June 1, 2015
Contact: Mark Gregory
Project Communications
CrackerJack Games’ interactive fiction game UnderEarth has been Greenlit for Steam
UK and USA -- CrackerJack Games LLC announces today that their first release, UnderEarth, has been approved by the Steam Greenlight community.
"We’re thrilled to achieve this milestone for UnderEarth on Steam. After launching a Greenlight campaign
in February, it’s critical validation for a storied interactive puzzle to be given the thumbs up,” stated Joseph Wilhems, President and Lead Designer of CrackerJack Games.
“We wanted to create a game where the player is king. Challenges will be overcome by the player's ability to solve them. The story will be pieced together by the player interpreting the presented materials. The successes will belong to the player, not due to our guidance,” said Wilhems.
A playable alpha version of UnderEarth is in the works, and plans to make it available for public consumption are in place. CrackerJack states however, that this will not be an ‘Early Access’ title, and that this alpha version will release under a controlled environment to gain player feedback. The demo will give players a chance to jump into the world of UnderEarth and provide the design team valuable feedback on what features they like and dislike.
CrackerJack’s release date for UnderEarth will be formally announced in the near future.
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.
CrackerJack Games LLC
Muncie, Indiana
www.crackerjackgamesllc.com