This is an online game by Michael Moor as part of the Masters Capstone Project.
What sets this game apart from the rest of many online games is its unique use of puzzle videogame aspects which are interspersed throughout the web-comic. It offers readers an exciting new way to read web-comics. Interactive puzzles within the storyline adds more depth to the comic itself, and by adding this new level of interaction, makes the overall reading of the comic more interesting and appealing.
There is room for a lot of potential form this web-comic game in the videogame industry. Now, as opposed to just clicking to turn the page and relying on the storyline to carry your interest in the comic/game, you are able to help your hero along by making critical choices in the story line, putting together a puzzle clue, or opening an advanced lock on a door etc. Reading a comic online might suddenly become a lot more enjoyable and consequently be more appealing to a larger audience.
But will such a game be popular? Most story-driven comics seem to be addressed to the younger generations. It might be prudent then to target people somewhere between the ages of 10 and 30. However, such a game could be highly appealing to elders because of its very nature. It involves more reading and puzzle solving then any first person shooter or high speed racing games which are the popular games today. The game could be marketable to small children as well as a teaching and learning tool if it was made with a simple story and encouraged basic problem solving. A good story combined with the right amount of acceptable game challenges or puzzles might just be the next hit thing in the comic/video game industry!
Of course such a game could be an outright failure as readers become discouraged when they want to read a comic about their favorite superhero but are periodically halted by the need to open a locked door or solve some other puzzle. Companies that produce these types of games will need to undertake a multitude of surveys and experiments to find a balance. With innovation, the web-comic videogame could become the norm in school text books, the most popular app on a smartphone, or commonplace in online ads. The possibilities are endless!
I’ll admit that such a game has an appeal to me and is certainly an interesting idea. Who knows? Perhaps mini videogames within web-comics will become a reality. This is definitely something to keep an eye on for the future.
This reminds me of another web comic, if can refer to this work as such. It’s called Homestuck, and it’s part of the MS Paint Adventures series of comics. You can check it out the link at the bottom of this post.
The comic uses a series of sequential art for the pictures, with text below the art. Some of this art is animated GIFs, others are static images, and some of them are flash animations with sound. Also, there are some which are small flash games, which enhance the story by allowing you to a chance to explore the world. It also allows for more branching within the short burst of story they convey than could be done with many pages of more traditional comics.
This is rather amusing, as Homestuck is about a group of kids playing a game, and the overall feel of the comic is similar to a game. For example, the links to progress to the next page are similar to the text one might type into a text-based adventure game.
I highly recommend it if you have the time, as I consider it a modern masterpiece.
http://www.mspaintadventures.com/