioneer in the genre of mystery films, receiving multiple nominations at the 30th Oscar Awards. Li An doesn't expect this film to reach that level of brilliance.

After all, it was a miracle that could not be replicated.

If the game can deliver a compelling sense of deduction, that's probably enough.

[Disappeared at sea in 1803]

["Obra Dinn"]

[Built in London in 1796 - Weight 800 tons, draft 18 feet]

[Captain R. Terry ~ Crew of 51]

[Final destination: East - Rendezvous point not reached]

[If you require an inquiry or to testify]

[Please contact the East India London office]

At the start of the game, there is no opening CG or voice acting. All that's shown on the screen is a white paper document with black text.

The second document was a dispatch order.

The document was clearly issued by the insurance claims department of the London office.

The protagonist is required to immediately travel to Falmouth to conduct a full assessment of the ship in order to determine the insurance claim situation.

This was a very common situation in that era.

Falmouth, England

[1807]

Perhaps it's the font itself, or perhaps it's because the pure black background offers almost no visual clutter.

The two lines of text written in this specially selected font instantly transport us back to the 19th century.

"Someone from the company woke me up."

Tell them you need to take the ship to the Obra Dinn.

Only then did the game finally start to have sound. The sound of ocean waves, and the voice actors' voices.

Voice acting is Lucas's comfort zone, so the quality in that area is definitely guaranteed.

In just a few words, the other person's drunken, boatman-like demeanor was perfectly captured.

Even though the game doesn't even have a single screen yet.

From beginning to end, apart from the two documents, there were only cursive artistic subtitles on a black screen.