March 25, 2015
Contact: Carol Wilhems
Project Communications
702.837.5687
Under Earth Challenges Gamers with Layered Adventure Puzzle
Las Vegas, NV – CrackerJack Games LLC has released a beta version of Under Earth with posts on independent game developer sites indiedb and steam. Game director Joseph Wilhems has also registered for 2015 exhibition at top gaming industry trade shows such as E3 in Los Angeles and PAX Prime in Seattle.
Described early on as “interactive fiction,” Under Earth operates in a first-person game perspective that flows through multi-layered puzzle adventures through the player’s “body” that’s able to move things around in the various environmental challenges. Influenced by real world practical science and engineering concepts, there is neither shooting nor active violence in the storyline. “The human experience brings us all to moments of powerlessness, but it’s our ingenuity and willingness to overcome that pushes us forward – and this is the driving force behind the storyline,” said Wilhems. He also adds that “we’ve tried to give people an experience they didn’t know they wanted!”
Game storyline
40 miles under the Earth's surface a large research and refinery facility has faulted. Attempts to raise communication with the installment have failed. The status of all fifteen workers stationed within the facility is unknown and unstable readings were reported before the facility went dark. Valvorta Industries' board of directors elected to send an engineering specialist to assess the situation. The mission is simple: repair the output from the facility and rescue the distressed/trapped workers.
Maneuvering through the facility will not be easy. The malfunctioning systems have made the descent near impossible. The high temperatures and the lack of breathable oxygen require the use of a specialized suit. You'll need a sharp eye to find tools, lifts, documentation and devices scattered across the facility combined with a bright mind to put them to use. Extra attention must be paid to maintaining your suit's battery and air levels if you wish to survive. To facilitate the mission, your suit provides a gauge on your current status, a log of any documents you find scattered about, magnetic boot attachments function for situational vertical and upside-down movement, and an instant connection to all terminals requiring rudimentary programming skills. Find whatever information you can and piece together the events leading to the loss in communications. After that, it will be up to you to decide what needs to be done.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=390029366&searchtext=under+earth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whr9KI0Zazs&feature=youtu.be
Rather than being influenced by current gaming trends, lead designer Joseph Wilhems, president of CrackerJack Games, “had to ignore all that stuff,” to get players to engage with the story. “I want people to think about how to survive – preserve virtual life,” said Wilhems in contrast to various shooting mechanisms deployed by many games.
CrackerJack Games has completed an alpha demo heading into 2015 shows and will address additional information or interview requests at [email protected]. The scene captures show how color saturation and photo realistic scenes and environments inspire thoughtful, logical maneuvers (press pack).
CrackerJack Games LLC
Muncie, Indiana
www.crackerjackgamesllc.com