Sam Suede action-adventure exposed on Kickstarter

Written by Jack Allin — May 30, 2012 at 11:06

Al Lowe's games have been in the news a lot lately.  After a successful crowd-funding campaign for the upcoming Leisure Suit Larry HD remake, now another Lowe concept is back in the forefront with a Kickstarter appeal for Sam Suede in Undercover Exposure.

This isn't the first time we've heard about this project, though you'd need to go waaaay back to 2006 for the initial announcement of the game, never to be heard from again.  Until now.  While Lowe is no longer personally involved with the project, industry veterans Steve Ince and Ken Wegrzyn at Wisecrack Games have taken the reins, turning to Kickstarter when regular publishing channels failed. 

Sam Suede is a wannabe detective attending the Mystery Week Fantasy Camp, but things turn very real when the supposedly "fun vacation in the sun turns into a week of real mystery, murder, and romance. It's up to you to explore the island resort, interview beautiful women (and odd men), and follow a unique path to a hilarious ending that will have you lusting for more."

While calling the game a "comedy-adventure", Sam Suede will include various stealth and action elements as well, mixing the "game play of Beyond Good & Evil, with a Broken Sword style immersive plot, (and) the exploration of a Tomb Raider-esque island environment."  As you explore the "secluded island surrounded by beautiful greenery, white sand beaches, and clear blue waters", you will "obtain evidence and complete missions, navigating the environment using James Bond-type gadgetry, capture pictures of unusual items and titillating situations, and scan objects to reveal critical information."

The funding appeal offers several different pledge tiers.  The basic $15 tier includes a Steam or DRM-free digital download for PC or Mac and exclusive access to the "Sam Suede 'TOP SECRET' Forum Headquarters".  Higher pledges come with rewards such as a digital game design bible, a Collector's Box Edition of the game, your name in-game as spray-painted graffiti or even as one of three "nude beach characters" for the exhibitionists among you. 

Running for 46 days, the campaign for Sam Suede in Undercover Exposure is seeking a total of $500,000 to produce the game for PC, Mac, and iOS platforms.  For more information about the game, funding tiers, and a ten-minute background video, check out the game's Kickstarter page for complete details.

Note: This story originally stated (as the Kickstarter campaign implies) that Lowe himself is still involved in Sam Suede, but he is no longer actively participating in the game's development.