As game developers go, Wadjet Eye founder Dave Gilbert is pretty open on social media about what he’s working on, sharing in-progress snippets, and whatnot, so the fact that he’s been developing a new project isn’t exactly a huge surprise. All the same, it’s nice to finally have a formal reveal: that game is Old Skies, a time-travel adventure set in seven periods of New York’s history.
In a world where time travel is real and the past is the hot new tourist destination—at least, for the lucky few who can afford it—someone has to keep watch on travellers. The person with the unenviable task of keeping the travellers happy while not messing up the past too much is Fia Quinn, a time agent for the ChronoZen agency. “What could go wrong? It’s only time travel, after all.”
Playing as Fia, Old Skies will send you through 200 years of New York’s past, from the Gilded Age to the eve of September 11. That’s an intriguing concept with a whole lot of potential, both for an exciting adventure and to reflect on New York’s storied history. If anyone can deliver on it, it’s the team that created the remarkable Unavowed (which takes place in the same universe as Old Skies). It also means time travel puzzles, as well as death: “You CAN die in this adventure game, but time travel means you can try again. And again. And again.”
Here’s the overview, from the Steam listing:
Time Travel is real and history is up for grabs! In this point-and-click, you play Fia Quinn, a time agent for the ChronoZen agency. Your job is to keep close watch on seven travelers who have the desire (and the bank accounts) to sightsee in the past. Some are simply curious. Others have unfinished business to resolve. And they’ve all put down a lot of money for the trip, so it’s vital that you keep them happy while ensuring they follow the rules. But what could go wrong? It’s only time travel, after all.
Features:
• Seven eras of history to visit! From the speakeasies of Prohibition to the gangs of the Gilded Age to the morning of September 11th.
• High resolution 1920 x 1080 graphics! That’s 3x higher than Unavowed.
• Lots of puzzles that require temporal thinking to solve.
• Death! You CAN die in this adventure game, but time travel means you can try again. And again. And again.
• Musical score by Thomas Regin (composer for Unavowed and the Blackwell series)
• Full voice acting! Our largest cast yet.
Old Skies is in development for PC, Nintendo Switch, Mac, and Linux. There’s no release window yet, but there will be a playable demo during Steam Next Fest from June 13 to 20.