William Pugh, co-designer of the hit indie game The Stanley Parable, has announced his new studio Crows Crows Crows, as well as a game set to release sometime soon (very soon, apparently). Dominik Johann, Jack de Quidt, and Sean O’Dowd along with other, unnamed award-winning talent join Pugh in game experimentation, or so their placeholder site tells us. The official launch date and the impending game’s name remain shrouded in mystery, but Pugh has given fans some interactive clues to nibble on.
Teasers that require some digging
A standard trailer didn’t meet the criteria for Pugh’s upcoming game release. Instead, his studio set up a site riddled with hints and clues to get players engaged. A case file at the bottom of the studio’s homepage leads to all the teaser madness.
New is exciting. New is now. New will not be new later. Click the file.
The folder is actually a report sent from one Chief Inspector Eloise Lavigne to another character, Deputy Angelo. It includes:
“1. Incomplete List Of Purloined Items
2. Assembled Clues
3. Sites Of Noteable Robberies
4. Invoice #57392
5. The Series Of Events As They Stand
6. Letter From Rome”
These listings support links that lead to correspondences and general case information regarding the disappearance of valuables from all across Europe. Even an error message two clicks away from number 6 serves as a clue. Players best don their deerstalker caps and get straight to sleuthing for a head start into Pugh’s detective-themed game.
It may also interest you to know that while the fourth item in the list appears unavailable on the site and some sources claim only 5 of the 6 options are investigation friendly, savvy private eyes on the interwebs have found its page source.
A little extra to sate curious appetites
Details of the exact mode of gameplay still aren’t clear, but prospective players can sign up with e-mail for additional “secret” information from Crows Crows Crows via prompts on the bottom of every file page. In addition, the homepage guarantees those that add themselves to the mailing list their very own whale picture. This is meant to be taken quite literally. Personally, I have no idea whatsoever what crows and whales have to do with each other. The mystery deepens…
Pugh also released three screenshots, the only existing hints on game graphics so far:
More hints certainly lie in these photos, though they were released separately from the studio’s teaser site. A vault in the first photo fits the theme of missing valuables, for example. The boxes nearby bear the logo referenced in the invoice within the interactive file folder.
The door leading to props and costumes in the second photo could imply a move away from the museums that Deputy Angelo prods at in teaser documents. The big fan has me stumped. Is the umbrella important? Honestly, I’m still confused about the whole whale thing.
Icons near the bottom of the studio’s homepage reveal the new game will release on Steam, Itch IO, and Humble Bundle.
Will you be investigating the new game? Have you already started? Do you think it stands a chance at holding a candle to the success The Stanley Parable? Feel free to share your thoughts and any game theories in the comments below!
Published: Oct 19, 2015 05:13 pm