Manse
by Brian Barnes & Andrew Welch 

NOTE WELL: This product is still under development. This is a preview: everything mentioned here is subject to change without notice, because the product is a work in progress. Please don't ask us when it will be released -- that'll give us more time to finish the product and get it to you all that much sooner. We'll let you know just as soon as it is released, we promise. The best way to stay informed of product releases is to sign up for our announce_list mailing list, or check our web site periodically.

 

You are a student and friend of Dr. Frank Terrace, a physics professor and a part-time psychic
phenomena hunter. After years of prodding, Dr. Terrace has finally convinced the ancestors of
Edmund Dialisto to open the gates of Dialisto Manse, abandoned and locked away for almost a
century.

In the late 1800's, in a valley in the backwoods of California, Edmund Dialisto, a pastor, built the
Manse and its expansive grounds. The Manse is inaccessible except for an entrance at the mouth of the valley, where fog and quick rains move in and out.

Only 4 years later, Edmund evicted all visitors from the Manse and its grounds, and locked the
gates. A sudden, dark change washed over Edmund, and at night the grounds of his Manse was
flooded with twisting shadows and guttural, low-screaming howls.

The family, fearing some satanic influence, kept the gates locked and refused to sell the land, even after enough years had passed to safely assume that Edmund had died. Still, the shadows persisted, and the legends grew. Dares and challenges eventually brought people over the walls, but no matter how well armed, they, and their equipment, disappeared.

Now, Dr. Terrace and yourself are the first "welcome" visitors. At the beginning, most of the
investigation was uneventful -- at least until Dr. Terrace left you outside in the front courtyard to investigate the Manse itself. Just to be safe, you convinced Dr. Terrace to take the taser gun along with his flashlight, to ward off any animals that had made the Manse their home.

As Dr. Terrace disappeared into the house, you realize that on these grounds you have heard no
animals ... not even insects. But soon one sound would appear -- Dr. Terrace's scream. You rush
inside the Manse, but Dr. Terrace is nowhere to be found...

Manse is a 16-bit color, PowerPC-only, 3D game that has everything the genre usually lacks: plot,
mystery, adventure, exploration, puzzle-solving, and of course the obligatory nasties to dust with your assorted weapons. Although Manse shares an advanced 3D graphics engine with many of its contemporaries, the game itself is more reminiscent of the adventure games of years gone by.

Manse's stunningly active lighting effects (launch a missile into a room and watch the fire trail light the area up as it flies along), combined with a musty, daunting atmosphere create a truly immersive and sultry experience. Add in the fact that Manse isn't just 3D "Whack-a-Mole," and you end up with a truly unique gaming experience. Manse will enter beta testing in a few months; stay tuned.