Exxtreme3D interviews Jane Jensen
Conducted by Vinny Duong - September 1999
We've all heard of the first two Gabriel Knight series. Now, there's an upcoming trilogy to this bunch... Gabriel Knight 3. Recently, we got a chance to have a brief interview with the lady herself... Jane Jansen. Thank you so much for sparing some time for this very brief interview.
Vinny: What will be the difference between Gabriel Knight 3 and that of GK1 and GK2?
Jane Jensen: Well, the technology is obviously very different. GK1 was 2D animation, GK2 was FMV, and GK3 is real-time rendered 3D. Also, the design is a bit different. The third game is broken into 16 time segments and there are a lot of optional activities, primarily involving all the other NPCS (and red herrings) and one might miss on the first play through. In GK2 especially, there was very little in the game that wasn't absolutely required to see. And the puzzles in GK3 are a bit more like GK1 than GK2, more logic puzzles, riddles, and physical puzzles than were in the FMV game. One of the most unique thing about GK3 vs. not only the other GK games but any other adventure game I've seen is its reproduction of a real-life mystery, and the way it provides a simulation of the environment of, and all the elements involved in, that real-life mystery. In GK3 you get to *solve* the mystery of Rennes-le-Château, building a treasure map, figuring out what and where is buried there. That's pretty cool.
Vinny: The first two Gabriel Knight games were critically acclaimed. Do you believe that GK3 will also be favored?
Jane Jensen: I believe so. I hope so! If not, it won't be for lack of trying on our part.
Vinny: What type of puzzles can we expect from Gabriel Knight 3?
Jane Jensen: Well, Gabriel is doing his investigation schick: interrogating people, following people, examining places for clues, breaking into places and searching. But one cool thing about the new game is that he can take fingerprints down for all the suspects and keep track of those. He also has some fairly intense inventory-puzzle sequences (nested puzzles) and some more logic/arcade type puzzles. Grace's timeblocks are primarily consumed with a long riddle called "Le Serpent Rouge" (a modified version of a real Rennes-le-Château riddle). By solving the 13 verses of the riddle, one at a time, Grace puts together a treasure map over a map of the Rennes-le-Château area. So she's really heavily involved in the Rennes mystery. There's also a lot of subtle 'puzzle' type work -- looking at the various environments and figuring out how things interrelate in the actual landscape, since the landscape itself is part of the 'treasure' puzzle.
Vinny: Will we be able to play other characters beside Gabriel? If so, how will this character differ from the Gabriel?
Jane Jensen: You play Grace Nakimura for 6 out of the 16 timeblocks. As I've mentioned above, Gabriel's role is more that of keeping tabs on, and spying on, all the other NPCs whereas Grace is involved in the Rennes puzzle -- research and riddle work.
Vinny: Why did you decide to make Gabriel Knight 3 a 3D adventure game? After all, Gabriel Knight 2 was an FMV...
Jane Jensen: Because FMV is considered very passe in the gaming industry. We're in a high-tech industry and you have to keep up with the times. Beyond that, the 3D is so popular for a reason. It's much more immersive and exploratory, and allows for much more creative puzzle design.
Vinny: I heard that Rennes-le-Château is an actual town, and that a lot of clues and events in the game are historically accurate. Why did Jane Jensen do this? Does she want to make us play the game, but, at the same time, learn about history?
Jane Jensen: It's not intended as a history lesson, it's just cool stuff. I find that a great story often uses real-life elements: either real science (in the case of sci-fi), real crime stories, or real historical material. It gives the story a believability which is really intriguing in a work of fiction. As far as Rennes-le-Château specifically, the real-life mystery involves a lot of ciphers, riddles, a laying out of physical landscapes. It's *perfect* puzzle material and makes a great adventure game.
Vinny: I also heard that one of the features in the game includes an "eavesdropping command." Why did you put it in the game? And what other interesting features are in this game?
Jane Jensen: In this game, more than either of the other GK games, there is a list of suspects and you can keep tabs on all of them. So there's more 'red herrings' in the game, and you eliminate them as suspects one by one. Eavesdropping is just one of the ways that you can spy on the other characters. You can also take down fingerprints and license plate numbers, watch people through binoculars from one of the two lookout spots in the game, follow people on foot or on your bike. Another of the key features is SIDNEY, the in-game computer. With that you can keep track of your fingerprints and analyze prints you find that you don't know who they belong to to see if there's a match with a print you've previously taken, make fake IDs, do searches on words like "freemasonry" or "vampires" and get back data relevant to the case, translate foreign languages, and analyze a whole slew of ciphers, pictures, and even a map of the region. It's a great tool and a lot of fun to work with.
Vinny: Can you tell us anything about the plot of Gabriel Knight 3?
Jane Jensen: Gabriel is invited to the home of the current Stewart 'prince in exile'. He is asked to keep watch over the prince's new baby. It appears the family has been plagued by generations by an anemic illness that might have something to do with vampires. The baby is kidnapped while Gabriel is in the room one night and he follows the kidnappers to a trainstation, and then on to Rennes-le-Château So at the start of the game, you don't know who took the baby or what it has to do -- if anything -- with the Rennes-le-Château mystery. The plot evolves in layers, like a onion,with themes that include secret societies and ancient 'heretical' secrets from the gnostics and those in the Languedoc region of France (where Rennes-le-Château is set). Finally, vampires do play into it, though not in a way you might expect.
Vinny: Will there be a Gabriel Knight 4?
Jane Jensen: Who knows? I hope so, but it depends on how well GK3 does and how much demand there is for adventure games in the future.
Last update: October 30, 2007
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