In 2002, Runaway: A Road Adventure was released and subsequently hailed as one of those point-and-click adventures that contributed to saving the adventure genre. Brian Basco's first adventure, while not without its shortcomings, showed that it was still possible for adventure games to be commercially successful, undoubtedly playing its part in convincing publishers and developers that our favorite genre had a future. In the following years, many a higher-budget adventure production followed that may not have been possible if it weren't for Runaway. At the end of 2009, producer Pendulo Studios gets ready to finish the tale of Brian and Gina. We met German publisher Crimson Cow at gamescom, where we were able to get a good look at the game.

Brian Basco is dead. We're attending his funeral, where Gina and other companions are saying goodbye to the once promising student. Whether or not Brian's body is really lying inside the coffin, we do not know. What is certain is that players will once again take control of the likeable youngster in the third game. That is to say, Runaway: A Twist of Fate will be played via flashbacks, eventually revealing how Brian's supposed demise came to be. Besides re-enacting Brian's experiences, which start off with him being convicted for murder, players will also at times take control of Brian's better half, Gina Timmins. Unlike their last adventure, Gina will supposedly play a larger role in these events. Consequently, players will also be solving puzzles as the former stripper with her sporty hairdo and tight-fitting outfit.

The first pieces of the puzzle will be put together in Chapter 1, in which Brian wakes up in an asylum and, needless to say, has to plan his escape. First off, we get to meet the asylum's residents: Brian's roommate, for example, is quite literally a silent type of person, who can only communicate via the art of mime. Another patient thinks he is a taxi driver whose vehicle, a ping-pong table, doesn't seem to be quite roadworthy. After all, the motor is giving him the silent treatment, not to mention the missing steering wheel. Yet another patient is bent on hitchhiking. Unfortunately, the taxi driver and his potential customer have different destinations in mind. As is customary for an adventure game, there is a solution to this dilemma. Brian’s approach and the behavior of the asylum's residents, which we don't want to spoil, provide a mixture of funny situations and appealing gameplay that is reminiscent of the first game. The story will be split into six chapters of varying size, and is supposed to be about the same length as Runaway 2 – about 12 to 15 hours.

In terms of gameplay, the Spanish producer has adjusted to modern comfort features that have made their way into adventures in recent years. Alongside a hotspot function that displays all interactive objects and exits on a screen, a diary will be implemented to give players an overview of the current situation and upcoming tasks. Moreover, players will be able to get in-game hints if they don't know how to proceed, though this hint system will not simply spell out the solution for the player. Of particular note, according to Crimson Cow the so-called “Runaway syndrome”, relating to objects that can only be picked up once the protagonist knows they are useful, will be done away with. However, it was emphasized that Brian will not simply perform any action if he doesn't quite know where it might lead. The game is supposed to be one that appeals to adventure fans, not something a three-year-old kid can play through by just madly clicking all over the screen. We think this is reasonable in principle. After all, we also wouldn't coat a doormat with fat without knowing beforehand whether we want our roommate to slip, and why. We do hope that this gameplay element won't sometimes restrict players too much, though.



The characters and backgrounds are lovingly drawn and, like the game's predecessors, exhibit incredibly smooth animations as well as elaborate gestures and facial expressions. While the level of detail in the backgrounds is somewhat restrained during the first moments of gameplay, that is only fitting considering the hospital setting. Unfortunately, the screenshots do a poor job of properly conveying the high quality of the game's graphics. What we have seen so far without doubt represents the highest quality for a 2D game.

Concerning the animations of characters and backgrounds in A Twist of Fate, Pendulo Studios are once again using a lot of pre-rendered 3D material, which is less hardware intensive. The graphic style itself is somewhat idiosyncratic, but if you happen to like it, chances are you won't be able to take your eyes off the game. Supposedly there are about 100 different scenes spread across more than 40 locations in the finished game, among them yet another desert area. Who knows, maybe there will be a reunion with the drag queens from the first game there?

We were similarly impressed by the cutscenes. They are designed in a very cinematic manner, which, in the scenes we were shown, underscored the game's style that is supposed to be more like a road-movie again this time around. Other aspects of the game also show that the developers want to distance themselves from the second game, and instead want to stay true to the first one. After all, the scenery shown to us bore little resemblance to a far-away tropical paradise.



Sadly, we can't say much concerning the game's music yet. However, the people who preferred the theme song from the first Runaway game to the boy-band-style theme from the Spanish developer's last game can breathe a sigh of relief. The game's trailer already gives a taste of the new song.

Like its two predecessors before it, the third Runaway adventure has already been postponed for quite some time. As it stands now, however, the game will definitely see release [in Germany] within the year. Currently, a release for PC and Nintendo DS in October seems likely. We are pretty excited about this game; after the short but compelling half-hour presentation, we are now very much looking forward to its release.



This article was originally published on the German website Adventure-Treff. It has been translated and reprinted here with permission. Translation provided by Max Ledwon.