GamersInfo.net: So - did you add Cthulhu to your Sherlock Holmes, or Sherlock Holmes to your Cthulhu? In other words, which was the primary inspiration?

Mario Kroll: For The Awakened, it was a case of adding the Cthulhu mythos to the Sherlock Holmes universe, although both are well-represented. Sherlock Holmes is, however, the better known brand and the franchise, plus it offered an interesting way to pit everyone's favorite detective against a more than worthy nemesis.

GamersInfo.net: How did you reconcile the differences in H.P. Lovecraft's primarily New England, early 20th century based stories and the late 19th century, London based adventures of Sherlock Holmes? Since it's set in the 19th century, will there be hints of what's to come from HPL's stories?

Mario Kroll: Without giving away too much of the story, we definitely took a little poetic license in marrying the two universes. That being said, the title did receive a M (Mature) rating from the ESRB, so we definitely didn't pull punches in addressing the many components that make serious excursions into the Sherlock Holmes and the Call of Cthulhu mythos something best enjoyed by more mature armchair detectives.

There have been Call of Cthulhu stories written that are set in all sorts of time periods, including the present day. So it wasn't a big stretch or misuse of the mythos to have it active in the time of the great detective some 100 years earlier. The game starts out in London, in fact in Sherlock Holmes' flat, and then takes a curvy path that brings Holmes and Watson to America, in pursuit of perhaps his greatest challenge yet.

GamersInfo.net: Insanity: in the game? Will it apply to the character of Sherlock Holmes?

Mario Kroll: Sherlock Holmes is the master of cerebral self control. What could possibly make him insane? No, Sherlock is one cool customer, even when faced with some pretty scary stuff.

GamersInfo.net: How do you find clues in the game? Will it be just "click in the right spot" or will there be some sort of intuitive path to follow to find them?

Mario Kroll: The player moves in the world pretty much in a first person shooter- like perspective, using the WASD keys and mouse control to move and look around. When something of interest to the detective is within the line of sight, there's usually a visual clue that suggests further detailed investigation, a triggered cut scene or a dialog with one of the many colorful characters found in the game.

The clues are embedded within the environment but, as I said, visual and other hints are given to the player when you've discovered them, as well as what to do next with them (in most cases). Many items have to be manipulated, researched, experimented on and analyzed in light of other discoveries and information that Sherlock possesses, but they all tie together and are reasonably intuitive. All the evidence and conversations and clues are recorded for you automatically so that you can readily go back and evaluate everything that's happened previously in the game.

In addition to physical clues and evidence found along the way, Sherlock will need to pay attention to conversations, written articles, and all sorts of things, each of which typically holds one or more clue that drives the story further. But don't worry, the game won't let the player get too far ahead without periodically checking to make sure you have everything you need and the clues are clustered around areas, represented by chapters. Once you've done everything there is to do in an area, you'll be given a short "end of chapter quiz" that tests whether you've correctly deduced thus far. Success means a transition to the next chapter; failure gives some additional hints until you figure it out.

You'll also find hot spots on the game's mini-map so that once you've found a new area to which you need to return, you can directly "jump" there rather than having to walk your character there.

GamersInfo.net: How will the game help players who are stuck?

Mario Kroll: As I mentioned, it will keep players in one area of the map, so they're not left roaming around the entirety of London, wondering what's still missing. Along with that, the clues are all very logical, and there's plenty of dialog, notes and other information fed to the player to put them back on track should they get lost. We want the game to be a challenge, but not so hard that you spend all day switching between online walkthroughs and the game itself.

GamersInfo.net: Can a friend play as Watson?

Mario Kroll: Nope, sorry. This is a single-player game to the core. But you do get to play as Watson, and unlike some Sherlock Holmes incarnations of Watson, he's a serious character with a reasonable I.Q., not a bumbling fool kept around merely to make Holmes feel smart.

GamersInfo.net: Will there be additional downloadable content after release? Will users be able to create their own puzzles or mysteries?

Mario Kroll: When the mystery is solved, the game is over. Since Sherlock Holmes is such a popular license, however, there are sure to be more games in the franchise. In fact, the game's developer is already busy working on the next title, which will pit Sherlock Holmes against one of the world's most successful and infamous thieves.

GamersInfo.net: How many hours long is the game?

Mario Kroll: It depends on your familiarity with the genre. If you're a serious adventure gamer, I'd put it at about 10 hours of play, if you're new to the genre, it's likely 15-20 hours.

GamersInfo.net: Are there any parts which will require a bit of 'twitch' reactions, such as timed or jumping puzzles?

Mario Kroll: No, there are no true twitch or reaction based puzzles. What does break up the pacing nicely, however, is a collection of mini-game puzzles that require you to manipulate objects within the game. They are enhanced by very genre use of the Aegia PhysX engine. This not only makes them a little challenging and something different from the typical point-and-click only adventure fare, but also makes them quite cool.

GamersInfo.net: How will the character be controlled? 1st person or 3rd? Mouse only or combination mouse and keyboard?

Mario Kroll: As I explained, the game world is fully 3D and the player typically traverses it in a first-person-shooter like mode. When there is dialog or a cut scene, often the perspective changes to a third person view so that the player can watch Watson and Holmes interact with their conversation partners more fully. Controls are a combination of mouse and keyboard, with the mini-map to aide quick traversal to previously explored areas.