Why settle for screenshots when you can jump straight to video? That's the prevailing theory for Dead Reefs, as the first glimpse of the upcoming 18th century murder mystery comes in the form of a trailer released today by The Adventure Company.

The full-3D, direct control adventure from Streko-Graphics is set on an island off the coast of England in the 18th century. The island has long been afflicted by a pirate's curse, or so the locals believe, but when the son of a baron is murdered mysteriously, a royal investigator is called in to solve the crime.

Available at download sites like WorthPlaying, the video is approximately 18 MB. The trailer shows some in-game footage along with a few dramatic animations to help tide gamers over until the expected release date in November.