Interview with Tristan Lambert on Adam’s Venture

European publisher Iceberg Interactive’s portfolio is quickly expanding as PC titles such as Killing Floor are beginning to make splashes around the world. However, while Killing Floor is a first-person shooter, the company’s newest title, developed by Vertigo Games, takes PC players in a bit of a different direction. Adam’s Venture is a planned three-part episodic adventure series for the PC that focuses on the adventures of the explorer Adam Venture, who has picked up a lead on a possible location for the Garden of Eden. Eschewing violence for a more friendly pick-up-play adventure puzzler, Adam’s Venture is being touted more on its merits of storyline, environments and challenging puzzles, seemingly placing it in the right direction for a classic-style adventure title.

Adam’s Venture is one of titles Iceberg Interactive plans on releasing to a worldwide audience, so, we were able to find out more about the development of the title thanks to Tristan Lambert of Vertigo Digital Entertainment.

Diehard GameFAN: First, could you introduce yourself and explain to our readers how you were involved with Adam’s Venture?

Tristen Lambert: My name is Tristan Lambert and I’m one of the founding members of Vertigo Digital Entertainment. For the Adam’s Venture series I’ve done work both as a programmer and as a writer. A quite unusual combination of activities one might say, but then again … I’m quite an unusual fellow.

DHGF: What was the main motivation behind creating the Biblical aspects to the game, involving the Garden of Eden and the Holy Crusades? Also, what was the inspiration behind the creation of the game’s environments? Can players expect to see a number of other historical tie-ins to the story and other real-life or popular fictional locations?

TL: Christian and non-Christian audiences around the world have lately shown a renewed interest in Biblical stories. Games, however, have mostly avoided these topics until now. For Vertigo Games this was a way to distinguish ourselves from other companies. The fact that two-out-of-three founding members are devoted Christians also helped.

Myself, I’ve always been fascinated by history in the broadest sense of the word. By weaving some of it throughout the story I feel we’ve added a certain level of depth we couldn’t have achieved otherwise. So yes, historical tie-ins are quite numerous, and throughout the Adam’s Venture series players can expect to visit real-life locations from the past.

DHGF: The title’s description proudly proclaims Adam’s Venture features non-violent gameplay. Does this have the gameplay revolve around platforming and puzzle solving? What kinds of situations and puzzles will players find themselves in? With the appeal of non-violent gameplay, are there multiple settings or features to adjust the playability to cater to more casual players?

TL: In Adam’s Venture the gameplay is mostly oriented around puzzle solving and exploration, which are both used as a means of driving forth the story. Puzzles are oriented around Biblical themes, and will challenge players at several occasions to interpret their hidden meaning. Sometimes this is necessary to solve the puzzle, sometimes this will help you appreciate the story in its full depth.

Because we’ve taken such an effort to seamlessly weave puzzles and storyline together, dynamically adjusting the difficulty proved impossible in most cases. Still, Adam’s Venture, seems to have great appeal to casual gamers. I think the simplicity of its controls, the minimalistic interface and the episodic nature each play an important part in making this so.

DHGF: The video game industry seems to be enjoying a nice spread of classic adventure-style titles right now. What are your thoughts on the exploration and puzzle-solving genre that many had thought disappeared? Are there any classic video game titles or other cultural media that influenced the production of Adam’s Venture?

TL: As a huge fan of the genre, I’m really glad it’s back! I can’t speak for the rest of the team, but my inspiration usually comes from memories of childhood enthusiasm. Indiana Jones, Star Wars and the Tintin comic books were all great sources of inspiration for me at the time. And they still are.

DHGF: The game’s trailer has Adam carrying a torch during most of the footage. How will lighting and fire tie into the title’s gameplay?

TL: The struggle between darkness and light is one of the major themes not only the Bible and mankind in general, but also Adam’s Venture concerns itself with. We used Adam’s torch as a game play mechanism and a visual metaphor for this struggle throughout the game. And besides, it looks really hot (Pun intended)!

DHGF: Of course, with this entry being billed as Episode 1, we should be able to expect future installments of the series. What can players expect from the series’ continuation?

TL: Players can expect us to work till we drop to make each game even better than the last. Energy drink companies can expect a significant increase in their profit.

We will also remain true to the principal of story-driven, non-violent gameplay with Biblical and historical references, since for me this is the beating heart of the Adam’s Venture series.

DHGF: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Is there anything else you would like to say about Adam’s Venture or to fans of adventure games?

TL: You can imagine anything, and if you can imagine it, you can create it.

The title should be available in shops in the U.K. starting Oct. 2 and plans to release the title elsewhere currently have the title slated for a Q4 release.