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.
| Sinking Island | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | White Birds Productions |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Benoît Sokal |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Development
editThe 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
editThe 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
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 68/100[9] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 4Players | 59%[10] |
| Adventure Gamers |    [11] |
| Gamekult | 4/10[12] |
| GameStar | 68%[13] |
| Gamezebo | 70/100[14] |
| GameZone | 6.5/10[15] |
| IGN | 6.5/10[16] |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 15/20[17] |
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
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Visite White Birds Productions: Sinking Island". Atlantis Amerzone et Cie (in French). Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Sinking Island". Microids. October 30, 2007. Archived from the original on October 30, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Sinking Island". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Dante Kleinberg (August 29, 2008). "Sinking Island review". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Sinking Island". GameStar (in German). Webedia. October 31, 2007.
- ^ Marc Saltzman (April 11, 2009). "Sinking Island Review". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ^ Anise Hollingshead (September 18, 2008). "Sinking Island - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on September 23, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
External links
edit- Sinking Island at Microïds
- Sinking Island at MobyGames
- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived June 13, 2007)