It was two years ago when Valentina completed her university education and started working for Era Nova. How promising working for the magazine had looked initially. The young journalist was going to investigate and write about paranormal phenomena. Filled with youthful enthusiasm, Valentina was so ambitious and sure of herself. She wanted so much to discover something truly extraordinary. She sought sensation and glory; she wanted to bring the world awe-inspiring tales of the supernatural.
For two years Valentina searched for that elusive grand story. Yet every incident she investigated was a disappointment. The events initially suspected to be abnormal always turned out to be coincidental. There was always some logical explanation. Each failure threatened to replace Valentina’s enthusiasm with disillusionment. But all of that is about to change and the journalist is about to find out that sometimes dreams come true at a terrible price.
Hidden Rooms is the first project from Lullaby Studios. The company president Anatoly Krysow explains that the adventure will begin when Valentina arrives at Era Nova early one morning. The journalist is trying to find material for her articles before a meeting with her boss when she happens upon a rather curious letter. The letter speaks of the discovery of a hidden room in an otherwise ordinary building. The room is not on the blueprints. Nobody seems to know about its existence.
Yet Valentina can just feel that this time she is onto something. There is something very strange and decidedly unnatural about the room. As she is drawn ever deeper into the mystical world of the paranormal, Valentina realizes that she is in terrible danger. She has to fight against her fears and conquer her nightmares. She has to outsmart the murderer on her trail. Valentina’s great discovery might cost the young journalist her life.
Designed as a traditional 3rd person point and click adventure game, Hidden Rooms promises a number of unique puzzles and a wide array of locations across seven different worlds. Krysow expresses that Hidden Rooms will be split into seven chapters and each chapter will take place in one of the interconnected micro-worlds. Each world will feature a different setting and create its own unique atmosphere. For instance, Krysow points out that the first chapter, called Hotel Metaphyzic, will feature a film noir style “with its unique methods of interaction with the audience.”
The game will feature a multitude of characters with distinct background stories and personalities. Character interaction can be expected to play a very important part in the game. Dialogues will reveal many of the story details. While specific information is not yet available about all the characters, Valentina will meet some “Demons of the World of Hidden Rooms”. She will also have to match wits with “Murderer”, who will be Valentina’s antagonist throughout the adventure. Krysow assures us that “each world is full of interesting characters with their own backgrounds, behaviors, appearances and philosophies.”
Valentina will have to rely on her journalist instincts and sharp wit to overcome the challenges and unlock the mystery that spans across the seven worlds. Players will have to overcome inventory-based puzzles along with additional types of logic puzzles. Hidden Rooms can be expected to feature the kinds of challenges that will satisfy fans of adventure games.
The screenshots, concept art, soundtrack samples, and the intriguing premise of the game indicate that Hidden Rooms could be a very strong adventure offering. The idea of exploring seven unique micro-worlds is highly appealing. Valentina’s adventure promises a good deal of intrigue, a healthy dose of suspense, and a great opportunity for exploration and discovery. While a definite release date has not been scheduled yet, development is expected to continue until the beginning of 2007. If you are looking a solid point and click adventure game, Hidden Rooms could easily prove to be worth the wait.
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