Gray Matter Preview

The interminable delays that the game has endured over the years could end up working in its favour. Riding on the back of renewed interest in the genre via Broken Sword and Monkey Island remakes, alongside the revival of Sam & Max, Gray Matter arrives at a time when the once-moribund adventure genre is in its healthiest state for more than a decade. Coincidentally, that's also roughly how long it's been since we saw an adventure title penned by the game's author Jane Jensen, the renowned creative talent behind the revered Gabriel Knight trilogy.

Set in the historic confines of Oxford, this supernatural tale focuses on the lives of neurobiologist Dr David Styles, and young American street magician Samantha Everett. Since his life was shattered by the death of his wife several years ago, Styles has become a virtual recluse. But when Everett shows up on the doorstep of his Dread Hill House country mansion, her timing proves to be spot on, with Styles in the market for a new assistant at his Centre for Cognitive Abnormality Research.

After sheltering the night from the swirling wind and lightning and exploring the grand opulence of Styles' far-from-humble abode, Everett's first major task is to find half a dozen volunteers from Oxford University to participate in a mysterious experiment planned by Dr Styles.

The game's already-beautiful backdrops have been given an extra layer of polish since the game was picked up by French team Wizarbox.

What's surprising about Gray Matter is how comfortable the game is not only with well-honed adventure mechanics but the uncompromising use of simple static backdrops and images for its locations and cut-scenes. This strict adherence to the pre-3D style favoured by the classic LucasArts, Sierra, Westwood and Revolution during the genre's heyday gives Gray Matter a reassuringly 'lived-in' look and feel. For many, booting it up for the first time will be like putting on an old pair of slippers.

The understated, static location backdrops and non-animated cut-scenes are beautiful and admirable in their own way, with a deft attention to detail and an intricate, crafted style which promises to make exploring the game's many atmospheric locales an absorbing experience in its own right.

Given a whistle-stop tour of the opening three chapters, it's noticeable that Jensen and company have been careful to ensure players are able to explore without getting bogged down in time-wasting nonsense, such as the traditional problem of having to scan the cursor over every pixel to make sure you've examined every possible object. As with other recent adventures, hotspots are revealed by default to minimise the possibility of missing crucial items.

The game employs a new Progress Bar system within each chapter too, revealing how far towards solving a specific problem you are and detailing how many 'bonus actions' you've managed to solve along the way. Although not necessary to advance the plot, bonus actions allow you to discover more detail about the back-story. (They also reward you with those inexplicably tempting Gamerscore morsels on Xbox 360.)

It goes without saying that puzzles will be a major focus of the gameplay, and although you do combine objects in traditional style, players can expect a heavy emphasis on magic tricks from the third chapter onwards as well.

These are played out via a detailed instruction manual, and at times you're tasked with utilising Sam's abilities, as Jensen explains during our demo session: "You have to figure out, for example, how to get something from another person, and what trick would be appropriate. You have to collect props sometimes, and place them in certain cases." In a section later in the game, misdirection also comes into play, as you're tasked with fooling your audience into thinking you've burned a film.

The game's Oxford setting lends itself perfectly to the classic adventure game style.

During an 80-minute presentation we also get to see Styles' growing obsession with his dead wife and how his perception of reality is increasingly twisted. Jensen says the game is heavily influenced by pulp science books and novels such as The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, and admits the narrative was guided by her "interest in the mind, and how the mind perceives reality - the idea that perception and our belief systems affect the reality around us".

As you'd expect from a Jensen-penned adventure, maintaining high standards in audio has been a major priority, with voice actors including Phillipa Alexander as Samantha Everett (Alexander also voiced Kate in Mirror's Edge, fact fans), and Steven Pacey (of Blake's Seven and Heartbeat fame) as David Styles called in, while Jensen's musically talented extended family has chipped in to provide the game's aural accompaniment. Hubby Robert Holmes composed a typically gorgeous score to match his acclaimed work for the Gabriel Knight series, and elsewhere The Scarlet Furies have produced tracks for the game, with Jane's step-daughter Raleigh lending her dulcet tones to the band.

The fact Gray Matter has even come to fruition at all is one of the main talking points during Jensen's interview sessions. As the one figure of consistency among the maelstrom that has characterised the game's stop-start development, she admits she "didn't know if it would ever get published or not," when the game was put on the back burner for around 18 months while a new developer, Wizarbox, was found to finish things off.