Look at all that sheet music on the bed.   Mozart is a music star.   Mozart ventures out into Prague.   Not much of a light from that lantern.

First Look Preview 11/05/07 Neal Chandran

It seems that aspects of the complex lives of classical composers are becoming more prevalent in video games. For example, the recently released tri-Crescendo RPG Eternal Sonata took gamers on an adventure within the dying dreams of Chopin. Another composer who certainly has stories to tell is Mozart and he is the subject of a new graphic adventure from the French company Game Consulting. Game Consulting is an art studio that has been responsible for visual elements in many video games. You may not have heard of them, but they have lent their talents to some pretty well-known games such as Ghost Recon, 50 cent: Bulletproof, and many others. Mozart is Game Consulting's first foray into developing and it looks to be an intriguing graphic adventure game.

The setting is Prague in 1788, and Mozart has just presented his new opera Don Giovanni to glowing accolades. But a political uprising is afoot with plots to dethrone Austro-Hungarian Emperor Joseph II, who is also Mozart's benefactor. These events draw the musical prodigy into the heart of this conflict where only his genius will see him through this web of political conspiracies, secret societies (some with occult ties), and sinister plots. The story promises to be a dark and twisted tale.

The visuals capture the essence of a beautiful but very eerie 1788 Prague. Visually, the game resembles many modern graphic adventure games using 3D polygon characters atop gorgeous and well-detailed prerendered backdrops that evoke the proper sense of period. The detailing on the polygon characters showcases the ruffles, lace, and more elaborate wear characteristic of Mozart's wardrobe and the upper class along with the simpler period-specific garb of the commoners. The movies on the game's official website show the characters moving smoothly and fluidly. There is no word yet as to the system requirements for this game , but they should not be too steep.

What would a Mozart game be without Mozart's music? The soundtrack is said to exclusively feature Mozart's music and promises crystal sound quality. The samples heard on the official site are orchestral and set the morose mood for this adventure. However, there are currently no samples of the game's voice acting.

Gameplay appears to have a classic and intuitive point and click interface where you use your mouse to explore your surroundings, collect items, and solve inventory puzzles. There are other types of puzzles thrown into the mix as well. The trailer movie shows puzzles where Mozart manipulates aspects of sheet music. The promise of music composition oriented puzzles is certainly intriguing.

Mozart is shaping up to be a solid addition to graphic adventure fans' libraries. It is nice to see that many development houses in Europe continue to create this genre of game, long thought to have been completely dead. For those who may have found Eternal Sonata too brightly colorful, this darker and more sinister composer-based video game is slated for a fourth-quarter 2007 release.