Many longtime PC gamers remember designer and novelist Jane Jensen as an important part of adventure games' heyday. Jensen is probably known best for her Gabriel Knight series, published by Sierra. Each of the three games -- every one a point-and-click work of "interactive fiction" -- involves supernatural mysteries and exotic locations. Upon its release in 1995, Gabriel Knight II: The Beast Within won countless gaming awards, and the sequel stands even today as one of the few examples of the successful, even elegant, use of full-motion video.
With such a pedigree (along with a resurgence of interest in the adventure genre in the United States), it's easy to understand the excitement for Jensen's upcoming series, Gray Matter. Jensen describes the series to be, much like Gabriel Knight before it, a "paranormal/investigative series," but deeper, "updated to be more unique and cutting-edge, dealing with Matrix-like questions about the nature of reality... the power and potential of the human mind."
AUTOMATON's Charles Battersby recently sat down with author and game designer Jane Jensen, writer and creative director of the upcoming HD 20th anniversary edition of the classic Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, who offers some insight on both the future and past of the Gabriel Knight series and more.
From the review - Gray Matter may not be greatly appealing to the eyes, but the story is captivating enough to entertain the fans of point-and-click genre.
Dead Pixel Live talks to the legendary creator of the Gabriel Knight series of adventure games and founder of Pinkerton Road Studio, Jane Jensen. In this interview Jane talks about how she got her start in the industry, why she left to become a novelist, and why she returned. She explains why CSG and Kickstarter was the best way to bring her style of game to market. We also talk about how adventure games have progressed over the years, how Twilight and True Blood have shaped the horror genre, and the importance of having good actors read your lines. It's a fun 45 minutes that you need to listen to, right now.
Awesome find! I loved the Gabriel Knight series and hopefully this is a great5 follow up for Jensen. Still waiting for GK4.
for almost ten years now... if it's not already dead.
Jane Jensen is amazing and I have loved her games, I am looking forward to seeing what she does next