In a world where GTA V has just landed a knock-out blow to probably the entire competitive market with a stunning new trailer, you might be forgiven for thinking a simple point and click adventure might fall by the wayside. But you'd be wrong. Because Nordic Games are set to release the first part of the three part point and clicker The Raven: Legacy Of A Master Thief - on the 23rd of July, and it's more than you might expect. The story follows The Raven - a 1960s art burglar who leaves behind trademark black feathers as clues, and who has targeted the legendary Eye of the Sphinx sapphire and is tracking it on its journey from Switzerland to Egypt. Following both the Raven and the investigators on his tail, Constable Anton Jakob Zellner who finds himself caught up in the tale, and The Raven's chief rival Nicolas Legrand. That rivalry and the Raven's motives are established in the free-to-play prologue interactive graphic novel for
iOS and
Android devices, and for those who prefer it
there's a browser version to play too. The first proper installment, which was written by the creators of The Book of Unwritten Tales - giving an indication of the story's quality - starts with the theft of the saphire from the British Museum, and the incriminating clue of a black feather. Strangely, The Raven is thought to be dead at this point, thanks to investigator Legrand, who tells Officer Zellner to back off when the ambitious investigator gets involved in the case.
The plot is a strongly written one, setting the scene for The Raven's introduction by successfully building a mythology around the character, and it's backed by some beautiful art design and a simple point and click style that genre fans will find easily adaptable. That interface is also tiered for different players, with a comparatively more complex point system for players familiar with the genre, and a magnifying glass and notebook that identify interactive points and clues, hints and objectives respectively. The artwork and the storyline are enough to make up for the fact that this isn't exactly the most complex of games there's a lot of guidance in the inventory in particular but then, there is more than enough to grip in the same way that the Professor Layton games manage, and the story promises a lot from the next two chapters. And really, it's hard to over-state just how good-looking the game is... If GTA V is the huge, immersive big man on the market, The Raven: Legacy Of A Master Thief is no less worthy of the attention of fans looking for a beautifully executed, engaging whodunit while they wait.