| Blackwell | |
|---|---|
Artwork for the compilation Blackwell Bundle. From left to right: Convergence, Unbound and Legacy. |
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| Developer(s) | Wadjet Eye Games |
| Publisher(s) | Wadjet Eye Games |
| Designer(s) | Dave Gilbert |
| Engine | Adventure Game Studio |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | 23 December 2006 (Legacy) 4 September 2007 (Unbound) 22 July 2009 (Convergence) 12 October 2011 (Deception) |
| Genre(s) | Adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media/distribution | CD (1) or Internet download |
Blackwell is an independent adventure video game series consisting of four games: The Blackwell Legacy, Blackwell Unbound, Blackwell Convergence and Blackwell Deception[1]. The first game was released on 23 December 2006, the second on 4 September 2007, the third on 22 July 2009, and the fourth was released on 12 October 2011. The games were designed by Dave Gilbert, creator of The Shivah and Two of a Kind. All games were later released on a compilation called Blackwell Bundle.[2]
Contents |
The protagonist of the game is Rosangela Blackwell, who is a young writer living a solitary life in New York City. The death of her only relative, her aunt, inspires her to seek the truth behind her haunted past.
The game runs under the Adventure Game Studio platform. It was nominated for 4 AGS Awards for games released in 2006 and won the award for Best Character Art.[3] Character art was drawn by Ian 'Big Brother' Schlapfer of Herculean Effort Productions.
Known for its excellent story and voiceovers, the game starred Sande Chen as Rosangela Blackwell and Abe Goldfarb as Joey Mallone.
A prequel to Legacy, Unbound follows the investigations of Joey Mallone again, this time with Rosa's aunt Lauren, back in the 70s. Two apparently unconnected cases of hauntings are investigated and solved by the protagonists.
As with Legacy, Unbound uses the Adventure Game Studio engine. Unbound was originally supposed to be a flashback sequence in the next game, The Blackwell Convergence, but it grew so large that it became a game in its own right. The game was nominated for Best Story and won Best Music in the AGS Awards for games released in 2007.[4]
The story features a real person as a character: writer Joseph Mitchell of the New Yorker.
The third game starts six months after Rosangela meeting Joey. A new film opens to rave reviews, despite its bloody history. A beautiful uptown office remains unoccupied, despite its prime location. A downtown artist berates himself for selling out, while a Wall Street investor congratulates himself on a job well done. Just normal life in the big city? Or is something more sinister binding these events together? To top this all off, an old acquaintance to the Blackwell line comes back, refusing to make things easy for Rosa or Joey.
This game was originally to be released sometime around June 2008, but was delayed for a variety of reasons. However, the game was released on July 22, 2009 to mostly positive reviews.
Two real people are included in the cast of characters: writer Joseph Mitchell returns, as well as New York eccentric Joe Gould.
The fourth game was released October 12th 2011 and focuses on fraudulent psychics.
The project originally began as Bestowers of Eternity. This game was released as free software in 2003 via the Internet under that title, and gained much popularity. Subsequently it was decided for the project to be extended and redone into a proper commercial product – and thus The Blackwell Legacy was born.
Gilbert has previously stated for the concept of The Shivah that he wanted to do an investigation, but have the hero be someone other than a detective. On a separate occasion, he mentioned that he watched a movie about a medium contacting her spirit guide, and started thinking about what the poor spirit must go through to help this woman. From the union of these two ideas, Joey and Rosa's relationship was born.