Nearly Departed
Platform: Download (Mac, Windows)
Artist/developer John Green, in a collaboration with Pinhead Games, has a demo out of his nearly finished Nearly Departed. This humorous graphic adventure game puts the player in control of a nearly cognizant zombie with amnesia that must attempt to unravel the mystery of his own demise.
The game will be warmly welcomed by anyone fond of the old CD-ROM graphic adventures of days long passed, for it contains nearly the humor and situations of such games as Grim Fandango, Monkey Island and many other fond memories.
The downloadable demo features just a few scenes of the soon-to-be-released full version, and yet it's nearly the right size for a casual afternoon adventure game session. In fact, there are more puzzles to solve here than in many of the recent point-and-click games released to the Web.
Nearly Departed is being developed using the Lingo Adventure Scripting System and Interactivity Engine (LASSIE Adventure Studio), which uses Adobe's Flash and Director for its cross-platform magic. The graphics are beautiful and of top-notch commercial quality, as are the dialog and the puzzles to solve. I will be looking forward to the finished product being released, and I will announce it here when the time comes.
The demo is available for both Mac and PC, and can be downloaded directly from John Green's Nearly Departed website. Click.
Cheers to Mat for the link. =)
This is a great game, Ive had this demo sitting on my hard drive for months and months and months and am still waiting for the full version to come out.
So when the say " soon-to-be-released full version"
I wonder what they mean by "soon".
Months and months and months? Geez, you make it sound like it's old, old, old news. =p
Seriously though, "soon" are my words, as the only information I had to go by is that John is more than half-way done with all of the background art for the game, and he hopes to have the game out before year-end.
My Mac isn't giving me a default app to open the .sit file... Grrrr. How did you do it, Jay?
Imok - I use the free Stuffit Expander utility.
Good ol' stuffit. I seem to remember this comming with Mac in the ol' days...
I'm stuck. I picked up the sheet, shovel and flashlight. I can't do anything else. Help!
There is a hints page, created by the author himself, for anyone that gets stuck. It probably will help in most cases. =)
I am stuck and the hints cannot help me. I usually pride myself on being able to figure out games like the Civ. series without a rulebook or guide, but this has me stumped! How do I use the tool I have picked up?!? Is there some sort of inventory? I have a feeling
that I should use the shovel to wipe off the mud, or the blanket, but I don't know how to use them!!
S.O.S.
another thing, I have been getting content submission errors a lot, it seems as though maybe typekey is timing out while I am writing, and/or Jayisgames is losing it connection (or whatever!) with typekey
I don't know what is causing the errors, Imok. No trouble here.
As far as your inventory, roll the mouse cursor down to the bottom edge of the game window, that should pop up the inventory screen.
Alright, thanks for the tip!
is there supposed to be dialogue in this game?
His lips move but there is no sound.
The other sounds in the game seem to be working, however.
No voice-overs that I heard either. I think the moving of the mouth is just to simulate the speaking of the words that pop up.
Maybe the full-version will have them?
Yeah Jay, This demo has been around for a pretty long time, I usually check the PinheadGames website once a month for any updates. So I was pretty amped when I saw the post here today hoping it was the full on deal.(Im also waiting for the next Nick Bounty episode!!)
Anyway, it's a great game with lots to do and figure out
I'll be keeling an eye out for the finished game.
The graphics are great and there were some genuinely humorous moments, but the gameplay let this one down, for me.
Some of the puzzles are wacky, and not in a clever, Day of the Tentacle of way. Within a game environment there has to be a consistent use of logic -- or, if that logic's being broken, the game has to cue you that a puzzle's particularly strange. For example, why does using the shovel shards with the hairpin pick the lock, when using the hairpin alone fails? That doesn't make sense. And the middle turnstile doesn't let you use the transit card, but the left one does, when they both have the same swipe mechanism drawn on top.
I was also uncomfortable with the thought that it's okay to turn a bum into a zombie because hey, he's bum! Ugh.
It's unfortunate, because there's a lot of potential there.
Good criticisms, Georgina, and I agree with you on every one of them.
About the hairpin:
The game explains that it "ALMOST" picked the lock, which implies that something else is needed. But I'll confess that I needed the author's hint for that one, because it just didn't make sense to me either.
Good stuff. Maybe the author will listen to the feedback given and make the final version that much better(?)
Please say yes please!
Will be the full versionm freeware?
When you look at the beer in the bum's hand, he says "ah, booze." I forget which game, but I believe Hoagie says that in Day of the Tentacle (another Lucas Arts adventure game) when the same actions are applied to a similar bottle of beer. At least, I assume the reference is intentional.
I keep getting an error when I try to extract the files:
! C:\Documents and Settings\Jonathan\Desktop\nd_win.zip: CRC failed in NearlyDeparted_Win\application\gamedata.cxt. The file is corrupt
I've tried downloading it again but still getting the error.
HI! I'm thrilled everyone seems to be mostly enjoying the game.
As for feedback, some puzzles in the demo have changed for the final game to conform more to the "logic of the world" (such as the lock picking puzzle.)
I've never played the Day of the Tentacle all the way through, so the "ah, booze" line was an unintentional reference. The final game will have voices though.
And I can see some of you have never been to New York City as you didn't get the card swiping gag (in NYC for a while there was a transitional period between using cards and using tokens--while all the machines had the card swiping mechanism, for a long time they still only accepted tokens. I may remove that little tribute to the incompetence of the New York transit authority though.)
Hopefully I'll have the game done and playable by the end of the year. Recording voices might take longer, so with luck the game will be out by Spring. Sorry it's taking so long!
Thanks again,
John
Do you have to download it to play the demo? If not, how do you play it?
Yes, it is a downloadable game, Xandra.
who knows "day of the tentacles"?
anyone here has a full version of day of the tentacles? and still wait for the full version of this game because i really love to play adventure games.... post some of the adventure games that you know thanx...
I had some feedback which is pretty similar to what Georgina had to say. I am from the UK, so any jokes that pertain to knowledge of New York that the average person outside the US wouldn't know, I wouldn't understand. Perhaps you should bear your international audience in mind a little more.
Having said that, now that I realise the game is based on a real place, it would be nice if a real place name was mentioned when Doug says 'I know the place I have to go now'. Seeing as there's street signs and all... That's being really picky, I know.
Aside from all that, I really liked the graphics and game play and all that. And it'll be really nice when there is voice too! Good job, John.
i really need some help, i can't get the transit card from the bum
>.<" i'm getting frustrated awwww
Alphacy -
Have you tried biting him?
You need something to make him more appetizing
You need to get the tabasco sauce from the subway attendant
Trying moving the clock ahead so that his break ends
OOOooooOOoohhh i didn't know that there where options on the items ^^" THANKS JAY!
I hate these games you have to download! They're taking up too much space! But the game looks so cool! OK, I'll download it! Sorry, I was talking to myself.
I'm having some trouble with
how to get the bum to stop flailing his arms
How do I open the gate. I got the lock off, but it won't open. How do I open it?
Why dont I see how the subway looks when I take it in the demo of Nearly Departed?
John Green I have a Question for you what subway Route is that in the demo of Nearly Departed?
Is the City in the demo of Nearly departed New York?
What year is the full game of Nearly Departed gonna come out?
Is John Green a zombie for real or only in Nearly Departed game?
What Do I use the keys and dollar and penny on in the game Nearly Departed?
You use the dollar and the penny to buy a transit card in the Nearly Departed game the keys you use in the nearly departed game to give to the bum on the bus stop in the game
The subway route in the nearly departed game demo is the X subway route
Will the full game of Nearly Departed be downnlodable?
every time i want to do something with an object in the inventory, i have to repeat that action over and over again because he just ignoresthe fact that I clicked something, its incredibly frustrating... anyone has the same problem?
Is the Full version out yet?
No, not yet... All these year's, I've been giddy with anticipation.
Still giddy. :)
There is a new demo version you can get at his website. John has left a new news update on the 11th of october 2009, but I've downloaded the new demo and have got stuck. Now I need a little hint to help me on my way again, but as of yet I cannot find a current walkthrough. If anyone knows of where to find this, please let me know.
I've reached the stage where I have inputted password into his computer at work but can't seem to go much further, wonder if this is as far as its got, any help greatly appreciated !!
I'm stuck on the grate in the restraunt. What do I use to remove the screws and where do I find it?
Never mind. I found what I was missing. Now I need to figure out what the heck to do with these photo supplies...
How can I wash the sheet,
I suppose it's at the laundromat
, but how?
for sheet
bite the cat and give to old lady
finished it now, will just have to wait for the completed game now, hope it's not too long coming
Whenever I use the skeleton arm on the clock, all I get is the message:
"That won't do anything useful."
Huh?
I figured it out. Apparently you don't need to nudge the clock in the new extended demo.
Of course now I'm stuck at figuring out how to install the darkroom light.
Would anybody be willing to write up a walkthrough for the new extended demo and help those of us not smart enough to figure it out on our own?
Thanks
LOL, I am stuck on the same part too... trying to figure out how to install the light bulb fixture in the bathroom... I already made it into a 'darkroom' by using
a utensil from the office but the photo instructions still read 'Step 1' hmmm..
Any thought of what to do with the dollar? Possibly gluing it together to buy a newspaper...but the inventory glue and dollar dont like each other LOL
John-what a great game, love it :)
One of the bugs in the game is that examining some items you don't get the full comment all the time. But for the darkroom. (Apologies if the spoiler tags don't work. First time using them)
The process is as follows:
Install the darkroom light.
Use the red pen to colour in the existing light
Then use the trays in the bath tub.
Then the chemicals.
Finally put in the black envelope.
I can't find something employee ID-like to glue my picture to! help?
Oooo that one's fun.
Ok where would you expect to find your ID?
Your wallet
But where on earth could that darn thing be...blasted getting killed and all, you always misplace things in the oddest places
Like the toilet for example, I really want to know how it got in there, but it's a snap to get out.
You need a plunger from
the restaurant bathroom
...now I can't be bothered writing a walkthrough how to get that as it's nearly 11 here and I am thinking about going to bed. So the next spoiler will have all the items you need to use to get the plunger.
Clean plastic sheet
or the shower curtain if you got that far
Whoops, the bottom of my last spoiler got cut off in the last one and I'm commenting anonymously so I can't fix it. The items you need.
cat, clean plastic sheet, scissors, screwdriver and then plunger, yes they're in the order you get them to usable state.
cool, thanks Ravenish. I worked it out before you posted, though. the problem was that the
toilet
was one of the few things I didn't actually look at because I assumed there wasn't going to be any interesting commentary about it. I even used the
plunger
on it before I knew I was going to get anything out of it!
Hey I need help!
I have no idea how to get on the train because the guy that works there is eating and doesn't even notice that I'm there.
@Ravenish -
Where is this
black envelope
you speak of?
Update