Building on the success of this year's Ankh, the award-winning German developer Deck 13 is preparing to grace us with yet another colourful adventure game, this time set during the early colonial period. The game, as you have undoubtedly deduced from the title of this article, is called Jack Keane, and promises to be an action-packed (though classic adventure-styled) romp in the style of Indiana Jones, with a bit of Monkey Island-esque comic relief sprinkled throughout for good measure.

Who exactly is this Jack Keane, you ask? Well, he's a ruggedly handsome nineteenth-century ship captain who, despite his tough exterior, can be slightly clumsy and insecure at times. He comes from London, or so he thinks, having grown up an orphan. One day, Jack is given the task of fetching a secret agent from Cape Town and taking him to a strange and mysterious island somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Being low on funds and owing money to certain shady thugs in London, he accepts the job without asking any more questions.

Jack heads off to Cape Town to pick up this secret agent, and on his way, he meets an alluring woman named Amanda, who happens to be destined for the very same island that Jack and the agent are heading to. At first, Amanda acts as an adversary in your quest, but as the story progresses, she becomes a valuable ally, becoming a second playable character at various points (as directed by the game itself, rather than the player) during the game.

Upon reaching the fabled island, all havoc breaks loose — the secret agent disappears, and Jack's ship ends up crashing into some rocks, leaving him stranded. At first, all Jack really wants is to get his money and find a way home, but as he explores and meets the island's inhabitants, he discovers that a dark figure lurks about, controlling things and doing evil experiments. What's more is that Jack just so happens to be somehow linked to this dark figure — as well as to the very past of the island itself.

The demo that we saw at E3 took place in the lush expanses of the Indian jungle, where we watched Jack climb trees and balance upon branches, while facing such obstacles as a giant snake and an electrified fence. Visually, the game definitely bears similarities to Ankh, using a vibrantly-coloured, cartoon-like style and third-person perspective, and even uses the same real-time 3D engine as its predecessor. The brightly-rendered greens, blues, and yellows of Jack's surroundings, as well as the ambient sound effects of wind rustling and small creatures chirping did a lot to bring atmosphere into the game, giving us the feeling of actually being in a jungle, except in a much wackier cartoon form.



Speaking of wackiness, we also managed to get a glimpse of some of the characters we will be meeting in the game, including the aforementioned Amanda, a couple of the island's locals, and a strange little monkey on a bicycle. The full game plans on featuring over forty such characters in many more diverse locations than just the jungle, as well as a good handful of cutscenes and cinematic movies to move the story along.

In terms of difficulty, Jack Keane's developers have attempted to make the puzzles suitable for both beginners of the genre as well as seasoned adventurers; the complexity of said puzzles will increase as the player progresses further into the story. Like Ankh, it is a pure point and click adventure, with puzzles mainly consisting of a familiar inventory-based variety. Yet, as the developers sought a more swashbuckling, adventurous tale for this particular game, the gameplay does have a more physical, active feel than in Ankh. In this sense, there is definitely an illusion of pressure and urgency as one plays; however, there are no timed sequences, and the player is free to take as much time as he or she wants in solving the puzzles.

If you are a fan of Ankh, enjoy grand adventure stories, or simply love a good cartoon adventure, Jack Keane may be just what you are looking for. The game is expected to be completed by the middle of next year; in the meantime, be sure to keep an eye on Adventure Gamers for more information during its development.