If all the lighthearted Monkey Island news has some gamers yearning for grittier, more serious fare, you can always count on House of Tales to deliver, and the German developer will be doing just that in their next adventure, 15 Days.

With dtp/ANACONDA unveiling the game at E3 this week, the publisher has now released the first details about the new title from the acclaimed German developer of Overclocked and The Moment of Silence. The game is described as a "fast-paced and sophisticated adventure" that centers around a trio of political activists named Cathryn, Mike, and Bernard. Like modern day Robin Hoods, together these three Londoners meticulously plan valuable art heists, then donate the "proceeds" of their thefts to development projects in Africa. Their latest target, however, has landed them right in the middle of a political powderkeg and a murder investigation as well.

According to the early press materials shared with Adventure Gamers:

Only two weeks ago, Cathryn and her comrades broke into a special exhibition in Cape Town, South Africa. From there, they purloined the portrait of Cecil Rhodes, former British Governor of Rhodesia, nowadays Zimbabwe. The next painting to steal is a portrait of Winston Churchill located in the London Modern Museum. In the meantime, US special agent Jack Stern has a murder case to solve. British Foreign Secretary Henston collapsed at his desk, bleeding from his ears and nose. He died the next day in hospital. As he is a member of the British government, an assassination has to be considered. Agent Stern’s attention is caught by a note about the transport of Rhodes’ portrait from the Secretary’s office to the special exhibition in South Africa and back.

The next weeks will be a hard trial for the young thiefs as well as agent Stern, entangling all four into affairs of international politics. Together with the conspiring gang, the player will steal precious paintings in spectacular coups using interesting gadgets. Their paths are destined to cross with Jack Stern regarding the obscure Henston murder. Do the anarchistic young thieves have something to do with the Secretary’s death?

Coming as no surprise after the ambitious narrative structure of the developer's last game, House of Tales' Creative Director Martin Ganteföhr states that 15 Days will be told in two parallel storylines that will "let the action rotate quickly between four main characters", making for a "very dynamic adventure game – both in terms of narrative and aesthetics."

It will be a lot longer than 15 days until we get to play the game, which is currently scheduled for release this winter. Adventure Gamers will preview 15 Days in more detail in the coming days, however, so don't wander off. In the meantime, you can check out the game's official website, though at the time of writing there is no further information available.