Alexis Lang is the Lead Game Designer. He has 8 years of experience working with 9 games, and was Chief Redactor for "Dragon Magazine" (French edition of the US "Dungeons & Dragons" role playing game magazine). He teaches Game Design in two famous French schools, and has written children books, too. He has a great passion for culture and espeacily for the Celts.

GI.n: In your description of the game on your website, you state that a young girl "Mina" will be returning to the Mysterious Island after being stranded on an around the world trip. However, due to volcanic activity, the island was destroyed and left with nothing but "Granite House" - a 90-foot outcropping - by the end of the story. How do you plan to reconcile the two?

Kheops Studios: First, let me say how happy we are to answer such a question. It proves that you are a devoted Jules Verne reader and that you expect strong continuity between the game and the book. We too, like continuity, and want our game to be a logical sequel of the Book. We want to explain everything to you. But, you must decide yourself what you can reveal to your readers whithout spoiling the fun of the game!
WARNING: STORY SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD

To make things clear, let's remember the end of Jules Verne's book :

Nemo, who is dying, comes out of hiding and invites the castaways (Cyrus Vance and other main character of the novel) to come on board the Nautilus. At his request, they scuttle the Nautilus along with Nemo and the treasures on board. The volcano erupts shortly after and destroys the island. The castaways, who miraculously survive the explosion, manage to reach a narrow reef, the only remains of the island. They are then taken in by a providential ship - Nemo's last act of kindness towards them.

This is the end of the story as Jules Verne tells it. But our game is based on the following premise: Nemo's death, the destruction of the Nautilus and the explosion of the island never happened. Jules Verne's story end is a white lie invented by the narrator (Cyrus Vance) in order to protect the Captains' solitude. In reality, the captain is in perfect health when the castaways leave him to return to civilization!

Alone once again, the captain invents an isolating shield which surrounds the island. Nothing can leave: neither material object, nor radio waves. Sometimes however, during violent storms, a change of tension neutralizes temporarily the shield which delivers passage to an object of small size: fish, seal...or the body of a shipwrecked woman pushed by the current. It explains how our heroine, Mina, reaches the island some 150 years after the novel.

Everything will be revealed to Mina (and the player) when she reaches the Nautilus. She will find here a signed specimen of the novel "The Mysterious Island" (first edition) and a letter from Jules Verne, explaining to Nemo how he modified the end of the book in accordance with his desires. Here is the text of this letter :

"Captain,
Please find herewith the final version of the work inspired by the notes from our mutual friends, Gedeon Spilett, Cyrus Smith and their companions. From their balloon crash to their fight with the pirates, their adventure provided me with all the material that a novelist could dream of.

The way that you helped them without revealing your presence is fascinating, thereby protecting your solitude without neglecting your duties of hospitality. After several years, however, you decided to reveal your presence to them.

Your trust was justified, as the castaways, upon returning to civilization, were determined not to reveal the location or even the very existence of your island. In recording their story, I also found myself bound to maintain the utmost discretion.

To preserve your tranquility, I have altered the end of their account. My book tells of your scuppering the Nautilus and disappearing with it. Better still, shortly after, I invented a terrible eruption that completely destroyed Lincoln Island! The world will therefore believe you dead and your retreat destroyed.

I do wish, however, that you will tire of the solitude and return to society, whereby the world will benefit immensely from your wealth of knowledge.

On that note, I bid you farewell. Your sincere and respectful admirer.

Jules Verne"

"[…] a book has appeared under the title of 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' which contains your story."

GI.n: If the game occurs 150 years after the end of the book, that will make it modern day. (the first occurred during the end of the Civil war, they were there 3 years so that puts us at about 2015). Can you give some clue as to how a single individual would be 1200 miles from the nearest large land mass in a ship that can be shipwrecked during this period?

Kheops Studios: In our game, Mina is the first solo woman to compete for the Jules Verne Trophy. This challenge was created in the early 90s by some French navigators and is another tribute to Jules Verne. She will start the adventure on the shore of the island after a violent storm! All these elements are also explained in our game. The player will receive newsletters via a kind of PDA device.

GI.n: I would expect that any return to the island would include Nemo and the Nautilus. Will Mina make an attempt to access the Nautilus in the deeps of the sea? Will she discover and understand Nemo's technological advances?

Kheops Studios: As stated above, the Nautilus is still anchored in the cave, under the volcano, and not in the deeps of the sea. Mina gain access to the submarine in the last part of the game and find here the answer to her questions, as well as a way to come back to civilization.

GI.n: You indicate that Nemo's tortured soul will receive a "proper burial", however Nemo specifically requested that he be buried in the Nautilus and her stop cocks released so he could be buried at sea along with his technological secrets and treasures. What story will you introduce to bring us to the idea that Nemo wanted to be buried differently?

Nemo has an ambiguous personality : misanthropic but generous.

He died after a stupid accident happened in the deserted Granite House, that left him unable to come back to his boat.

After his death, Nemo becomes a ghost. A 150-year solitude has in some way softened his heart. When Mina reaches the island, he observes her, admires her vitality, and then decides to help her to reach the Nautilus and deactivate the shield. You have to know that Mina has some resemblance with Nemo's wife who was killed by the English. It explain why some underlying romance takes place between th captain's ghost and the young girl.

Mina will be, in some way, the heir of Nemo - the one charged to transmit his knowledge to humanity. At this stage, Nemo probably regrets having withheld from the world the scientific treasures which he could have bequeathed to it.

For obvious reason, the "proper burial" for Nemo can't be the Nautilus in our game.

As Mina will state : "I have just buried Captain Nemo where the land meets the sea. It was a lovely burial for a sailor! I hope he liked it."

GI.n: 150 years will leave much of what was originally build by the castaways in disrepair, but not destroyed. Will part of the puzzle solving be to rebuild what the castaways created? and if so, will Mina have the skills to do so? It took 5 men of incredible knowledge to create things the first time around. (I personally think Verne wrote in 5 supermen)

Kheops Studios: Exactly, Mina and the players will find objects built by the castaways. Some will need repair, but the player will receive enough information to do that. The PDA will also be a way of obtaining information. You will find notes from castaways inside of the granite house too!

GI.n: Nemo's history with the English and his royalty are often forgotten even by those who've read the novel. Will you expand upon this in the game? Nemo in the mind of the "general populous" is the Nemo of 20,000 Leagues, not Mysterious Island. Only in Mysterious Island do we discover that he's not a monster. Will you help to correct this misunderstanding?

If you take the time to play the whole game, you will see a few positive answers! Again, you must decide for yourself what you can reveal to your readers!

GI.n: What types of puzzles will you be employing? And can we expect to see anything new since this title deals so much with water?

Kheops Studios: Many puzzles consist of repairing existing elements on The Mysterious Island. This is our tribute to Jules Verne all game long, not an adaptation, but to stay very close to the spirit of this novel.

We have, a lot of item combinationa, too, in order to capture the "build your own technology" feeling of the book. Expect a big variety of puzzles and enigmas. You even play with Nemo's organ, at the end of the game.

GI.n: Ok...if I ask anymore it will really ruin the story. And the story you're developing is fascinating. Thank you!