Game Overview
‘The Tourist’ is a single player Adventure/RPG for mature
gamers. The game consists of intellectual dialogue, difficult puzzles and
intelligent A.I. The key features are exploration and the ability to access,
and follow multiple storyline.
The Game World
‘The Tourist’ takes place on the island of Ibiza. Ibiza lies
south of Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea, and is well known for its summer
parties and nightclubs. Famous clubs include Amnesia, Eden and Es Paradis,
which holds the well-known Water-Party where the central dance floor fills with
water. Ibiza is also home to the ‘West-End’ party district of Sant Antoni, a
rite of passage for many partygoers.
Aside from ravers and other tourists you can interact with,
Ibiza contains some of the world’s most beautiful scenery and architecture. The
cinematography in ‘The Beach’ (Darius Khondji) is a large influence on the
games visual design because it depicts the epitome of paradise. Ibiza also
offers excellent examples of late Carthaginian-Punic civilization from as far
back as the Roman Empire, during which the island became an imperial outpost. For
a brief period, the island fell under the ruling of the Byzantine, followed
shortly thereafter by the Moors. Under Islamic rule, chapels and large, richly
decorated halls were built on different parts of the island to impress
visitors.
Notable monuments on the island include “God’s Finger” in
Benirrás
Bay as well as some of the more traditional Ibicenco cultural sites and “The
Egg”, erected in honour of Christopher Columbus. The list goes on – private
beaches, night-markets, 5 star hotels and the finest restaurants. And for its
panoramic views and natural beauty, world-renown photographers and filmmakers
frequently visit Ibiza. The island stretches as far as 40km at its two furthest
points making it the perfect size for a grand scale RPG.
Main Character
Silus is a young tourist who has never had to work a hard
day in his life. He came into lots of money at a very young age when his
parents died on a boat cruise and always dreamed of going on the adventures he
read of in the Tin-Tin books his father used to buy him. The only thing he
trusts is the camera his mother bought him just before her demise. Silus
stopped studying after secondary school and picked up odd jobs here and there.
Since then he has travelled the world as a freelance photographer seeking
something more to take him away from his mundane life. He has searched the Pyramids of Egypt and
scaled the Great Wall of China. Now, on his 26th birthday, he
decides to relax on the shores of a small island before searching for his next
adventure. . .
‘The Player’ controls Silus, a young tourist, who finds
himself drawn into the mysteries of Ibiza. ‘The Player’ is not limited to the
confines of one main action, such as shooting or driving, but a plethora of
interactions with various objects. This is achieved by giving ‘The Player’ a
higher degree of control than is currently being given in current popular game
titles. ‘The Player’ is able to interact with everything from vehicles to light
switches. Even tasks such as climbing and swimming would be a reality. If the
main character converses with other characters, ‘The Player’ is given choices
as to how they wish to reply, thus changing the outcome every time.
Several factors come into play when controlling Silus. He
can suffer from dehydration & lack of sleep right down to over exertion,
intoxication, and not having enough air (whether drowning or being in confined
areas). These factors can affect his speed, strength, vision, hearing &
most importantly, vitality. Any scars, tearing of clothes or physical changes
to Silus’ body and/or clothes will be permanent throughout the game. If Silus
dies, the changes revert to the last checkpoint.
General Features
The very essence of ‘The Tourist‘ is giving ‘The Player’
more control and ultimatums. The reward of following your own hunch and finding
your next clue is second to none. There are, of course, ways to cheat – but not
in the traditional sense. For example, speaking to/knocking out a security
guard at night may get you into a previously inaccessible area. However, what
about doing a favour for Pedro at his hand-gliding stall near the beach and
letting him lend you a hand-glider when you can clearly see you re low on cash
on the interface.
The user interface can be turned on or off in the options
menu. It displays Silus’s life meter, a watch (with a compass and calendar) and
his money. Any items Silus carries are accessed by pausing. During pause, the
camera will align itself in front of Silus and ‘The Player’ can select different
areas of the characters body or clothing to show its contents. Choosing the map
will pan and re-align the camera to first person view and Silus will unfold the
map. If an item is chosen, the camera will zoom to that area of the body and
zoom in on the item. It will then show any selections that can be made in
reference to the item. A widescreen aspect ratio is used for the entirety of
the game.
Just like G.T.A & The Godfather you can travel to
further destinations around the island quicker by car but the twist here is
that you can’t steal them as easily and you certainly can’t exit a taxi without
paying and not expect the driver to chase you and forcibly take the money. Even
pickpockets can scrape you of your last bits of change and locals can give you
bad directions. There are 2 types of objects you can interact with in ‘The
Tourist’ – 1) Fixed objects are permanent fixtures in the world such as light
switches, doors, windows, etc. 2) Movable objects aretemporary fixtures that
can be moved, used and destroyed by ‘The Player’ such as uniforms, photos,
furniture, etc.
‘The Tourist’ consists of one island for the entirety of the
game with concentrated areas of different interactive elements such as people,
objects, stores and terrain. This gives ‘The
Player’ time to adapt to everything on the island and master all the character’s
abilities. The stories contain various pathways to other stories and the island
is full of places of interest to keep ‘The Player’ from feeling isolated. ‘The Player’ is able to save at any time
during the game. Any saves made during chapters of a story will load at the
beginning of that chapter and any items acquired within that chapter will be
non-existent. Hours of game play will vary, as there are various stories and
puzzles thereafter. Completing all levels and puzzles would take up to 80 hours
of game play.
‘The Player’ will move Silus through a world set in real
time. Realistic lighting is crucial to keeping the realism of time in par with
the games aesthetics. Day & night will bear different conditions for ‘The
Player’ and create various obstacles such as loss of visibility at night and
difficulty to execute stealth during the day. The weather will vary depending
on which story ‘The Player’ is following to keep consistency. Otherwise, the
weather will follow a timeline based on seasons and real weather references. ‘The
Tourist’ will begin at the start of summer so ‘The Player’ learns to deal with
some of the characters flaws (dehydration and over-exertion) early in the game.
‘The Tourist’ is set in Ibiza and will be inhabited by
Spanish speaking locals and other tourists of various nationalities. Most
characters will speak varying levels of English but all locals will mostly
speak in Spanish. Silus will carry an English-Spanish dictionary in his inventory
that ‘The Player’ will have access to from the start of the game. Finding a
word, spoken by a native, within a conversation and highlighting it with the cursor
unlocks it from the subtitles. Once a word has been unlocked, it is translated
on the screen among the unknown words.
Music
An orchestral musical score will enhance game play and give
the game sophistication. The subtle changes and various styles of genre,
accessible by an orchestra will enhance cut-scenes and draw attention to
in-game moments for ‘The Player’. Ubisoft’s ‘XIII’ used interesting variations
of genre including classical jazz, funk and experimental percussion. The music
gave the story a constant progression with fast paced, clashing music in
intense scenes and soft string sections fading in and out at moments of
stealth. ‘The Tourist’ will use more modern styles such as House, Rap, R&B
and older styles of Funk, Soul and Rock & Roll. House will play a major
role, as it is the most popularform of music in Ibiza.
Enemies & Friends
Due to multiple story lines in the game, enemies and friends
will vary. However, all the main characters that exist on the island are
permanent fixtures and therefore will always be accessible regardless of the
story being played. Alycia, a waitress at the Casino, plays Silus’s love
interest. The Casino boss is played by Eduardo ‘Chins’ Morales; the most
powerful man on the island. The Eivissa Mob also plays an integral part of the
islands story. Other notable characters include the police chief, a
professional cat burglar and the clerks of all the frequently visited shops,
hotels and stalls on the island.
Story
Interaction with these characters opens pathways to
different stories. All main characters have a set path for the entirety of the
game depending on how events unfold. The game opens with Silus landing on the island. Credits roll as
the cut-scene plays out. A montage shows Silus at different locations taking
pictures with his camera. The scene finishes with Silus waking up in his hotel
room suggesting, ‘I better go and pick up my fim’. ‘The Player’ takes full
control from this point and is able to travel anywhere on the island. However,
by following Silus’s suggestion ‘The Player’ will open the first story line.
All story lines consist of chapters. Within those chapters, ‘The Player’ is
confined to the tasks and locations containing the clues, which open up the
next chapter. In between chapters, it is always possible to roam freely around
the island and pursue links to open other stories or chapters.
7 likes!I like it!