While writing a series of articles about horrible murders in the Low Side District of New York, the young reporter Jimmy Palmer will soon become involved in a game of cat and mouse with an illusive and deadly character - Jack the Ripper. Along Palmer's dark journey he will foster a friendship with a young singer, Abigail, the "Irish Nightingale," and meet numerous other colorful characters of this poor district.

Beginning with the search of witnesses to the crimes, Palmer's snooping will soon lead him to investigate suspects. His daily editorials trigger the interest of the serial killer himself, who begins to correspond with Palmer via the newspaper, leading Palmer to surmise that this killer is the infamous Jack the Ripper!

Features:

• A thrilling experience with realistic and unforgettable characters and a compelling storyline
• Virtools(r) engine allows for rich, beautiful and detailed graphics, and special effects, with a user friendly interface
• A mass appeal theme based on true historical events
• Exploration, inventory based gameplay, suspenseful storyline
• Numerous puzzles of varying complexity - environmental, tactile, auditory

GCM:

Please get us started by introducing yourself and telling a bit about Galilea’s history.

Philippe Gaudé:

Hi ! I’m Philippe Gaudé, producer of Jack The Ripper at Galiléa. I’m one of the people who founded the company, back in 1996. We’ve made a lot of different games – including ten “Tom & Lisa” kid’s games – before diving into the adventure game field in 2000 with the two “Cameron Files” games, and now “Jack the Ripper”. --We’ve also dabbled in the field of strategy gaming with famous designer Philippe Thibaut.

GCM:	Although based around the Jack the Ripper mythology, your game is set in New York City during the early 20th century. Why was it decided to take this approach?
Philippe Gaudé:	It was an idea that started with our European publisher, and it proved to be a powerful move. It allowed us to write a compelling “what if” story with enough freedom to entertain the player yet stay true to the legend of Jack The Ripper. And it’s not completely fictional either; several suspects were American, and there were several serial crimes in the US at the beginning of 20th Century.

GCM:	Please introduce us to James Palmer and give us some insight as to why he’d place himself in evident danger.
Philippe Gaudé:	James Palmer is a young reporter in a small NYC newspaper. He’s given his first “real” job : write a chronicle about grizzly murders happening in a poor district of NYC. Unfortunately, his editorial triggers the interest of the killer…

GCM:	Dealing with such a grave subject seems to require the creation of an appropriately foreboding atmosphere. Graphics aside, what has been done to lend Jack the Ripper an air of danger?
Philippe Gaudé:	The focus has been put on suggestion. Music, characters, dialogue, sound effects, everything is designed with this aim in mind.

GCM:	What can you tell us about the NPC’s with which James will be interacting?
Philippe Gaudé:	They’re numerous and colorful, they’re not always friendly. Voices are performed by talented voice actors that provide an amazing result! Most NPCs are residents of the Low Side District: you will get used to them – and hopefully, they’ll get used to you.

GCM:	Please tell us how Jack the Ripper’s day and night cycle affects its gameplay?
Philippe Gaudé:	Each location has its own specific activity cycle. A cabaret, for example, won’t be opened until nightfall. Some places, on the contrary, close when at night. So there are some things you can and can’t do depending of the time of the day. And, the atmosphere is really different at day and at night ;)

GCM:	How long do you expect that it will take the average gamer to complete Jack the Ripper and what will add replay value?
Philippe Gaudé:	We expect an average 20 hours of gameplay, and quite a few hours chatting about it with your friends! You’ll probably want to replay, not because of alternate ending – there isn’t one – but the same way you might re-view a movie, to check details you might not have appreciated the first time.

GCM:

What has using a 2D/3D engine allowed you to do in terms of both gameplay and creating an atmosphere to match the storyline?

Philippe Gaudé:

In terms of gameplay, it has been a complete shift of focus. Our previous games were about solving puzzles in an empty world, with cut-scenes providing bits of the story. Jack the Ripper involves you living inside the story, talking with people, helping them, trying to solve a mystery by figuring out what’s happening. The main focus has shifted from puzzles to relationships with characters – including the terror-iffic killer -, and a journalistic investigation job

GCM:	Finally, what do you feel will separate Jack the Ripper from other Adventure Games currently in development.
Philippe Gaudé:	You, as a player, will have to build relationships with the people of the poor district you are investigating. You will progressively discover the neighborhood, foster relationships, and then slowly become part of this community. Maybe that’s the most outstanding point: you won’t just be passing by.

GCM:	Thank you for your time. Would you care to end this Q&A on last thoughts or a message to our readers?
Philippe Gaudé:	I wish you will have a great time playing Jack the Ripper, and I’d like to thank you all the people that have worked hard to build this game.

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