The Island of Crossed Destinies
A Pentiment-like set in 19th-century Malaysia, featuring pirates, East Indiamen, headhunters, a locked-room murder mystery, a blade of meteoric ore, a tarot deck, a mountain of light, and a tiger. It’s time to put your thinking cap on; as for those voices in your head – probably best to ignore them.
The Island of Crossed Destinies is a historical murder mystery based on conversation and exploration. It is chiefly inspired by the flamboyant world of Emilio Salgari’s nautical novels, and by classic Italian adventure comics, such as Corto Maltese.
The year is 1853. Captain Thomas Marlowe, an agent of the Honourable East India Company, is washed ashore on a small island off the coast of Borneo, after his ship was sunk by pirates. While physically unscathed, Marlowe is traumatized and amnesiac. Then he starts hearing the voices in his head.
We learn he has been sent from London to shine some light on the murder of one colonel Metcalfe, commander of the British fort on the island, and the related disappearance of a certain priceless diamond from the colonel’s safe. The locals speak in hushed tones of a legendary Pirate Prince - could he be responsible?
Guide the Captain on a multi-layered investigation: track down the killer, the diamond and the ghosts of your own past. Interrogate, seduce or intimidate your suspects. Connect the clues in your Mind Gallery to open new conversation options and delve deeper into the secret lives of the inhabitants of the island. Will you follow orders and pursue your mission like a good Company man, or will you carve your own path through the jungle?
Features:
Branching dialogues and multiple endings
Language barriers and lost-in-translation conundrums
Old-school watercolor visuals
A cold(ish)-case investigation
Character building based on the Major Arcana
The Mind Gallery, a 19th-century version of the Mind Palace/Map/Archive
Game hints courtesy of famous sleuths and infamous villains
A classic amnesiac detective
Literal and metaphorical tigers
A pinch of noir (because noir goes with everything)
A pinch of romance (because romance goes with noir)
