Gemini Rue | |
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Developer(s) | Joshua Nuernberger |
Publisher(s) | Wadjet Eye Games[1] |
Composer(s) | Nathan Allen Pinard[2] |
Engine | Adventure Game Studio |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, Linux |
Release | Microsoft Windows iOS
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Genre(s) | Graphic adventure |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
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Gemini Rue is a cyberpunkgraphic adventure game made by Joshua Nuernberger, and published by Wadjet Eye Games.[1] The game uses a point and click interface to interact with the environment to solve puzzles and communicate with characters. A port for iOS devices was released on April 11, 2013.[3]
Gameplay[edit]
Gemini Rue is a graphic adventure game. The player controls a character named Azriel, explores their local environment, interacts with characters, and solves puzzles. The game also contains a minor gunplay mechanic. The player is equipped with a communicator device to call other characters and look up information via a limited text interface. At certain times, the player is able to switch between two characters located in different areas of the game's world; proceeding through each of these stories separately until reaching a common story.
Plot[edit]
Gemini Rue takes place in the 23rd century within the 'Gemini System', a star system recently declared independent from the Taurus and Pleaidas System through the war ten years prior to the beginning of the game. Though peace has come, the war left a power void, and the mafia-like Boryokudan crime syndicate controls much of the system, using its control of a drug called 'Juice'.
The game initially follows two characters. One is Azriel Odin, an assassin now turned to a law enforcer who is seeking to get any information about his brother Daniel. While searching the planet of Barracus, Azriel is aided by his friend and pilot Kane Harris, who maintains their spacecraft in orbit. Azriel comes to aid Matthius Howard, a friend of Azriel's from the previous war who is wanted by the Boryokudan and who claims to have information on Daniel's location. His information is tentative, pointing to a secret facility, Center 7, in a nearby nebula where Daniel may have been taken. Azriel convinces the Boryokudan to give him the location of Center 7 in exchange for Azriel retrieving a missing Juice supply to the Boryokudan, which is eventually revealed to have been stolen by a woman named Sayuri, who reveals she had escaped from Center 7 one year previously. Azriel eventually gets the location of Center 7 while still destroying the Juice supply, and leaves Barracus for Center 7 along with Kane, Matthius, and Sayuri, who claims to have 'left someone behind' on Center 7.
The other character is Delta-Six, who later takes the name 'Charlie'. When Delta-Six first awakes he finds himself in a 'rehabilitation center' for 'criminals', lacking any memories of his past, but promised by the center's 'director' that by completing tests involving gun training he will be allowed to go free. As he meets other patients, it is clear that he previously had tried to escape the facility but had his mind wiped after he was captured. Giselle, one of the patients that had tried to help him escape before, directs him to keep up the escape plan and not to complete the final test as he would be sent to have his mind wiped again. Charlie is nearly killed by another patient, Balder, who is angered by his attempts to escape, but Charlie breaks free and burns off most of Balder's face in his escape. He attempts escape along with Giselle and Epsilon-Five, another prisoner, who does not choose a name for herself (the name 'Sayuri' is suggested by Giselle). Giselle is killed and Charlie wounded and recaptured by an angry Balder (with his face having undergone surgery). Epsilon-Five escapes.
Kane's ship arrives at Center 7, and Azriel and Sayuri set off to locate where Daniel may be held. The computers give no information on Daniel's location, prompting them to continue to the director's office where more complete records would be found. They suddenly find themselves trapped in a room slowly filling with a sleep gas, where the director watches from an adjoining room. The director explains that Azriel is really Charlie – after Charlie's failed escape a year ago, he was wiped of his memory again, and this time given the identity of an assassin Azriel, which they had trained him for before. However, Azriel left his assassin's life due to 'a part of the psyche the rehabilitation cannot change - the conscience.' After Azriel left the Boryokudan, the director triggered the memory of Daniel as a means of recalling Azriel back to Center 7, where he now plans to re-wipe his memory and create a new identity for him. Matthius is revealed to have been Balder, and was to help seed the idea of Azriel's brother. Sayuri is Epsilon-Five.
With Azriel taken to be mind-wiped, Sayuri and Kane are captured, but they manage to escape. They free Azriel before the full memory wipe can be completed, and set the station to self-destruct. However, both Azriel and Sayuri desire to get their original memories back which would have been stored on the director's computer. They race there, with Azriel killing Matthius en route, and run into a standoff with the director, who explains that the station's purpose is to create these assassins and other mercenaries for the Boryokudan from innocent people, and asserts that the human condition is nothing but their memories. The director shoots Sayuri, and Azriel shoots and kills the director. Azriel moves towards the director's databases, but Sayuri says she does not want to know her past. The two escape with Kane just as the station explodes, the other patients safely making it off in a second craft. As Kane takes them out of the nebula, Sayuri contemplates that there is more to being a human being than a person's memories.
Reception[edit]
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The game was very well received by game critics, with praise singled out for its compelling storyline and retro graphics.[citation needed] It is considered an impressive example of the point-and-click adventure game genre which has experienced a recent renaissance after being in a decline for around a decade.[citation needed] The sequences involving combat, however, were criticized for their stiff controls and an action-oriented tone inconsistent with the rest of the game.[citation needed] On Metacritic, it has a normalized rating of 82 out of 100, which indicates 'generally favorable reviews'.[4]
IGN wrote 'If only more triple-A games turned out this well. With (for the most part) seamless, intuitive gameplay, impressive atmosphere and one of most well-crafted and interesting storylines seen in recent years, Gemini Rue is a game not just for adventure fans, but for anyone who loves a good, gritty yarn.'[11]The A.V. Club said 'Developer Joshua Nuernberger has crafted a smart, thoughtful tale that keeps introducing fascinating new ideas and characters. Even for such a throwback game, the execution is terrific, with great voice acting and smart-looking cutscenes.'[12]PC Gamer wrote 'An exciting, surprising and thought-provoking adventure rendered in a beautiful art style. Gemini Rue earns respect.'[13]GameSpy praised the game for its 'Compelling story and setting; clever, well-thought-through puzzles; great music and art.'[14]Wired said 'Gemini Rue stands out among the throng of generic point-and-click adventure games. The atmosphere remains tense and dark throughout the entire game, and when you finally plow through the story’s last couple of twists, you’ll be glad you played the whole thing.'[15]
In 2011, Adventure Gamers named Gemini Rue the 79th-best adventure game ever released.[16]
Awards[edit]
The game received the following awards:
- Gamespy's Adventure Game Of The Year 2011[17]
- AGS Awards for Best Story & Best Independent Adventure Game of the Year[18]
- PC Gamer US' Adventure Game of the Year 2011[19]
References[edit]
- ^ ab'Gemini Rue'. Wadjeteyegames.com. 2011-02-24. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
- ^'15 Minutes of Fame: The music of Nathan Allen Pinard'. Engadget. AOL. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^'Wadjet Eye brings Gemini Rue to iPhone and iPad'. Destructoid. 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
- ^ ab'Gemini Rue for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
- ^'Gemini Rue for iPhone/iPad Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
- ^'Gemini Rue • PC •'. Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
- ^'Gemini Rue Review'. GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
- ^'Gemini Rue - PC - GameSpy'. Pc.gamespy.com. 2011-11-10. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
- ^'Gemini Rue Video Game | Reviews, Trailers & Interviews'. GameTrailers.com. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
- ^'Gemini Rue review'. PC Gamer. 2013-10-26. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
- ^'Gemini Rue Review - IGN'. IGN. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^'Gemini Rue · Game Review · The A.V. Club'. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^'Gemini Rue review - PC Gamer'. PC Gamer. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^'GameSpy: Gemini Rue Review - Page 1'. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^'Review: Noir Gemini Rue Captures Classic Point-and-Click Magic - WIRED'. WIRED. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^AG Staff (December 30, 2011). 'Top 100 All-Time Adventure Games'. Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
- ^'GameSpy: GameSpy's Game of the Year 2011 Awards - Page 4'. pc.gamespy.com. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- ^'Adventure Game Studio | Games | Gemini Rue'. www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- ^PCGamer (2012-02-08). 'PC Gamer US Game of the Year awards 2011'. PC Gamer. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
External links[edit]
- Gemini Rue at Wadjet Eye Games
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Ah, the point and click adventure. The land of well-defined characters, imaginative worlds, and brutally illogical puzzles that will send you running to the LucasArts hint line.
The genre has had an interesting history, from main attraction to cult favourite to reinvented classic. And you can chart every twist and turn on Steam, as brand new games and retro gems live alongside one another.
There are some 300 point and clicks on Steam. These are our the best ones.
Grim Fandango Remastered
By Double Fine Productions - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£7.36)
Skeletal travel agent Manny Calavera makes a four year journey across the underworld, hoping to uncover a conspiracy in the land of the dead. Its mix of Mexican folklore and film noir creates a wholly unique style.
This Remastered version adds handy point and click controls, and some subtle visual tweaks. But those mind-bendingly difficult puzzles remain untouched.
Detective Grimoire
By SFB Games - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£4.99)
A comical whodunit, set in a sweltering swamp that has been turned into an oddball theme park. Instead of solving puzzles, you'll be collecting clues and questioning witnesses in an attempt to solve a murder.
A clever collection of deduction mechanics let you feel like a detective, as you piece together the thoughts in Grimoire's noggin.
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition
By Phoenix Online Studios - buy on PC and Mac (£12.99)
Before Gabriel went 3D and started making fake moustaches from syrup and cat hair, he was in dark and suspenseful thrillers like 1993's Sins of our Fathers.
This 20th Anniversary Edition gives the game a complete facelift with HD graphics, new puzzles and scenes, and a bunch of making-of content. If you want the original you'll need to go to GOG.
The Walking Dead
By Telltale Games - buy on PC and Mac (£18.99)
The Walking Dead doesn't have many puzzles. And the head-scratchers get fewer and fewer as you play more episodes. Instead, the game's all about making choices.
How do you distribute food rations to a starving group? Who do you side with in an argument? How do you explain a zombie apocalypse to a little girl? And, most importantly, whose life do you save?
Broken Age
By Double Fine Productions - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£18.99)
It's the game that crushed it on Kickstarter. Grim Fandango creator Tim Schafer got 3 million bucks to make a classic point and click - and he very much delivered on his promise. Even if he was a little late.
The outcome? An ambitious game of two very different kids, with the very similar aim of breaking into adulthood. You know, by defeating monsters and escaping from spaceships. Puberty, eh?
Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge
By LucasArts - buy on PC (£6.99)
This tale of wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood is a stone cold classic, and I'm sure many people reading this list cut their teeth on this comedy favourite.
You don't need to decide whether to buy the pixel art original or the HD remastered version - they're both in the same game and you can switch between them at any time with a button press.
Kentucky Route Zero
By Cardboard Computer - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£18.99)
An impressionistic indie game that largely ditches traditional puzzles in favour of dialogue choices and thick, sweaty atmosphere.
You play as a delivery truck driver Conway, who's looking to get a parcel to a mysteriously hard-to-find address. Things get a bit weird when the twisty, self-referential narrative starts to bend back into itself.
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
By Funcom - buy on PC (£13.99)
If point and click adventures are known for their inventive worlds, then Dreamfall surely deserves some kind of prize. Between its futuristic Earth and its stunning fantasy realm, the game is constantly taking you to surprising new places.
Some of the more action-focused elements might turn off genre purists, but you owe it to yourself to dive into this beautiful, enrapturing adventure.
Machinarium
By Amanita Design - buy on PC and Mac (£7.49)
While many adventure games are packed with dialogue and talkative characters, Machinarium's cast of tin-can robots never speak. You'll have to figure things out through body language, observation, and lovely cartoon speech bubbles.
As well as traditional item puzzles, Machinarium is packed with cute mini-games and little logic riddles to keep things fresh. But the star of the show is that staggeringly detailed, hand-drawn world.
Gemini Rue
By Joshua Neurnberger - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£6.99)
A gravel-voiced detective, prowling about some rain-soaked exoplanet. An inmate, trapped in an orbiting prison complex. They're the two characters you'll control in this retro throwback adventure.
But this is not slavishly oldschool. A refreshing focus on logical puzzle solutions and the promise of multiple solutions to many problems gives this sci-fi epic a modern twist.
Tales of Monkey Island Complete Pack
By Telltale Games - buy on PC and Mac (£26.99)
Before Telltale ditched all the puzzles in favour of branching paths and zombies, it made classic point and clicks. The best of the bunch was surely this Monkey Island swan song.
It can't quite hold a candle to the originals (through, it's much better than Monkey 4), but it is funny, clever, and creative enough to fit the series.
Time Gentlemen, Please! and Ben There, Dan That! Double Pack
By Size Five Games - buy on PC (£2.99)
While many modern adventures go the serious route, Size Five Games hearken back to games like Toonstruck and Sam and Max with oddball situations, gross-out humour, and only-sorta logical puzzles.
Besides, it's the only series on this list whee you can stick some dude's lopped-off arm down a toilet to get Hitler's blood and stool.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
By LucasArts - buy on PC and Mac (£4.79)
I maintain that Fate of Atlantis is a better Indiana Jones movie than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Maybe not a hard award to win - most things are better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But still.
You'll have to play this game three times as the choice to play with your brains, with your fists, or to team up with Sophia Hapgood will take you down three very different paths.
Year Walk
By Simogo - buy on PC and Mac (£4.79)
A chilly Scandinavian forest, and a weird Swedish tradition called year walking. The two settings for a daring mobile adventure that you can now get on Steam.
The puzzles are well designed and the story is suitably mysterious. But top marks go to the crunchy, snowy atmosphere of these weird woods.
Broken Sword: Director's Cut
By Revolution Software Ltd - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£4.99)
When vacationing lawyer George Stobbart is caught in a terrorist explosion, he finds himself bouncing around the world, chasing a bonkers cult of Neo-Templars (before Dan Brown ruined them).
It's absolutely beautiful and wonderfully witty, but Steam users will be stuck with the inferior director's cut. Get the original on GOG if you're a retro purist like me.
Resonance
By XII Games - buy on PC (£6.99)
Another terrific game from Gemini Rue developer Wadjet Eye Game, which looks like some forgotten VGA classic from 1995. This time, we're trying to stop a particle physicist's doomsday tech fall into the wrong hands.
The game's got a clever system where your memory - both short term and long term - acts like a second inventory so you can discuss events you've seen or use massive objects you couldn't possibly fit in your pockets.
The Last Express Gold Edition
By DotEmu - buy on PC and Mac (£4.99)
An incredibly inventive point and click, that broke a lot of barriers. This adventure aboard the Orient Express plays out in real-time so you can miss events, characters will remember how you treat them, and the graphics are all rotoscoped.
If you thought point and clicks were all about standing still and solving logic puzzles, think again.
Life Is Strange
By DONTNOD Entertainment - buy on PC (£3.99)
This college drama borrows a lot of ideas from The Walking Dead, but puts its own twist on things. Most importantly: the ability to rewind time to make a different decision if you weren't keen on the outcome.
The cringe-worthy appropriation of teen culture will turn some people's stomachs, but it's hard not to get wrapped up in this involving story and feel a little nostalgic about those hazy, lazy autumn days of yore.
Deponia
By Daedalic Entertainment - buy on PC, Mac, and Linux (£15.99)
A gorgeous adventure from Germany, where people didn't even know that the adventure game died. This one's about a man who tries to escape his social status in a world that has been turned into a junk heap.
Gemini Rue Machine Puzzle
It's funny, it looks absolutely stunning, and it's a good reminder of why we loved this type of game in the first place.