
Factsheet
Developer:
Simon Mesnard Infographiste 3D, aka Simon Says: Watch! Play!
Based in France
Release date:
7 January, 2013
Platforms:
Windows only - Desura
Website:
theblackcube.fr/asa
Regular Price:
USD | $9.99 |
EUR | €7.99 |
GBP | £6.99 |
Description
ASA: A Space Adventure is a first-person slideshow adventure game reminiscent of Riven and 2001: A Space Odyssey. You play in 2057 as an astronaut who finds a strange black cube, which teleports him on an unknown spaceship called the Ark. You will soon discover that you're not the first astronaut from planet Terra to come here: Philip Forte went through the very same experience in 2011 and, fortunately for you, he left a diary explaining his story. With this help, you will visit the Ark and try to access the various environments and planets, with one single thing in mind: going back home! ASA was created by a single person for the love of puzzle games of an era, and if you're fond of the Myst or Rhem series, it's more likely that you will enjoy this journey!History
It all began with the short film 2011: A Space Adventure. Featured on Vimeo in november 2011, this sci-fi story has been immediately selected by the Vimeo Staff, bringing a lot of views and support. The film was shared much more than expected over the net, broadcasted, and screened in different places of the world. Encouraged by this success, Simon decided to make a game of it. He went back to the original book he had written earlier in the year, entitled The Tower in the Space, and chose to illustrate the story of Philip Forte, an astronaut that discovered The Ark around planet Terra. With his knowledge of CG graphics, and thanks to the help of a software called Adventure Maker, he could self-fund and develop the game ASA in 5 or 6 months, on his own. For more details about the development of ASA, please read the Post Mortem (through one of the links below).Features
- challenging puzzles, for people who love games like Myst or Rhem
- 9 environments (6 different areas on the main spaceship, 2 planets, 1 satellite)
- benefits of ponctual 360° views for a better immersion
- includes several CG cutscenes, for over 20 minutes of in-game movies
- rythmed with an original soundtrack by Karreo, composed by Stélian Derenne
- The scenario takes an important part : walk in the steps of another astronaut, who will help you to find your way. Read his diary to find clues and make the storyline evolve.
Videos
Launch Trailer Vimeo
First Trailer Vimeo
Official Gameplay Video Vimeo
IndieDB Gameplay Video YouTube
Music Video : A Space Journey Vimeo
Awards & Recognition
- "2011: A Space Adventure, Vimeo Staff Picks" Selected by the Vimeo Staff
- "Opening movie screened during Last Friday Shorts" London, 28th october 2011
- "Rated 4/5 on Adventure Gamers and 15/20 on jeuxvideo.com" Professional reviews
- "7000 copies distributed with the Debut 4 Bundle" Indie Royale, August 2013
Selected Articles
- "With a captivating backstory and engaging, challenging puzzles, ASA: A Space Adventure is a welcome addition to the pantheon of Myst-style puzzle-adventure games. (4/5)"
- Manda Whitney, Adventure Gamers - "ASA is a very good surprise within adventure games... as it was not really expected ! This "space Myst-like" makes us happy to explore a world filled with complex mechanics, challenging puzzles, and a story that evolves thanks to our investigations. Congratulations to Simon Mesnard for this outstanding work ! (15/20)"
- Lena, JeuxVideo.com - "Myst fans rejoice ! This is one you just may have been waiting for! A very good puzzle Adventure with a decent storyline to boot. Myst in space! Yeah!"
- Gelert, Adventure Point - "The environment is vibrant and full of life. No matter what screen I was on, whether it was some flower garden or futuristic teleportation station, I often stopped to smell the roses. The puzzles, while incredibly difficult, can be solved with the help of a handy walkthru that comes with the game."
- Vincent Paone, Dad's gaming addiction - "Aw man, I want one of those giant triangle ball things with a chair on the inside [that you can see in the game]. I would sit in it and pretend I was flying an alien spaceship and it would be awesome. Overall ASA is a very solid puzzle game with hard puzzles and an interesting enough plot to give a sense of purpose to everything."
- Avery Campbell, Gazoinks!
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Additional Links
Original Soundtrack
A very good album by Karreo, composed by Stélian Derenne. Don't miss "A Space Journey" and "Odd Arrival" ! karreo.bandcamp.com.
Playable Demo
You can play the demo anytime, though it is based on an alpha version of ASA bit.ly.
ASA Post Mortem
Comes back on the development and release of the game theblackcube.fr.
About Simon Mesnard Infographiste 3D, aka Simon Says: Watch! Play!
Boilerplate
I develop indie games, animation films, books (and maybe more) in France. My projects are self-funded and I usually create them on my own, at home. I have founded the Icehouse collective that tries to support indie artists and developers who lack of visibility.
My main game projects are adventure games, where I like to bring a cinematographic aspect through the scenario, the cameras and environments, and the addition of animated CG cutscenes. These games are based on short novels or books that I have written and that I try to bring to life.
I would like to cooperate with other artists and developers who see the indie scene like me. I am opened to all ideas and collaborations related to my own projects (The Black Cube series, Mon Village est Magique, ...), or external projects that stimulate me.
More information
More information on Simon Mesnard Infographiste 3D, aka Simon Says: Watch! Play!, our logo & relevant media are available here.
ASA: A Space Adventure Credits
Simon Mesnard
Author of ASA
Giovanni Albani
Developer of Adventure Maker, software used to create ASA
Karreo and Stélian Derenne
Music composition and Sound effects
The Adventure Maker community
Technical support and Beta testing
Steven Tidwell
Voice of Philippe Forté
presskit() by Rami Ismail (Vlambeer) - also thanks to these fine folks