What kind of game is Three Cards to Midnight?
TCM is a new style of game with elements of traditional adventure games and casual games built around a compelling story experience. The game is for PC and will be available initially as a download. Plans to offer a special boxed edition and, possibly release on other platforms, are being discussed. See the "Game Features" section on our home page for story details and other game information.

How similar is Three Cards to Midnight to the Tex Murphy games?
The games are quite different, both in content and design. The Tex Murphy games featured a 3D engine and detective-style gameplay where players did a lot of searching locations for clues and leads. TCM has a classic 2D, point-and-click interface and the gameplay is more focused on deduction than exploring.

Also, the Tex Murphy games are set several decades in the future and feature a sci-fi/film noir atmosphere; TCM takes place in 2009 and is a psychological thriller. There is no connection between the two games' "worlds".

What were the inspiration and influences for Three Cards to Midnight?
We've had the idea for the story for a long time – too long ago to remember where the seeds of the story came from. We were definitely influenced by one of our favorite movies, The Usual Suspects, particularly in the story structure (telling the story in a series of flashbacks). The biggest influence has to be the old Twilight Zone TV series, both in tone and execution. We love how they told great stories by playing on the viewer's imagination, rather than making everything explicit and obvious. And they were masters at creating suspense and sending chills down the spine without resorting to cheap scare tactics or gratuitous violence.

The teaser trailer for Three Cards to Midnight shows several Tarot cards. How are these used in the game?
In TCM, the Tarot cards are not used in the traditional sense (i.e. fortune telling); they are used to represent people and places important to the story and are not part of the actual gameplay.

We want to make clear that this is not a Tarot-reading sim or a virtual Ouija board. The story isn't about the Tarot. The cards are used for their intriguing symbolism and unique visual appeal.

Incidentally, these are original Tarot cards, created specifically for Three Cards to Midnight by artist extraordinaire Brian Johnson, who was one of the lead artists on the Tex Murphy games.

How is the story told?
From the beginning of the project, the quality of the audio was a primary focus. We've always felt that using voices – as opposed to text – together with sound effects, foley, and great music, creates a much more immersive experience.

Several years ago, we released a series of audio-only "Tex Murphy Radio Theater" episodes and got a great response from fans of the Tex Murphy games. For us, this validated our belief in the power of audio and set our priorities for the game that became Three Cards to Midnight.

TCM has over 80 cinematic sequences, including Intros and Outros and up to 12 "flashbacks" for each of the eight chapters. TCM's cinematics feature rendered characters and a stylized presentation that complements the high quality audio of the game.

Whose voices are we hearing in the teaser trailer (and in the game)?
Fans of the Tex Murphy games may recognize some of the voices, Chris Jones' being the most obvious. In addition to playing Tex Murphy, Chris voiced the main character in the movie Stolen Life. Aaron Conners also plays a role. Professional (though not world famous) voice actors were cast in the other principal roles, and their performances are excellent.

What is the gameplay?
The gameplay is one part solving puzzles and one part what we call "word play". You search locations to find objects that connect to specific "keywords". For example, the first keyword in the game is NOTE; objects you can find include a Quarter, a Foot, a Key, and a Book – all of which connect to the word Note (Quarter Note, Footnote, Keynote, Notebook). When you find all the required objects, a memory is unlocked that has something to do with the Keyword.

In context, you must figure out how to unlock memories (or flashbacks) of people and events associated with a series of specific locations. As more and more flashbacks are unlocked, they begin to fit together like a mosaic, gradually revealing the full story.

What is the game structure?
There are eight chapters (or levels). Each chapter features several "regressions" to different locations. These can be done in any sequence, and the memories unlocked during each regression can be done so in any order. The story experience will likely be different for almost every player. Also, the finale of the game will be dependent on how you played, making it unique for each player.