Gemini Rue

[TheJBurger]

Joshua Nuernberger presents in association with WADJET EYE GAMES

2010 Independent Games Festival - Student Showcase Winner

Azriel Odin, ex-assassin, arrives on the rain-drenched planet of Barracus to find someone.  When things go horribly wrong, he can only seek help from the very criminals he used to work for.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a man called Delta-Six wakes up in a hospital with no memory.  Without knowing where to turn or who to trust, he vows to escape before he loses his identity completely.

As fate brings these two men closer together, we discover a world where life is cheap, identities are bought and sold, and a simple quest for redemption can change the fate of a whole galaxy.


Price: $14.99

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FREE DEMO

TRAILER
TWITTER







AWARDS
Independent Games Festival 2010 - Student Showcase Finalist
Featured at IndieCade 2010 @ E3
Indie Games Arcade 2010


FEATURES
Full Voice Acting + Developer Commentary
4-8 Hours of Gameplay
Over 80 hand-painted backgrounds
A fine-tuned action system, fair to both action and non-action gamers
A traditional verb box point 'n click interface with the "KICK" Verb
Neo-Noir soundtrack by Nathan Allen Pinard

PRESS

"Without a doubt, this is already one of the best adventure games of 2011; visually, aurally and thematically stunning. A phenomenal achievement."
-Alternative Magazine Online

"It's got a very good story, believable dialogue, great atmosphere and of course most importantly of all the gameplay is good.  Highly recommended to all adventure game fans."
-Captain D's PC Game Reviews

"Gemini Rue is a truly excellent adventure game that fans shouldn't pass up"
-Gamezebo

"Gemini Rue, a neo-noir science-fiction point and click adventure, is a bloody good game. Filled with twists and turns, intricate storytelling and a welcome Blade Runner vibe, this is unlike anything I've ever played."
-Nukezilla

"Gemini Rue is a moody and meaty yarn that feels like a forgotten classic from yesteryear. Streamlined controls and clever puzzles make it suitable for old-school adventuring fans and newcomers alike. Highly recommended."
-dealspwn.com

"Gemini Rue is an exceptionally accomplished point-and-click adventure hybrid with a flair for detail in both narrative artistry and game design. I highly recommend it."
-Gaming Daily

"Gemini Rue is an engrossing story with an easy to use game mechanics system that I recommend for all players.  Go out there and give it a shot!"
-Gaming Shogun

"A brilliant sci-fi story-driven point-and-click adventure game which you don't want to miss out playing."
-noobfeed

"Based on it's mature story and gritty Sci-Fi theme, along with the unravelling of a neo-noir odyssey filled with plot twists, fans of adventure games will find the experience gratifying."
-I Luv Games

"This game has the potential to bring back the point-and-click genre to the mainstream and I would advise all point-and-click fans to pick it up ASAP."
-Capsule Computers

"A videogame capturing the essence of much that came before it while also leaving marks to call its own."
-Gamesugar

"[Gemini Rue] will leave you feeling like you've experienced something poignant."
-Digital Spy

"You will find Gemini Rue to be a gritty, immersive neo-noir story filled with plenty of twists and intrigue."
-Adventure Classic Gaming

"This is just insanely brilliant adventure gaming."
-Indiegames.com

"Why can't more point 'n click adventure games be like this?"
-PC Gamer

"With a story to rival that of any non-indie title, Gemini Rue's graphics and dual narrative will have you hooked from the moment you wake up as Delta-Six in constraints."
-Gamercast

"There's some lovely storytelling, and when I played through the game [...] I was hooked from start to finish.
-DIY Gamer

"A delightfully retro experience along with a gritty Blade Runner-esque vibe."
-Dealspwn

---

www.geminirue.com

[arj0n]

Enjoying the game, awesome job Josh!

[Stupot]

Congratulations Josh.
This is shaping up very nicely, but unfortunately I have to go to bed now.
Can't wait to resume playing tomorrow :-)

[-Update-]
Finished.  I really enjoyed every minute of this game.  This is one of the best adventure games I've played in quite some time.  Normally in a game [or book or film] that has two story-lines, you find yourself preferring one over the other.  But here, I was just as enthusiastic about each setting and each set of characters 

While the artwork is deliciously gritty and the option to go lo-res definitely adds to the effect, I can't help but wonder how beautiful it would have looked in higher-res.

The game world itself was really immersive, especially in Azriel's storyline.  However, at times, the game felt like it was supposed to be bigger than it really was.  For example after opening up the map and zooming out, all these cities and planets were teasingly labeled, giving the impression that you would be visiting those areas later in the game.  So it was a teeny bit disappointing when that didn't actually happen.  I'm not complaining about the length of the game though.  I thought it was more than ample in length for the price paid.

I had been anticipating the action scenes with some trepidation.  I thought they really complemented the gameplay very well.  I'm glad there weren't any more though.  I read a lot of reviews and comments saying they were too easy, but I personally had a bit of trouble with them (I stubbornly stayed on 'medium' though).  And one thing that annoyed me a bit was having to go through reams of dialogue every time I failed a gunfight, there should be an option to skip an entire conversation, at least in the moments before a gunfight.  However, the mechanics of these sequences was quite a clever and welcome use of AGS, I thought.  I'm a sucker for any game that tries something new with the code.

I've also read a one or two comments saying that the writing wasn't up to scratch.  I personally found it solid and well balanced.  It's noir without all the cliched and hammy dialogue, and even quite moving at the end.  The voice acting for this game is the best yet from Wadjet Eye, in my opinion.  Although I couldn't help think of Joey Mallone every time Kane spoke, which was difficult to ignore.

This wasn't intended to be a full review, but it seems to be heading that way, so I'll quickly add my voice to the chorus of praise for the music of this game.  I especially fell for the distinctive Blade Runner-esque tunes.

The twists, too were well dealt with:

Spoiler

I guessed that Mathias was Balder when he started questioning Sayuri in the ship about her escape from Center 7, but I didn't actually guess the 'main' twist until it's intended reveal... I guess the first mention of face transplants should have rang alarm bells.

[close]

Thanks Josh, for bringing such an ambitious project right the way through to fruition.  Many have tried, most have failed, you have succeeded, and then some.  I look forward to following your future endeavours.

[Dualnames]

Congratulations Josh. My personal opinion is also posted here, on the AGS blog.

I have to say this puts to shame most of ags games. Well done to everyone.

[Zenger]

WOW  :o, What an amazing game  :o. I'm really enjoying it a lot, excellent work   , congratulations!!, and what a narrative, it's fantastic

By the way, I think I found a nasty bug

Spoiler

In the maintenance room, where Giselle is, if You try to walk through the left door (not try to open it, try to pass through the door walking), You pass to the other screen when I think You are not suppossed to because it looks like if the story jumps to the point of what I suppose it would happen there when You're able to open the door with characters there and well.., oh and soon after that if You walk some more the game just crashes, altough I think that's a normal consequence of the other problem

[close]

PS: Sorry, I can't find how to put a spoiler tag  , although I think that what I've just written doesn't contain spoilers

[arj0n]

Awesome game, totally dragged into it.
Really hard to quit playing. 

[CaptainD]

Well, here's my review.[url]

Not that anyone's going to read it as they're all playing the game instead... 

[cianty]

Still playing, and liking it a lot so far. The way you worked that action sequences in the game is really nice. And they are not so that you'd be frustrated by them - they perfectly add to the tension of the game.
And I love how you can give orders to other characters. Very very cool.

*goes back to play the game some more*

[MartyMcFly]

Hey guys, long time lurker, first time poster.

I have reviewed Gemini Rue here for anyone who wants to take a look:

http://alternativemagazineonline.co.uk/2011/02/24/game-review-gemini-rue/

"Without a doubt, this is already one of the best adventure games of 2011; visually, aurally and thematically stunning. A phenomenal achievement." - Alternative Magazine Online

[hedgefield]

Really digging the game so far Josh, nice job! To be honest I started off a little bit hesitant, but the moment I set out towards Hibiscus Heights and that Blade Runner-esque style music kicked in against the background with the flying cars in the distance, it totally pulled me in.

[Charity]

I haven't had a chance to really play it yet, but you just about got me with the Title screen.  Seriously.  Awesome title screen.  Probably will post some more thoughts once I've made some more progress.

Anyway, I wanted to direct your attention to this thread in Technical:

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=42958.0

It seems to have to do with games made in old versions of AGS, in general, but since at least two people so far have had trouble playing Gemini Rue on machines running in 32 bit color mode, I assume you have or will have other customers facing the same problem.  TL;DR is that the screen won't update, but it will (or did at least in our cases) if you set your settings to 16 bit color.

[WHAM]

Now I know what I'll be doing this weekend! Great job getting this done, people! You make the AGS community PROUD!

[Frodo]

Excellent game so far.  Really enjoying it.   

[nihilyst]

Looks great so far. Really immersive.

[Vince Twelve]

Congrats on finishing it J!

[Igor Hardy]

Now that's what I call releasing an adventure game in style. Very impressive.

[Zenger]

Game finished  . The game is not short at all, but I had free time and played it a lot, I couldn't stop  . The game grabbed me since the beginning, what a narrative  :o, it grows and grows until the end that doesn't dissapoint.  The last part is amazing  :o

Anyway, Big thanks to Joshua Nuernberger and the rest of the team that have made this possible, It's an excellent work!!!  , and thanks a lot for dubbing the game, I know it's a great effort and I really appreciate that kind of things

I totally agree with what MartyMcFly posted: "Without a doubt, this is already one of the best adventure games of 2011; visually, aurally and thematically stunning", that is Gemini Rue for me too  

[Peder 🚀]

Loving it so far, even so much I don't feel like asking/looking for help when I get stuck! .

Hope to see more top quality games from you in the future, commercial or not!

[Dave Gilbert]

I'm happy everyone's enjoying it.  It's an amazing game and it was quite an honor to publish it, as well as work on the voice acting. 

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Hey, it's good to see the game finally done!  Josh in particular deserves a heap of praise for sticking with this project for so long and seeing it through.  I hope the sales justify all of your efforts!

[Ilyich]

Just finished it - great game! Enthralling plot, superb atmospheric backgrounds, tense, engrossing and well-paced gameplay, it sucks you right in! I enjoyed it a lot, probably one of the best adventure games in recent years, along with the Blackwell games.

Thanks, Joshua, hope to see more of your games in the future (and preferably set in the future - I loved the Cowboy Bebob/Bladerunner vibe)!

And thanks to Dave, for helping it get released in such a well-polished state. Wish you both the best of luck with the sales and future projects! Cheers!

[BluWacky]

WOW  :o, What an amazing game  :o. I'm really enjoying it a lot, excellent work   , congratulations!!, and what a narrative, it's fantastic

By the way, I think I found a nasty bug

Spoiler

In the maintenance room, where Giselle is, if You try to walk through the left door (not try to open it, try to pass through the door walking), You pass to the other screen when I think You are not suppossed to because it looks like if the story jumps to the point of what I suppose it would happen there when You're able to open the door with characters there and well.., oh and soon after that if You walk some more the game just crashes, altough I think that's a normal consequence of the other problem

[close]

PS: Sorry, I can't find how to put a spoiler tag  , although I think that what I've just written doesn't contain spoilers

I had exactly the same problem, and unfortunately decided to save shortly after the game autosaved during the cutscene that followed.  So now I have to restart the game, alas.  Very irritating bug.

Other than a couple of typos it's been a pretty enjoyable, polished experience thus far - aside from said game breaking bug!

[Snarky]

I spent the best part of the day playing Gemini Rue, and I must congratulate Joshua on having created a game that is surely a future classic. I don't think I've ever played an AGS game that is so ambitious: in story, length, size, graphics, music, gameplay, voice acting... and so successful in its ambition.

Certainly, it is not entirely without flaws. While the graphics were stylish and appealing, I often felt like I had to squint to make out important details in the sketchy, scratchy (not to mention low-resolution; 320x200 is enough for many games, but in this style I felt like many things barely showed up) environments. There were a couple of quite frustrating pixel hunts (shard and ramp), and the reuse of room templates was quite jarring in some screen transitions (which seemed less like a shift to a new room than like some of the furniture suddenly jumped around).

The UI was more fiddly than it perhaps needed to be (having to combine mouse and keyboard controls for crate movement seemed unnecessary, for example), and not all the supporting voice actors were as good as the main cast. I think also that having played a good few Wadjet Eye games, I'm starting to become a little too familiar with David's repertory company of voice actors.

I have to admit that I was a little bit skeptical of the story based on early press. Both the "hard-boiled detective with a dark past investigates in rainy cyberpunk world" and "guy wakes up with no memory in futuristic brainwashing-prison" sounded like over-familiar clichés. And yes, they are hardly original, and yes, I could see where the story was going very early on. Still, it's presented with enough confidence and enough texture (dropping in just enough unexplained or underexplained background info) that the environments come alive and seem real, and fortunately it was not overly reliant on the shock value of its twist(s).

I particularly appreciated that Azriel's investigation was long enough and complicated enough, with numerous steps, leads, and suspects before its conclusion, to feel like a real case rather than just an adventure game obstacle. Though it seemed like an amazing coincidence that all the people involved lived essentially on the same block. 

While I can understand why Blade Runner and Beneath a Steel Sky are the first things people compare it to, I'd say that Cowboy Bebop and particularly Portal are more evident in its DNA. (Seriously, the Director and GLaDOS should be dating.) There are also striking similarities with Dollhouse, though I assume those are coincidental, since the game was already in production when the show first aired.

So what's next for JBurger games? Are you thinking of more games in the same universe? I for one would certainly be in line for a sequel!

[ALPHATT]

The game looks amazing, I'm interested if you're gonna have any alternative payment methods other than plimus. It applies the VAT of the respective country you're in. A) It doesn't even make sense, since I doubt every country actually collects their respective tax from them, doubt they have representation in every damn country in Europe. B) The VAT is 25% in hungary, and that makes my game $3.75 more expensive and while I appreciate that it's not a lot, there's a principal involved. If there are no plans for a steam or other non-plimus release I'll just get it there, but for example if I wanted to to get the $25 limited edition, there would've been a 25% surcharge on it for me. Sorry for the above complaint, I really like how the game looks but I had to get that off my chest and I've had some problems registering on the wadjeteye forum.

[TheJBurger]

While I can understand why Blade Runner and Beneath a Steel Sky are the first things people compare it to, I'd say that Cowboy Bebop and particularly Portal are more evident in its DNA. (Seriously, the Director and GLaDOS should be dating.) There are also striking similarities with Dollhouse, though I assume those are coincidental, since the game was already in production when the show first aired.

I'm glad you picked this up, because Cowboy Bebop and Portal are the two main inspirations, with everything else being secondary. I also haven't played the Blade Runner game (or Snatcher) so any references to Blade Runner lie solely within the film context. (And I haven't seen Dollhouse, btw)

So what's next for JBurger games? Are you thinking of more games in the same universe? I for one would certainly be in line for a sequel!

Spoiler

I don't know if making games in the same universe would justify their existence - this universe kind of solely exists for these two characters, and so to create parallel story lines might not be as respectful to that, at least in my opinion.

[close]

[Dualnames]

I found the game totally inspired by Cowboy Bebop,  it's so apparent that there are two easter eggs

[TheJBurger]

I found the game totally inspired by Cowboy Bebop,  it's so apparent that there are two easter eggs

4, actually. 

[Snarky]

How do you trigger those?

I'll be replaying for the commentary, so it'd also be nice to know about other easter eggs, cool death scenes, optional dialogs, branching paths (I didn't get the impression that there are any, apart from backup solutions if you fail certain puzzles?), interesting alternative solutions to puzzles and that sort of thing.

Not really an easter egg, but I liked the in-joke where Azriel tries to pass off AGS community members as Boryokudan references. The game feels so professional that it'd otherwise be easy to think of it as too aloof for the forums and all that. I don't mind saying that Gemini Rue (BTW, like many reviewers are saying, the original name really was better) and its nearly universally positive critical reception fills me with a sense of community pride.

Oh, and on the subject of jokes, I love that the settlement on Barracus has named its cities after Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Way to aim high, guys! It really communicates their downbeat, defeated attitude.

Spoiler

I don't know if making games in the same universe would justify their existence - this universe kind of solely exists for these two characters, and so to create parallel story lines might not be as respectful to that, at least in my opinion.

[close]

Fair enough. I was thinking that maybe during development you had ideas for other adventures in the universe, maybe a sequel with the same characters - or some of the supporting characters. But if you'd rather do something separate, that's fine with me!

[ALPHATT]

can i get a y/n on my question : D

[voh]

Just finished it and while it's already been one of my most looked-forward-to games, it's fulfilled that promise nicely!

Want more! And while I understand that you're a little careful with overexploiting your GR universe, I see more than enough options to either make a straight sequel to it (i.e., the quest for the original memories) or something just set in the same universe but not connected directly to this game's characters.

I just want more 

That's all.

[Sughly]

Just finished it as well. Really, really great job, very impressive! Anything I'd say has been said before, so I'll just leave it at that 8). With that said though, the music really gave the game something special - it could easily make or break a game, and it really helped make this one. Well done! Glad I got the CD version so I'll be able to proudly display it on my shelf and replay it in years to come.

[Nathan Allen Pinard]

Just finished it as well. Really, really great job, very impressive! Anything I'd say has been said before, so I'll just leave it at that 8). With that said though, the music really gave the game something special - it could easily make or break a game, and it really helped make this one. Well done! Glad I got the CD version so I'll be able to proudly display it on my shelf and replay it in years to come.

Thank you for your comments on the music!

[voh]

Agreed on the music, I can't wait for my SE to arrive either, partly because of that

It'll probably end up being part of the soundtrack of one of the many pen&paper RPGs I play

[Kristof]

I've played only the demo so far, I liked the atmosphere very much. Congrats!

[Dave Gilbert]

The game looks amazing, I'm interested if you're gonna have any alternative payment methods other than plimus. It applies the VAT of the respective country you're in. A) It doesn't even make sense, since I doubt every country actually collects their respective tax from them, doubt they have representation in every damn country in Europe. B) The VAT is 25% in hungary, and that makes my game $3.75 more expensive and while I appreciate that it's not a lot, there's a principal involved. If there are no plans for a steam or other non-plimus release I'll just get it there, but for example if I wanted to to get the $25 limited edition, there would've been a 25% surcharge on it for me. Sorry for the above complaint, I really like how the game looks but I had to get that off my chest and I've had some problems registering on the wadjeteye forum.

Hi Alphatt,

Regarding registering, did you include the underscores/dashes when you entered the captcha code?  That seems to confuse a lot of people.  We had to add that because the forum was overloaded with spam, but we're in the midst of updating that now so we can remove that horrible captcha.

Regarding VAT, check out this thread here: http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/forum/index.php?topic=887.0

[qptain Nemo]

I'd like to join people congratulating JBurger on releasing this. Very well done, one of the most pleasant game experiences of the last time. I'll be honest: I wouldn't call it mindblowing, but i enjoyed it thoroughfully and by all means appreciate it and look forward to your future projects, JBurger.
I found it very pleasing in visual and audial senses, great job, Nathan, especially that track that plays when they come to

Spoiler

weather tower

[close]

Obviously in terms of atmosphere too. Really liked a lot of design decisions such as multiple solutions to certain things.

Spoiler

being able to fail to convince the lobby manager and ask your partner to do that for you entirely? brilliant!

[close]

Really liked the main story twist (and particulary OMG SPOILER the director's explanation END OF HORRIBLE SPOILER) and the way two stories connected. But my only problem is that while the whole story's composition is very good, it feels unexciting at times and some parts feel a bit empty story-wise because protagonists chase some simple goals without much feeling of global progress. And it's not even a real critisism, since 1. relaxed, slow, engrossing parts add to the experience and 2. i have no idea how would i fix it. So I'm not even saying it's necessarily bad, BaSS was actually full of such parts too and I enjoyed it deeply, and in no way i'm implying that sense of importance it necessity for a good story, but you know, just sharing how i felt in the hope that you may find it interesting and/or useful. It's just felt for me that the story is good, but it's not enough of it to fill in such length.

But then again, I really appreciate a game made entirely of sincere attempts to make a good game, not corrupted by any typical game design faults stemming from laziness and lack of care. So you deserve every buck and every praise you get from this game and I wish you to make more and that all possible good things come to you!

[Cryxo]

I just finished the game myself and I am blown away. The narrative is simply and truly stunning. It makes a game that is exciting and thrilling to play and more or less satisfying. That is a true achievement considering many triple A games out there these days are simply not satisfying to play or finish. The mood is perfect and I caught onto the whole Cowboy Bebop and Portal thing as well. To think that one man can design a game to this standard is quite astonishing. I can't wait for my CD copy with the soundtrack to arrive now now!

I have one question though, it may sound a bit daft but what was the underlying inspiration behind the philosophy in Sayuri's speech at the end?

Congratulations and I do hope you do extremely well out of this game.

[Takyon]

I just can't get the demo to work. It loads but very glitchy and slowly. I can hear the sound of the next scene while the LOADING screen is still displayed.

Anyone else have trouble running it on windows 7?

[Peder 🚀]

J.H: I had trouble with the full game on Windows 7. Same issue.
Are you using a laptop? Try setting the battery settings to high performance, did the trick for me..
Appearantly you can also set the colors to 16bit and run in window mode... But the first solution is much easier and crazy enough works .

[TheJBurger]

How do you trigger those?

I'll be replaying for the commentary, so it'd also be nice to know about other easter eggs, cool death scenes, optional dialogs, branching paths (I didn't get the impression that there are any, apart from backup solutions if you fail certain puzzles?), interesting alternative solutions to puzzles and that sort of thing.

Spoiler

There are 4 "official" easter eggs - 1 is in the first scene with Azriel, the other 3 are in the investigation scene with Azriel (where you can swap characters with Delta-Six).

Optional dialogs: you can try asking people about the 'escaped prisoner' which might turn up something.

Branching paths: not really, as you mentioned, but there are slightly different versions of the ending depending on things you do/say in the last scene.

I've probably said too much! 

[close]

I have one question though, it may sound a bit daft but what was the underlying inspiration behind the philosophy in Sayuri's speech at the end?

Spoiler

Personal experience / cliched movie endings.

[close]

[Stupot]

Teeny bug, but did anyone else find that in the weather tower, when you clicked the hand command on the plug while standing on the crate, that the cursor becomes the newspaper icon (it also became the gun icon for about 10 seconds, but it was mostly the newspaper)?

BTW, if anyone is interested I update my earlier post a few comments [which became more of a review]:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=42957.msg570481#msg570481

[Igor Hardy]

And here's what ddq thinks about all this:

http://www.hardydev.com/2011/02/28/gemini-rue-review/

[Kweepa]

The release is mentioned on kotaku:
http://kotaku.com/#!5772057/the-ghost-of-blade-runner-the-game-is-now-out
"It's out, and well worth your $15."

[Armageddon]

Just one question, is this your first adventure game? And if yes,

WHAT THE HECK MAN THIS GAME WAS FREAKING AMAZING!

[Iliya]

[EDIT]

This post is sent to the authors of the game.

[Gilbert]

You shouldn't post the link here though.
Instead you should inform JBurger or Dave via PM or alert them in the Wadjet Eye forum.

[Iliya]

You shouldn't post the link here though.
Instead you should inform JBurger or Dave via PM or alert them in the Wadjet Eye forum.

You are right! I'm removing it.

[Snarky]

Cowboy Bebop and Portal are the two main inspirations, with everything else being secondary. I also haven't played the Blade Runner game (or Snatcher) so any references to Blade Runner lie solely within the film context. (And I haven't seen Dollhouse, btw)

You might find Dollhouse interesting. It shares a number of plot points and themes with your game.

Spoilers for Dollhouse (and implicitly for Gemini Rue):

Spoiler

It all revolves around a secret underground facility (the Dollhouse) where scientists erase attractive young people's identities and imprint them with new memories and skills. They are then sent out on missions as bodyguards, assassins, prostitutes (who put on a very convincing act because for them it isn't an act), and other roles that require special talents and total commitment. After each assignment they get their minds wiped again. The question of whether people's identities are composed strictly of their memories, and whether there is any free will if your personality has been programmed, become quite prominent. And it has some good shock!twists! where certain established characters are revealed to be dolls (or worse).

I wouldn't call it a great show. A lot of the early episodes play like "sexy fun-time with the mindwipe slaves!" without really acknowledging how icky that concept is. And it's hard to swallow that this world-changing technology would be used only to run a glorified temp agency (albeit a sinister glorified temp agency). All that changes at the end of the first season, though, as the series makes a jump into proper science fiction and some truly intriguing ideas.

[close]

If you enjoy sci-fi TV shows (Dollhouse is practically a Battlestar Galactica reunion) or you're a Joss Whedon fan, and can tolerate a bit of cheesiness, I'd say check it out.

[saluk]

Eh, I disagree. I always felt that Dollhouse had an undercurrent of "yes this is wrong", it's just not many of the characters were in a position to say so. People don't complain about other shows with moral repugnancy (or at least not enough to matter), but I guess the fact that most of the shows I'm thinking of are on cable makes a difference.

Gemini Rue is awesome! I bought this without even thinking about it or trying the demo on the strength of the publisher's previous games, I know that if they put their stamp of approval on it I'm in for an experience, and I wasn't led astray. I did pick up on the cowboy bebop and portal vibe, (even before I saw them mentioned) - the influences are maybe a little too obvious, but it's still really interesting going back and forth between the two storylines.

Great job with the artwork too. While some people complain about the low-resolution, I think the subtlety hints at a greater world. It would be much flatter in higher-res. The artstyle seems perfectly suited to its resolution. Attention to detail is astounding, such as with the paths the water makes on the soaked city streets. I don't think I've ever seen rain done so well.

Still haven't finished the game, so hopefully whatever twists there are don't disappoint

Oh, and memento reference for the win!

[adam100]

Just finished the game, decided to drop a few comments.

Overall, it was enjoyable although I don't find myself as jubilant as some of the other folks here. The art-style was very good, of course as mentioned high-res backgrounds perhaps more justify the price tag. Look at the big poster on the front page of this announcement-this is how the whole game should have looked like, more or less. But I'm cool with the retro style. Graphics- definitely a high point.

The writing-- not so much. Considering there are practically no puzzles, it's actually a huge disappointment, even more so since the raw material could've easily gained you folks a place in the Gaming Valhalla alongside Gods such as Deus Ex (plot intended). The general outline was promising and the twists actually caught me off guard. But the actual script, dialogs and descriptions alike, seem like an insult to this potentially mind-blowing epic. The dialogs especially range from bland to just plain cheesy (come the end I was cringing). And for crying out loud, cut down on the 'what'. I know it's a cool way to save on voice-overs but it's just plain cheap and irritated the hell out of me. You make the characters sound like retards. The theme should have been tackled in a more elaborate, gripping, original, insightful way. Instead, you took the easy avenue and served us a recycled mess of pseudo-philosophical cliches. To be precise- the writing isn't flawed in so far as a picture of a canned soup isn't flawed. Sure, Warhol could get away with it, but it was practical joke. This isn't funny. This game's writing pretends to be deep but gets lost somewhere along the way. It's simple, straightforward but not in the mystically intriguing Hemingwayan manner. The surface simplicity here is not the tip of iceberg-it's an icycle posing as one.

I don't want to sound harsh, but that's my opinion. It was not a waste of time and I enjoyed the noir atmosphere, the graphics, and the overall story was good, even really good, but it was spoiled to me by lackluster writing. Also I feel that the price is a little steep...Anyway, I'm writing this because I really love your devotion and the job you are doing and hope that in your next game you'll maybe work on these issues to create something really great.

Cheers

[Takyon]

J.H: I had trouble with the full game on Windows 7. Same issue.
Are you using a laptop? Try setting the battery settings to high performance, did the trick for me..
Appearantly you can also set the colors to 16bit and run in window mode... But the first solution is much easier and crazy enough works .

I'll try the battery thing thanks!

The only way I could get it to work was playing it in Windows 95 compatibility mode in a letterbox like 640 x 400 sized window.

Yeah I'm running on a laptop btw. I miss windows xp lol.

[Takyon]

My first impressions of Gemini Rue here

[cosmicr]

Wadjet eye really really need to get a new online shopping provider. Only 24 hours to download???

I'l post my review when I finally get to play the game.

[TheJBurger]

Hey everybody!

I finally got around to adding the game to the AGS database (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1407), so feel free to comment / rate if you wish!

-Josh

[Dave Gilbert]

Wadjet eye really really need to get a new online shopping provider. Only 24 hours to download???

I'l post my review when I finally get to play the game.

Already on that.   The default used to be 72 but they shorted it to 24 for some reason.  This, coupled with several other problems, is the reason why I'm going to switch over to another provider. 

[veryweirdguy]

Gamesradar have a Gemini Rue review up!

(here.)

I don't know how many 'mainstream' reviews it is getting in general, but I was pleasantly surprised to see this one! Congrats!

[reagel]

I have enjoyed several different Wadjet Eye games, and I really love the look of this one, but I'm a little hesitant because of the action sequences. Can anyone give me a very honest recommendation?

I really hate being drawn into an intriguing plot and then having to give up on a game because the action is beyond me. I'm very, very, very bad at action sequences. Is there any workaround/way to skip those areas for someone like me, or would it be pretty much impossible to finish the game otherwise?

Thanks for any guidance you can give me, I'd hate to buy something I can't finish...

[Dave Gilbert]

Regarding the action sequences, I'll just quote the review from Adventure Gamers:

Much hand-wringing will surely take place over the threat of gunfighting action sequences, but I would like to dispose of such chatter with little more than a yawn, which is about the amount of effort I needed to complete these shootouts. I believe I counted five such sequences in the entire game, and none felt out of place. The sequences consist of moving between three positions (call them left exposed, protected, and right exposed) with the A-S-D keys and firing when your enemy moves into the matching position on their side. These events are short, painless, simple, and require a bare minimum of reflexes.

If that's not enough, there's even an Easy setting, and the game autosaves before each action sequence so that no time is wasted if you don't initially survive. I found them so brief and easy that I thought I should replay them on Medium for the review's sakeâ€"and was shocked to find that I was already on that setting. Rather than leaving any lasting negative impact on me, I actually found it pleasant to have at least a bit of intensity in the midst of multiple men trying to kill me instead of a silly resolution like just using the gun as a normal inventory item to fire at bad guys. To equate these harmless sequences with something much more difficult (Full Throttle's road battles come to mind) would be a big mistake that would keep you from a great experience.

[The Donut]

Excellent game. Bought it last night and could not stop playing it; it was instantly gripping.

Great atmosphere and music. My only complaint (if you can call it that) is that I want more. MORE!

[cosmicr]

started playing it last night - one of the best ags games i've played.

The intro was fantastic, sucks you right in straight away. I'm enjoying the graphics, even though some parts are a bit blurry.

The sound and music is top-notch and the detail is second to none. It's the detail that really makes any game.

I haven't got very far yet -

Spoiler

I got the stick stuck in matthias's door - what now?

[close]

my only criticism so far is that no-one in any of the character portraits have eyes?!?

[Dave Gilbert]

Subtle clue here:

Spoiler

This puzzle isn't hard.  Just kick back and the answer will come to you!

[close]

[cosmicr]

Heh, thanks - I thought I had already tried that but obivously I hadn't!

[hedgefield]

I had that very same problem. Had to consult a walkthrough to find out I apparently just klicked in slightly the wrong place 5 times in a row.

[Snarky]

So two of the characters in the game are named after Norse gods: Odin and Balder. Is there any significance to that?

[Igor Hardy]

So two of the characters in the game are named after Norse gods: Odin and Balder. Is there any significance to that?

And I always thought he was called Balder because of a receding hair-line.

[TheJBurger]

So two of the characters in the game are named after Norse gods: Odin and Balder. Is there any significance to that?

Odin - yes.
Balder - coincidence.

Most of the character names have their etymological meanings reflect their personalities. eg:

Spoiler

Matthius/Matthias is the name of the apostle who replaced Judas Iscariot after his betrayal of Jesus.

[close]

[theo]

Hey, just wanted to drop a line and say I've finally taken the time to give this game a spin and I gotta say I'm loving it so far. Only a couple of hours in yet but I can tell awesomeness is building up big-time. Amazing work. Congratulations!

[Nathan Allen Pinard]

"Balder - coincidence. "

Baldur's Gate is what I would've guessed.

[Nathan Allen Pinard]

The Gemini Rue soundtrack is now available on CDBaby, iTunes, Amazon, and other digital music retailers!

Gemini Rue OST - CDBaby

Gemini Rue OST - iTunes

Gemini Rue OST - Amazon

[okarie]

Hi CJ,
Dave told me about this forum. I am sending a message from Japan, which is suffering from the massive earthquake. Actually I am in Tokyo, so the damage is not so big, but I feel very sad what happend in Tohoku area. Though we will have a hard time for a while, I believe Japan will be fine. Anyway, I would like to ask you about licensing of Gemini Rue, which I enjoyed the demo a lot. Could you please contact my e-mail for details, ishida@yukes.co.jp? Thanks,

[Takyon]

Strangely once I'd bought the game it worked fine (so long as my laptop is plugged in at the mains), must've just been the demo that gave me problem. Loving the game so far, still haven't finished it I want to take my time.

[cosmicr]

Hi CJ,
Dave told me about this forum. I am sending a message from Japan, which is suffering from the massive earthquake. Actually I am in Tokyo, so the damage is not so big, but I feel very sad what happend in Tohoku area. Though we will have a hard time for a while, I believe Japan will be fine. Anyway, I would like to ask you about licensing of Gemini Rue, which I enjoyed the demo a lot. Could you please contact my e-mail for details, ishida@yukes.co.jp? Thanks,

What a weird post. Is this spam of some weird kind?

Anyway, I'm sure you can find out about the licensing at their website: http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/

[okarie]

What a weird post. Is this spam of some weird kind?

Anyway, I'm sure you can find out about the licensing at their website: http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/

[/quote]

I am sorry if you feel uncomfortable with my post. You can delete my post if you like. What I wanted is not making someone comfused, but simply asking about licensing. This is not joke or something. But it seems my intention doesn't work. I am looking for another way. So please forget about this.

[LimpingFish]

That email address points to Yukes, a well-known Japanese developer (I remember playing EOE: Eve of Extinction on my PS2), so I don't think this is spam.

No need to apologize, okarie. Contacting Wadjet Eye through their website would be the best course of action, though.

[okarie]

Thank you, LimpingFish. I am so glad to see your message. I will take the course of action you suggested. Thank you again.

[Dualnames]

That email address points to Yukes, a well-known Japanese developer (I remember playing EOE: Eve of Extinction on my PS2), so I don't think this is spam.

No need to apologize, okarie. Contacting Wadjet Eye through their website would be the best course of action, though.

Or you can additionally send a PM to DaveGilbert from here. 

[Monsieur OUXX]

I've read a review of the game in one of the most respected French video games magazines, where the journalist started straight away with "The game asks me if I want to play in DirectX5. Am I dreaming?".

He didn't mean that he was against the retro aspect of the game, but rather that he felt uncomfortable that it was thrown at his face immediately when he started playing. He meant it felt more "old" than "old school".

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with him. I just thought I'd share, as it is a direct attack at Gemini Rue and more generally at AGS' setup window.

[Iliya]

I've read a review of the game in one of the most respected French video games magazines, where the journalist started straight away with "The game asks me if I want to play in DirectX5. Am I dreaming?".

He didn't mean that he was against the retro aspect of the game, but rather that he felt uncomfortable that it was thrown at his face immediately when he started playing. He meant it felt more "old" than "old school".

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with him. I just thought I'd share, as it is a direct attack at Gemini Rue and more generally at AGS' setup window.

I wish people to comment the content, not the cover.

[The Donut]

I personally have no idea how someone can feel uncomfortable when presented with the AGS graphical options. It just seems a bit bizarre.

If it is the case that the journalist is judging the game negatively by its graphics then I also fail to see how they can belong to the most respected French video games magazine. Surely gameplay trumps graphics? Or perhaps the quality of games journalism in France is generally fairly poor and quality of graphics is of higher importance than gameplay?

Then again, perhaps I just live in a fairytale land?

[Igor Hardy]

I don't know about Win7, but DirectX5 works great in general, so what's the problem with it?

[cosmicr]

I think you guys are missing the point. If we want to 'sell' AGS to the larger gaming community we have to drop (read: hide) things like directx 5. If we're happy to keep it a closed community who understands why it says directx 5 etc, then we can ignore the simpletons.

[Dualnames]

And then again people play Flash games. Cause that's not outdated.
Seriously, I mean it's a retro-pixelled game what kind of engine, did he expect? Unity?

On all seriousness, DirectDraw appears so 1999 in people's eyes. I don't blame them.

But that doesn't mean using that technology is a blast from the past.

[Frodo]

My Gemini Rue cd rom just arrived.   

Beautiful!   

It will look lovely on my shelf of games. 

Thanks JBurger & Dave.   

[straydogstrut]

Mine arrived today too!

The rest of the household are soooo jealous right now=D

Thanks guys!

[Stupot]

Hooray.  Mine is here too!
Very nice box   That will take pride of place on my game shelf
Also, I spotted the deliberate typo in the blurb.  "identites" 

[cianty]

Still waiting for mine. Guess Germany is a far way for the box to travel...

[voh]

Mine arrived a few days ago. Sadly, the DVD case was damaged immensely, and the CD has some scratches. I don't know what those postal douches did to it, but argh.

Thankfully, though, as far as I can tell, it still works, though it takes some time loading from time to time

(cianty, as I'm in the Netherlands, I'm sure it'll arrive soon if all goes well!)

[Snarky]

Yeah, mine showed up in Switzerland some time last week. I don't know if they were all sent out at the same time, though. I'm sure it'll arrive soon.

[arj0n]

Mine arrived a few days ago. Sadly, the DVD case was damaged immensely, and the CD has some scratches. I don't know what those postal douches did to it, but argh.

Thankfully, though, as far as I can tell, it still works, though it takes some time loading from time to time

(cianty, as I'm in the Netherlands, I'm sure it'll arrive soon if all goes well!)

Mine arrived a few days ago too
The DVD case was damaged too
And I'm from the netherlands too

Mmhh, so only the dutchies get damaged DVD cases  :


So Germany should arrive pretty soon indeed, cianty...

[Dave Gilbert]

Re: damaged DVD cases. 

All I can say is sorry. :-/  If your case is damaged, email me and we'll send out another one.  This time with sturdier packaging!

[cianty]

Well I also got the email notification though I think I am part of later "wave". No sweat just yet.

[voh]

Dave: no problem, it's not your fault they got broken. Dutch postal services are notorious for their butter fingers.

I'll just replace the case myself, and I've copied everything from the cd over. 's all good

[TheJBurger]

Thanks everybody for all the kind comments, playing, buying, enjoying, etc.  

If you have some moneys left over, check out PCGamer's May Issue (#213) - it has a review of Gemini Rue in it! (I will have it soon...)

[cianty]

Got mine today at last. Took only 19 days.
The "push button" of my case is broken too, by the way. The case looks like someone bent the package. I don't care much though as it is only minor and I could always exchange the box.

I did wonder though: Why is there so "few" text on the back. I mean, it does have the obligatory teaser text and a Wadjet Eye Games logo. But there's no fine print stuff with Copyright notices, info on the year of production, not even a website to WEG. This did stick out to me and gave it a certain "selfmade" look so I wanted to point this out. It's still a huge step forward though obviously from the Blackwell CD I have here.

[Mati256]

If you have some moneys left over, check out PCGamer's May Issue (#213) - it has a review of Gemini Rue in it! (I will have it soon...)

May or March?

[TheJBurger]

May 2011! It should have a giant picture of Crysis 2 on it.

[Stupot]

Yeah, PCGamer is one of those magazines that is sent to us from the future.  Not sure why they get so ahead of themselves, though.

[TheJBurger]

Gemini Rue gets a 9/10 from IGN!

April fools! No, wait. What? http://pc.ign.com/articles/115/1159074p1.html

[theo]

Gemini Rue gets a 9/10 from IGN!

:o Congratulations! Impressive, most impressive.

[Igor Hardy]

After all these great write-ups in mainstream press a review with anything less than highest praises will now seem like a provocation.

Anyway, I'm both very happy as well as very surprised so many people are awestruck by Gemini.

[Mati256]

I loved the comment of Bim10.
"A little late to the party again, aren't we IGN?"

Anyway, better later than never, right?

[TheJBurger]

More reviews from Wired and A.V. Club:

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/04/gemini-rue-review/

http://www.avclub.com/articles/gemini-rue,53995/

[Snarky]

So both of those reviews complain about bugs or the game not running on some machines. I wonder about that, since Gemini Rue played fine on my machine, I didn't experience any bugs, and I haven't seen a lot of bug reports either. Though I suppose you do hear now and again about how AGS doesn't run so well on certain systems. It'd be nice if there were a simple way to find out why.

Anyway, I'm curious about the philosophy for dinging a game for technical problems. I feel like the reviewers probably ought to try to verify whether the issues they experience are a one-off or something that is likely to affect other players.

[David Ostman]

From the A.V. Club review:

Note: Gemini Rue can be enormously difficult to get running on a computer running Windows 7, 64 bit. There are workarounds, but the troubleshooting process is more trouble than it’s worth, and finding a machine running an older version of Windows is preferable.

I've tested GR on a custom built Win7 x64 workstation, on an old-ish Dell laptop w/ Win7 x64, and on a modern Acer laptop running Win7 x64, no problems, but the PC market is known for these issues. Plus, it gets extra difficult to troubleshoot without the big resources of a big publisher with a decent PC QA. Man, if I could I'd just develop for consoles and iOS devices..

[blueskirt]

Just finished it, it took me a while since Minecraft, Heroes Of Might And Magic, Prince Of Persia and Firefly got in the way between the start and finish, but it was without a doubt one of the best AGS game ever made and I can't wait to replay it with commentaries soon.

There is one thing that bugged me however,

Spoiler

if the game was about these two characters, how come there wasn't more interactions between them? I don't know, maybe it's this Lifification of Games video that GG linked in that other thread that got to my head but, the only thing that prevented that game from transcending a whole bunch of boundaries for me was there was not enough small talk between the two of them and interactions and a hug button or something. And when the credits were rolling, I was wondering, if that story was told through another medium, book, film, anime, would lifification have been a problem?

[close]

Or maybe I got it all wrong, anyway, it's late and I'm sleepy, off to the bed.

Thanks again for Gemini Rue, JBurger, it was amazing.

[Dave Gilbert]

Blueskirt:

Which two characters do you mean? 

[TM]

Haven't finished it yet but really enjoyed the beginning. The reviews you got are totally amazing. Congratulations! Since it came out, I've been waiting for a post mortem blog post. Will we get one? I love reading those.

[blueskirt]

Blueskirt:

Which two characters do you mean? 

Spoiler

Since Azriel and Delta Six are one and the same, I was thinking Azriel/Delta Six and Sayuri/Epsilon Five. But like I said maybe I got it all wrong.

[close]

[TheJBurger]

Blueskirt:

Which two characters do you mean? 

Spoiler

Since Azriel and Delta Six are one and the same, I was thinking Azriel/Delta Six and Sayuri/Epsilon Five. But like I said maybe I got it all wrong.

[close]

You could be right. But what does "lifification" mean, again?

Haven't finished it yet but really enjoyed the beginning. The reviews you got are totally amazing. Congratulations! Since it came out, I've been waiting for a post mortem blog post. Will we get one? I love reading those.

Something is coming, perhaps soon...

[Khris]

But what does "lifification" mean, again?

Seems to mean to make artificial characters more human/life-like by adding emotional interaction, etc.

[Igor Hardy]

But what does "lifification" mean, again?

Seems to mean to make artificial characters more human/life-like by adding emotional interaction, etc.

Are you sure blueskirt didn't mean "lolification"? The Japanese term for making female characters Lolita like?

[blueskirt]

No no, it's Lifification of games, the talk starts at 3:05, if you can't be arsed to watch it all, the most important bits are written below the video.

But yeah, what Khris said.

[TheJBurger]

No no, it's Lifification of games, the talk starts at 3:05, if you can't be arsed to watch it all, the most important bits are written below the video.

But yeah, what Khris said.

Ah. Yeah. I saw that video before back when it was first posted.

I think the issue of lifification was not one of the core principles I had in mind when creating the game. Instead, I was mainly focused on the relationship between Azriel and Delta-Six, not between Azriel/Delta-Six & Sayuri/Epsilon-Five. The game is more about who Azriel and Delta-Six are and what they have/will become, and so the relationship with Sayuri/Epsilon-Five is not as stressed. However, the final scene in the game leaves that open somewhat.

[Dave Gilbert]

Check out what's #5 in Metacritic's quarterly list of the 25 top PC games! http://bit.ly/goMqom

[cianty]

Wow... That's pretty impressive.

[Vince Twelve]

Holy cow, that's awesome!  (Off topic: isn't it weird that the lowest reviewed game of the quarter got a 61?  Shouldn't that still be an above average game?)

[Dave Gilbert]

Wasn't the lowest reviewed per se.  It was a list of top 25 rated games and that game was #25, not the lowest rated overall.  I'm sure there are lots of games ranked lower than that.

edit: no wait, you're right.  It was the worst reviewed game.  I suppose I see why folks say Metacritic's results are a bit skewed.  Except when it's skewed in my favor.  Then it's the bestest thing ever.

[Ilyich]

Impressive indeed! Now those picky folks at Steam are just bound to take it, right? It is a great game, though, so - well deserved.

[Stupot]

Looking at that list... Gemini Rue is the #1 best reviewed game of the past quarter that is not a sequel.
Way to go!

[TheRoger]

Awww...damn...I got stuck. It's a bug or something...

Spoiler

I wanted to go to that hotel where Mathias were, I should meet with that smuggler there, but when I enter hotel I get error message: "room11.asc, line 438; Character is not in the current room"

[close]

I think I forgot to talk with someone or to do something, who is that guy anyway?

[TheJBurger]

Awww...damn...I got stuck. It's a bug or something...

Spoiler

I wanted to go to that hotel where Mathias were, I should meet with that smuggler there, but when I enter hotel I get error message: "room11.asc, line 438; Character is not in the current room"

[close]

I think I forgot to talk with someone or to do something, who is that guy anyway?

Sent you a PM!

[TheRoger]

Just finished it, and it was....pretty awesome, though I had to replay like three times, because of that bug and hard drive disconnecting(I should save more often).

Also, that "Would you kindly..." place cracked me up, though I wanted to use that phrase in my game.

[TheJBurger]

Gemini Rue Postmortem - now on GameCareerGuide: http://gamasutra.com/view/news/34117/GameCareerGuide_Feature_Postmortem__Gemini_Rue.php

[Snarky]

Interesting read. It explained a number of features of the game, and your analysis of what worked and what didn't seems right on.

Your strategy of completing the skeleton of the game first without worrying too much about the quality of each element, and filling in details and polishing up each part afterwards sounds like great advice. I'm working on a game right now, and while that's what I planned from the beginning, I've found myself getting stuck redoing backgrounds and inventing new features before I even have a whole section playable. (And since I can't knock out a background in a couple of hours, it gets really time-consuming!) You've made me determined to get back on track.

I also think your point about playtesting is really important, and may account for why Gemini Rue is more compelling to play than it seems like it ought to be. And the improvement you gained from cutting over-verbose dialogue tends to prove a theory of mine, so that's nice.

[Grim]

Man, you've got your game reviewed by Games magazine in UK!... It's probably next to Edge, the most serious gaming magazine available here. I've been buying it regularly for over 4 years now. I never got featured there myself ( bastards!:)), but the only other AGS games that have are Emerald City ( or was it not an AGS game?... well, it's Dave's anyway) and Time Gentlemen, Please.

  So, well done. Great success and just think how many more people will hear about Gemini Rue...

  Oh, yeah, of course, the most important thing- you scored 8/10. It says under the score that "one man can make a good adventure game". Amen to that.

I'm really jelous of that... but also happy for you:) Great job!

[Snarky]

Looking at Metacritic, I noticed that Gemini Rue has finally received a couple of non-positive reviews. Well, at 70% they're classified as "mixed," and the summaries sound pretty supportive.

I checked out the one from Norwegian site gamer.no, and despite the not-enthusiastic grade, the reviewer actually liked the game a lot. The grade seems partly to be an attempt to indicate that the game may not be for everyone (i.e. people who can't stand low-resolution graphics), although the reviewer also says that he didn't let the graphics pull down the score, since he personally liked them.

Anyway, the other points of criticism raised are:
-Getting stuck (from not knowing what you're supposed to be doing) in the latter parts of the Delta-Six section, which ruins the otherwise very engaging flow of the game
-The slight clumsiness of the interface, in that you have to right-click on a background object to bring up the inventory
-Repetitive screens and excessive graphics reuse in Center 7 and the Barracus apartment building hallways
-Some of the voice acting for smaller parts, with Balder mentioned specifically for being too obviously eeeevil

[TheJBurger]

Looking at Metacritic, I noticed that Gemini Rue has finally received a couple of non-positive reviews. Well, at 70% they're classified as "mixed," and the summaries sound pretty supportive.

I checked out the one from Norwegian site gamer.no, and despite the not-enthusiastic grade, the reviewer actually liked the game a lot. The grade seems partly to be an attempt to indicate that the game may not be for everyone (i.e. people who can't stand low-resolution graphics), although the reviewer also says that he didn't let the graphics pull down the score, since he personally liked them.

Anyway, the other points of criticism raised are:
-Getting stuck (from not knowing what you're supposed to be doing) in the latter parts of the Delta-Six section, which ruins the otherwise very engaging flow of the game
-The slight clumsiness of the interface, in that you have to right-click on a background object to bring up the inventory
-Repetitive screens and excessive graphics reuse in Center 7 and the Barracus apartment building hallways
-Some of the voice acting for smaller parts, with Balder mentioned specifically for being too obviously eeeevil

Yeah, one of the things I realized after reading so many reviews was that things you intended to have in the game that personally appeal to you are not always going to appeal to every reviewer out there. So no matter how close you may come to realizing your vision, there will usually be someone out there who does not share the same sentiments.

That aside, I don't think I could have asked for a more positive reception to the game, so I am grateful for that. 

[LimpingFish]

Just seen two new print reviews today:

GamesTM and PC Gamer (UK) have full-ish page reviews (positive!) and PC Gamer has the demo on it's cover DVD (as does PC Format). \o/

Scans:

GamesTM

PC Gamer

[TheJBurger]

Just seen two new print reviews today:

GamesTM and PC Gamer (UK) have full-ish page reviews (positive!) and PC Gamer has the demo on it's cover DVD (as does PC Format). \o/

Scans:

GamesTM

PC Gamer

Sweet, thanks LimpingFish!

[Mr Flibble]

This is one of those games I was too excited about to ever actually expect to see finished.

I played through the demo last night and I wasn't disappointed. I was primarily interested in the sci-fi setting and the amazing graphics, and I was wondering if the actual gameplay would quickly deteriorate into bog-standard puzzles and lame characters. It didn't. I'm particularly impressed by the voice acting. I can only presume professional voice actors were involved? The quality was impressive. I've never played an AGS game with voice acting that didn't have nasally, unexpressive voices.

Aaaaand it's looking like it's going to be the first AGS game I've ever paid money for, because damn it, I want to see more!

[Igor Hardy]

GamesTM

Is that the famous Games magazine which Grim mentioned? The score is fine, but the text itself is surprisingly lousy.

[Dave Gilbert]

I'm particularly impressed by the voice acting. I can only presume professional voice actors were involved?

Thanks! The voice actors were chosen from our usual crew, although Brian (who plays Azriel) is kind of new.  He had a small role in Convergence as the ghost on the window ledge.

[LimpingFish]

Is that the famous Games magazine which Grim mentioned? The score is fine, but the text itself is surprisingly lousy.

Yep. One and the same.

[Grim]

Is that the famous Games magazine which Grim mentioned? The score is fine, but the text itself is surprisingly lousy.

Yep. One and the same.

Yeah... I don't know why I bother with it... I guess it's a gaming equivalent of women's magazines like Cosmopolitan. Pretty stuff with little substance. Still, it's good to be in it!!!

[LimpingFish]

Just noticed a tweet from Vinny on Giant Bomb that a Quick Look of Gemini Rue is now up on the site!

[theo]

Just beat this the other day and gotta say I loved every second of it.

Great job on differentiating the gameplay in so many ways! Impressive length and good pacing. Also generally very good voice acting too.

My only gripe would be the (understandable) over-using of certain art assets and the somewhat dodgy inventory.

I am very impressed! I certainly got my moneys worth:)

Great job.  8)

[TheJBurger]

Just beat this the other day and gotta say I loved every second of it.

Great job on differentiating the gameplay in so many ways! Impressive length and good pacing. Also generally very good voice acting too.

My only gripe would be the (understandable) over-using of certain art assets and the somewhat dodgy inventory.

I am very impressed! I certainly got my moneys worth:)

Great job.  8)

Thanks, Theo! Appreciated. Looking forward to the next Journey Down. 

[Ali]

Really, really fantastic atmosphere. There's one tiny detail at the start of the game which made it all click for me and my lady friend...

Code: ags

...when the Boryukudan goon asks you for a light, and shouts after you when you go past.

That just created a sense of a 3 dimensional world in a very filmic way. We were completely involved in the story from then on. Nelly liked the rain.

I was also slightly frustrated by the inventory, having to walk towards some objects before using them, and I would have liked the gunplay to have become more complex in some way as the game went on, rather than enemies just becoming harder to kill. But those are very minor grumbles.

[TheJBurger]

Really, really fantastic atmosphere. There's one tiny detail at the start of the game which made it all click for me and my lady friend...

Code: ags

...when the Boryukudan goon asks you for a light, and shouts after you when you go past.

That just created a sense of a 3 dimensional world in a very filmic way. We were completely involved in the story from then on. Nelly liked the rain.

I was also slightly frustrated by the inventory, having to walk towards some objects before using them, and I would have liked the gunplay to have become more complex in some way as the game went on, rather than enemies just becoming harder to kill. But those are very minor grumbles.

Hehe, thanks. Those are valid comments. Did you finish the whole game? The gun combat does become slightly more complex.

And for those interested, there was also an interview on indiegames.com about the publication of the game here: http://indiegames.com/2011/06/publication_of_gemini_rue.html

[Ali]

I meant to make that a hide tag, not a code tag! Still it's not really a spoiler...

I did finish the game and I was aware of the combat becoming more difficult, but not more complex. By more complex I mean it could have incorporated working out the enemy's pattern, distracting the enemy, shooting at something other than the enemy. Perhaps even not shooting when shooting seems the obvious course of action.

But that's a minor quibble, because the storytelling and puzzles were top notch!

[maxcoffer]

Hi, I have same error. Please tell me how to fix it.

Awww...damn...I got stuck. It's a bug or something...

Spoiler

I wanted to go to that hotel where Mathias were, I should meet with that smuggler there, but when I enter hotel I get error message: "room11.asc, line 438; Character is not in the current room"

[close]

I think I forgot to talk with someone or to do something, who is that guy anyway?

Sent you a PM!

[TheJBurger]

Hi, I have same error. Please tell me how to fix it.

PM'd you.

Also: GAMESPOT Review up: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/geminirue/review.html?tag=summary%3Bread-review

[Dave Gilbert]

Gemini Rue has been fully translated into German!  And by "fully," that includes the voiceover as well.  You can find it in German retail stores or nab it off Amazon Germany.

[Igor Hardy]

Gemini Rue has been fully translated into German!  And by "fully," that includes the voiceover as well.  You can find it in German retail stores or nab it off Amazon Germany.

Great to hear that!

I noticed the interesting change of box cover illustartion. Did the same graphic artist draw the new version?

[Dave Gilbert]

Something Gemini Rue related is happening tomorrow.  Something possibly involving pressurized water vapor.

[Anian]

Something Gemini Rue related is happening tomorrow.  Something possibly involving pressurized water vapor.

Really? Congrats.

[Sslaxx]

Something Gemini Rue related is happening tomorrow.  Something possibly involving pressurized water vapor.

If that's what I think it is, good. And I hope other Wadjet Eye games get the same treatment, too.

[CaptainD]

Something Gemini Rue related is happening tomorrow.  Something possibly involving pressurized water vapor.

Cool.  I guess their policy of not explaining rejections becomes less annoying when they accept your game! 

[TheJBurger]

Remember that thing that wrecked Balder's face? Yes, that is what's happening.

[Sslaxx]

Remember that thing that wrecked Balder's face? Yes, that is what's happening.

Hope you can get that sorted, then...

[veryweirdguy]

Having never gotten round to it before, I just purchased Gemini Rue on Steam! Hopefully lots of others will do the same.

[Grim]

Wow! Well done! Not this is a great success!!!

[arj0n]

I just purchased Gemini Rue on Steam! Hopefully lots of others will do the same.

I won't.
Ordered the disc version  

[tzachs]

Wow! Well done! Not this is a great success!!!

What? Why not? I beg to differ, it is a great success!!! 

[Dualnames]

Wow! Well done! Not this is a great success!!!

What? Why not? I beg to differ, it is a great success!!! 

He made a typo, he meant now, obviously

[qptain Nemo]

Well at least they're not entirely blind and stupid. Any explanation as of why it was rejected before?

Yes, askers gonna ask. :]

[monkey0506]

This is great news Dave! Now when I get home I can release...something. Dunno how genuinely useful it will be, but a few AGS games have been accepted for Steam, so hopefully this will be the start of a great trend.

[Barbarian]

A big CONGRATS to Dave & Wadjet Eye Games team. I just noticed the game on the Steam front page today under the new-releases section and thought I should get my butt over here to post something.

You've come a long way, and getting a game up on Steam is a big step.

I'm working hard on some projects myself that I hope may possibly get on Steam too in the future (I can only try my best, and if I can't get it on Steam, I still have other options available to me), though my projects are not AGS related.

Anyways, from one old time AGSer to another, I wish you all the best and good success.
Cheers!
--- Don "Barbarian"
("LoneWolfDon" on the Steam forums).

[SpacePirateCaine]

Huge props Dave and JBurger - Quality AGS games like Gemini Rue belong on platforms like Steam, so they can get the attention they deserve. I still don't get why they were turning down Wadjet Eye's games before, but it's good to see that they finally came to their senses.

Also, for those of you who weren't aware, Gemini Rue is also available as part of the Indie Royale project. If you haven't already, you all should check it out. I'll be picking this one up today (Sorry that I hadn't earlier). Congratulations again, guys, and way to knock another one out of the park for indie games. Wadjet Eye is credit to team!

[Wonkyth]

Since I absolutely don't have the money to throw at full-priced games, I was literally thrilled when I noticed this in the Indie Royale bundle! 

[Grim]

Yes... sorry- I meant "now", obviously! Thanks Dual:)

[KodiakBehr]

This is amazing!  Does this mean Steam has reversed its policy on low-res games?  Here's hoping it's profitable for both you and them (mostly you).

[Dualnames]

Yes... sorry- I meant "now", obviously! Thanks Dual:)

Your personal proofreader, at your service!

[Grim]

Yes... sorry- I meant "now", obviously! Thanks Dual:)

Your personal proofreader, at your service!

I guess I have to thank you not...

[Dixon]

Daniel Kaplan from mojang is livestreaming your game now! http://t.co/WH5Ul0wd

Also Marcus Persson (Notch) twittered:"holy moly, I need to play that game. Stopped watching the stream to avoid spoilers "

Congratulations I think you got a few extra sells from that

[Secret Fawful]

Found a bug on the Steam version: when you walk down to the fourth floor in the Highrise from the sixth, if you click on the fourth door to open it as you're walking down from the sixth floor, the main character stops midway there on the fifth, makes the "open door" animation, and then the door on the fourth floor magically opens on its own.

[Greg Squire]

Just finished the game last night and I have to say I was impressed.  Way to go Joshua, Dave, and everyone else that worked on the game!  It was most excellent.  The kudos are well deserved.  I add my recommendation (if that means anything) to the heap of other glowing reviews.

[monkey0506]

@Fawful:

Hey, quit blaming crap on me.

Nah, but the Steam version is the same as the non-Steam version aside from the inclusion of the plugin (and a GUI reflecting the relevant data). Unless Josh messed something else up. 8) The best place for bug reports might be to contact Dave directly via his email (dave@wadjeteyegames.com IIRC). He keeps pretty busy, but he checks his emails pretty regularly.

[Alarconte]

Jut beat up the game, worth every euro!

Trully amazing, just the minimal lenght of a game that I pay off, Great characters and you very only discovers the truth step by step..

Congratulations! Hope this encourage doing more long-lenght games and selling them in Steam!

[CaptainD]

Gemini Ru is up for both Best Computer Game and Game of the Year in the Indie Game Mag 2011 Awards!
http://www.indiegamenews.com/2011/11/indie-game-magazine-2011-game-of-year.html

Congratulations Josh and Dave 

[monkey0506]

For anybody who had trouble running Gemini Rue on Windows 7, a fix should be getting released shortly so that you can run the game under the Direct3D 9 driver. Previously this wasn't possible because the game was dependent on the Snow/Rain plugin which didn't support D3D9. Now it's just using some native AGS code. If you experienced the problem let Dave know and he can see about getting a copy of the fixed game for you to try out, and make sure there's no further related issues.

[Mati256]

Does anyone know if I order Gemini Rue with the "BMT Order On CD" I get a CD in a DVD case with covers and everything?
It might sound as a stupid question but I thought this game was only available in CD as a preorder.

[SeamanNaranja]

Just finished it. This is the best adventure game I've played in a long time. Now I'm slightly ashamed I got it cheap in an indie bundle 

[Eric]

I was well behind in playing this game (I'll get to Resonance next year sometime, probably), but sat down with it over the past few days and enjoyed myself immensely. I know no one probably cares at this point, but....

Here are some things I liked about the game:

Spoiler

- I loved the dual play aspect to the game, especially because the two settings were so different in visuals, tone, and character, that it widened the experience.

- I was expecting a twist or two, but the moment where Sayuri's name is given in the Delta-Six storyline was incredibly effective.

- I continue to be impressed with the quality of Wadjet's voiceover work. I hadn't noticed in the Blackwell games, but the chap who does the voice of Joey and Kane in Gemini Rue has an Owen Wilson-ish quality to his voice. Are these all New York-based actors?

- I only turned to a walkthrough once, and for a foolish reason. I didn't think to talk to the door on the maintenance level to see Giselle. Otherwise, the puzzles felt like they were just right in difficulty for the most part, aside from one red herring (see below). There was a nice build-up of easy puzzles at first to more difficult in the middle, and then a fairly simple final act, which is, I think, the best way to do it (saving the hardest stuff to the end results in anti-climax, like Broken Sword 2).

- The danger with sci-fi is to go overboard and make a world that seems wholly unfamiliar, which doesn't let the audience identify in any sort of human way with the characters/world/situation. I thought Gemini Rue did a fantastic job of giving a little bit of back story, but letting us see the conflicts of the world mostly by showing us the effect it had on the people at the bottom.

[close]

And here are a handful of things that bugged me:

Spoiler

- I only really figured out the hold-your-breath thing during my last gunfight. I was lousy at all of the gunfights, especially the one in the weather tower, and wish that had auto-saved as the bullets started flying, so I didn't have to skip past the lengthy dialogue with Sayuri every time I died (which was often). I think playing with a crappy old wireless keyboard from across the room hurt my accuracy.

- I'm not familiar with Cowboy Bebop, so I spent an incredible amount of time trying to re-find the weird girl Easter Egg character to try to get her to go through the hole in the tech building for me. It took me forever to talk to Sayuri, because I thought I'd learned from the other two characters on the back alley screen that they weren't interested in talking to me.

- There were a couple of times I was trying to save, but couldn't, in areas where it seemed as though I should be able to do so. I've got a baby, so much of my adventure game time is spent chasing him around the house and preventing him from eating/climbing/destroying things he shouldn't. I try to save every time I have to get up, just in case. I did have a few times where the game locked up, or threatened to.

[close]

All in all, a grand experience, and a positive watermark and ambassador for the AGS engine.

[JanetC]

Does anyone know if I order Gemini Rue with the "BMT Order On CD" I get a CD in a DVD case with covers and everything?
It might sound as a stupid question but I thought this game was only available in CD as a preorder.

No, the pre-orders sold out a long time ago sorry.

[adm244]

[deleted]

[Dave Gilbert]

So have you wanted to buy this game on the App Store but couldn't?  WELL NOW YOU CAN!

Gemini Rue is now available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch!

[arj0n]

Cool!

[Crimson Wizard]

Hey, what about Linux release, how did it went? Scott Baker was very persistent on building it, and now he does not tell any news. I do not even know was it released yet.
(Unless I missed something)

[Dave Gilbert]

Hey, what about Linux release, how did it went? Scott Baker was very persistent on building it, and now he does not tell any news. I do not even know was it released yet.
(Unless I missed something)

We're still testing it, but it's a bit slow at the moment. iOS took priority, but it'll get there.

[Vince Twelve]

Got it last night!  Looks great on iPhone 4s and iPad Retina!  Gorgeous job, guys!

[frenzykitty]

Slightly OT, but this game changed my life

[Crimson Wizard]

Slightly OT, but this game changed my life

You suddenly recalled

Spoiler

that you are the brainwashed civilian who adopted false identity

[close]

?

[frenzykitty]

 

Spoiler

WHO TOLD YOU!?!?! THE DIRECTOR???

[close]

[Sslaxx]

Spoiler

WHO TOLD YOU!?!?! THE DIRECTOR???

[close]

Spoiler

I thought he... was the Director.

[close]

[frenzykitty]

Spoiler

WHO TOLD YOU!?!?! THE DIRECTOR???

[close]

Spoiler

I thought he... was the Director.

[close]

Mind... Blown...

[The Fool]

Loved this one. One of great examples of how powerful tool AGS can be.

[tinyhippo]

Your game was a great inspiration for me and my team to start our own indie-development. I actually pointed the art for your game as one of several stylistic reference points to my artist . Thanks, guys. Keep 'em coming.

[bush_monkey]

I don't know if you noticed but if you go to the top rated games across all platforms for 2013, the ios version of Gemini Rue is rated 15th!
http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/year/all?view=condensed&sort=desc

Well done guys.

[Babar]

I finally bought Gemini Rue, and you should too!
http://www.humblebundle.com/

[CaptainD]

Speaking of Gemini Rue... how about Android, Mac and Linux versions?  Announced today!  Full details

[Armageddon]

Does this mean they ported it to a new engine?

[fire]

Does this mean they ported it to a new engine?

I am 99.99999% sure it's still AGS.

[Babar]

Since the bundle is technically an android bundle, yeah, they've ported it.

[Crimson Wizard]

Does this mean they ported it to a new engine?

I am 99.99999% sure it's still AGS.

Janet just revealed that they finished Mac port for AGS.
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=47264.msg636476089#msg636476089
Pretty exciting, also a big relief that we won't have to rush updating AGS to other library (me being a tad egoistic here) .