Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure

Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure is a 2006 puzzle adventure game developed by Kheops Studio and published by The Adventure Company. It is the spiritual successor to Daydream Software's 1997 title Safecracker.

Safecracker The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure
Developer(s)Kheops Studio
Publisher(s)The Adventure Company
Platform(s)Windows, Wii, Nintendo DS
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows
  • NA: August 2, 2006
Wii
  • NA: December 2, 2008
Nintendo DS
  • NA: December 3, 2009
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)1 player

Safecracker was also released on Steam on August 29, 2007.[1] It was included in Humble Bundle's Humble Weekly Sale: The Adventure Company and Friends. On February 2, 2007, PC Gamer US, awarded SafeCracker "Best puzzle game of 2007".

Gameplay and plot

The game is a first person adventure game, where the player moves through 3D environments, to find the safes to crack. The safes themselves vary in style and design, from safe to safe.

The games story revolves around a safe cracker, being hired by the family of a recently deceased billionaire and oil magnate, Duncan W. Adams. The player has been employed to find the will of Duncan W. Adams, by cracking the 35 safes that were in his possession.[2]

Development

Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure was first conceived in early 2006, when DreamCatcher Interactive queried Kheops Studio about developing a game in the style of Daydream Software's Safecracker.[3] According to Kheops' Benoît Hozjan, the idea arose because the original had been a hit for the publisher.[4] Kheops responded with a pitch for the game and suggested a plot based on locating a will.[3][4] The puzzle-based design was a departure for the team: Hozjan wrote that Kheops had previously focused on "exploration and story" in addition to puzzles, in titles such as Return to Mysterious Island and Voyage: Inspired by Jules Verne.[5] The transition proved difficult.[4]

DreamCatcher's Adventure Company announced Safecracker in April 2006.[6] At the time, Adventure Gamers reported that the game was to be a spiritual sequel to Daydream's title, rather than a strict follow-up.[7] In May, Hozjan estimated that it would be finished in July and "released in late summer or fall" thereafter.[8] After going gold in July 2006, the game reached store shelves in August.[9]

Reception

Safecracker received mixed reviews, with it being received well by PC Gamer US, and received poorly by PC Zone, with some reviewers claiming about the difficulty curve of the game "very harsh spikes along the way"[10] and one reviewer from PC Gamer UK calling the game "agonisingly unimaginative".

IGN reviewer Charles Onyett thought the music, voice acting, and plot were limited, though felt the puzzles were engaging.[11]

The editors of PC Gamer US awarded Safecracker their 2006 "Best Puzzle Game" award.[12]

References
  1. Steam - News
  2. Safecracker (pc: 2006): Reviews
  3. Dahlberg, Chris (August 15, 2006). "Personal Computer: Kheops Studio Interview". Cosmos Gaming. Archived from the original on October 26, 2006.
  4. Sluganski, Randy (October 4, 2006). "Interviews; Benoit Hozjan of Kheops Studio". Just Adventure. Archived from the original on January 15, 2008.
  5. Walter, Johann (November 14, 2006). "Kheops Studio - Benoît Hozjan INTERVIEW". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016.
  6. Sanders, Kathleen (April 20, 2006). "Practice Larceny Legally". IGN. Archived from the original on December 10, 2006.
  7. Morganti, Emily (April 23, 2006). "New Safecracker game in production". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on May 4, 2006.
  8. Fallen Angel (May 22, 2006). "Interview with Kheops Studio "The Secrets of Da Vinci"". Adventure Advocate. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014.
  9. Allin, Jack (July 19, 2006). "SAFECRACKER turns up gold". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on December 1, 2006.
  10. Safecracker PC Review, Safecracker Player Reviews
  11. Onyett, Charles (2006-08-30). "Safecracker Review". IGN. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
  12. "The 13th Annual PC Gamer Awards Reveals The Best Of The Best For 2006" (Press release). South San Francisco, California: Future US. February 2, 2007. Archived from the original on June 17, 2007.
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