In one of the most exciting rumours in a long time, Destructoid has received info that LucasArts will possibly be reviving an old franchise, and note Grim Fandango and The Secret of Monkey Island as possible candidates. In case you didn’t know, I’m a big fan of both. Perhaps it’s a little sad that I’m so optimistic about games being announced that I’ve already played, but I don’t care. I love them both, even with my cold, dry heart.

Normally, a title that uses “vampyre” as an alternate spelling of “vampire” is a cue to run the hell away because you’re entering cheesy goth territory, my friend. However, A Vampyre Story is a PC game being put together by Autumn Moon Entertainment — and some of the brilliant minds behind the Monkey Island adventures — so run the hell towards it.

The story even features the same (loose) historical fantasy-humor blend as Monkey Island: A young and talented singer named Mona De Lafitte is being held deep in the haunted land of Draxsylvania (tell me that’s not fun to say) after being turned into a vampire by the evil (and oedipal) Baron Shrowdy von Kiefer. When Shrowdy fails to return home after haunting the countryside one evening, Mona seizes her chance for escape and flees for home with the help of her friendly pet bat, Froderick. Her journey is barred by strange creatures and plenty of puzzles.

Vampyre Story’s point-and-click interface should come easy to anyone who’s already familiar with Monkey Island, though Vampyre Story’s Carpathian setting makes for some varied gameplay circumstances. For instance, a Gaming Today interview with Autumn Moon’s founder, Bill Tiller, reveals that Mona is in denial about being among the ranks of the undead. Her new vampire powers bring certain pluses and negatives as a result (she probably shouldn’t stand in full sunlight).

The mix of darkness and comedy in the game’s 3D graphics might bring Tim Burton to mind. Not surprisingly, Tiller cites “The Nightmare Before Christmas” as an inspiration for Vampyre’s Story, though the game’s primary inspiration actually lies with the work of Edward Gorey. But according to his interview with Gaming Today, he doesn’t stop there. “I am also heavily influenced by the Hildebrandt Brothers too.”

“So if you combine Edward Gorey, Universal and Hammer Studios horror movies, the Hildebrandt Brothers art, Monkey Island, and Warner Brothers cartoons together, you get the cartoon style in A Vampyre Story. Let’s say I had a lot of influences, Tim Burton being just one of many. Plus he only uses black in his art. I almost never do. I am all about the color.”

A game like Vampyre Story aches for the right kind of soundtrack, and with veteran compser Pedro Macedo Camacho on the job, it should strike all the right notes. Pedro even talked a little bit about his experience writing the music for Vampyre Story in his interview with Ripten. “The soundtrack will be a mix of my own composing language with a bit of inspiration on John Williams’ work in Harry Potter, some groovy pieces that remind me of the Monkey Island setting and folk music from around the world.”

Will A Vampyre Story siphon the fierce love that gamers have reserved for Monkey Island all these years? We’ll find out after a few more full moons: The game’s release date is set at “early 2008.”

To think of LucasArts (formerly Lucasfilm Games) is to think of George Lucas, the man who created it all. The pompadour sporting and flannel wearing visionary gave us Star Wars and Indiana Jones, for which he should be canonized. Some would be happy evolving just one form of media, but it appears that forever changing the face of cinema and inventing the Wookie wasn’t enough for Mr. Lucas. He still had to revitalize another form of entertainment– video games.

In 1982 the video game industry was on a precipice after some very tumultuous years. By the end of 1983, the video game crash was in full swing. Angry gamers were becoming frustrated by aging consoles and yearned for a breath of fresh air. It may not have been the best time to form a new software company, but many of Lucas’s undertakings were never considered financially viable by economic groupthink.

The company began by making low-key action games for the Atari 5200, but would soon find success with adventure games. The adventure genre was a huge market in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and LucasArts became one of the forerunners in developing memorable titles. They got their feet wet with the 1987 classic Maniac Mansion, a hilarious adventure that played off America’s love of B-grade horror films.

Maniac Mansion was the first game to utilize the SCUMM scripting language that would go on to create the company’s most memorable entries over the next 10 years. It also introduced something that would become a staple of LucasArts’ adventure games – humor. Games like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max and the beloved Monkey Island series would set the bar for the funniest and best 2D adventure games of the day. But LucasArts didn’t stop there.

George wasn’t going to let his lucrative franchises in the film industry go unused in this newly discovered market, and Star Wars became the basis of dozens of games for the developer. These games sent fans of the series running to their nearest software retailers faster than Han Solo making the Kessel Run. LucasArts used the Star Wars name to contribute to the flight-sim (X-wing Series), first person shooter (Dark Forces and Jedi Knight Series), role playing (Knights of the Old Republic Series by BioWare) and MMO genres (Star Wars Galaxies). If it was a genre, it had a LucasArts game.

LucasArts continues to make its mark in the gaming world today, with a level of quality that has remained consistent over the majority of the last two decades. While adventure games don’t tend to be a popular commodity and some licenses have failed to make a smooth jump to 3D (I’m looking at you, Dr. Jones), Lucasarts still offers plenty of promise for the future. From the recent collaboration with Industrial Light and Magic and the huge budget that pact provides, we can only hope that Lucasarts will continue to rocket the gaming community to a galaxy far, far away.

Must Haves:
Grim Fandango (PC),
The Monkey Island Series (PC),
Star Wars: X-wing (PC)

Have Nots:
Star Wars Obi-Wan (XBOX),
The Dig (PC)

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