Right now Syberia is all the buzz, but those who have read our coverage of E3 2002 know that Microïds is also working on another adventure game called Post Mortem. Microïds lets us know that the project is shaping up and should be finished this fall.

"With Post Mortem we tried to tell a story that would both be imaginative and historically accurate,” writes designer Stephane Brochu. “We also veered away from the traditional static adventure genre by having a more dynamic action-driven scenario. The player will find himself driven by the need to discover who is behind the series of murders rather than exploring new areas.”

Here’s what the press release has to say about the story of Post Mortem:

“Don’t turn your light off and keep an eye open… There might be something behind your back…The game is set in Paris, between the two World Wars, a time that would change the world forever, a time of clashing ideas: new versus old, strong versus weak.

It is also a time of upheaval in the world of arts and philosophy, with Paris at the center of an unprecedented cultural revolution. A time where the old beliefs in magic and the occult are pushed aside by science. The story is taking place in a film noir atmosphere at the frontier of magic and reality, between madness and sanity.

Post Mortem’s story begins when Gus Macpherson, an American detective who decided to move to Paris, is hired by a mysterious and sensuous woman to find out who murdered her sister and her brother-in-law. It seems that both have been beheaded in a ritualistic way in a chic hotel room. The women claims that the police are bungling the case and that she would feel better if someone else was handling it.”

Among the listed features are 15 hours of gameplay and a non-linear storyline with multiple endings. Post Mortem also has what Microïds calls a natural dialog engine. This means that characters respond to you intelligently, and may even refuse to talk with you at all.

Look for our review of Post Mortem later this year.