View source for Software:The Book of Watermarks

{{Short description|1999 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title     =  The Book of Watermarks
| image     =  The Book of Watermarks Cover.jpg
| caption   = Cover Art
| developer = Arc Entertainment
| publisher = [[Company:Sony Interactive Entertainment|Sony Computer Entertainment]]
| released  = {{vgrelease|JP|15 July 1999}}
| genre     = [[Software:Adventure game|Adventure]]
| modes     = [[Software:Single-player video game|Single-player]]
| platforms = [[Engineering:PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]
| designer = Takashi Kobayashi
| artist = Mie Owase
| producer = Ryoji Akagawa
}}

'''''The Book of Watermarks''''' is a [[Engineering:Video game|video game]] by developer Arc Entertainment, published in Japan in 1999 by [[Company:Sony Interactive Entertainment|Sony Computer Entertainment]] for the [[Engineering:PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]. Self-described as an "adult-friendly [[Software:Adventure game|adventure]]",<ref name=FM>{{cite magazine|language=Japanese|title=An adventure game that adults can enjoy!|magazine=Famitsu|issue=555|date=August 1999|page=12|url=https://archive.org/details/Famitsu0555Aug061999/page/n11}}</ref> the game is an interactive [[Software:Adventure game|adventure game]] with [[Pre-rendering|pre-rendered graphics]] similar to ''[[Software:Myst|Myst]]'', with a visual and narrative style strongly influenced by the Shakespeare play ''The Tempest'' and the 1991 film ''Prospero's Books''. Although released to minimal fanfare, ''The Book of Watermarks'' has retrospectively been assessed by critics as a unique and experimental entry in the early catalog of [[Engineering:PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] games.

== Plot ==

Prospero (played by Jack Donner), the Duke of Milan, is deposed and exiled on a desert island. Prospero invites the player, in the role of Ferdinand, to solve a series of puzzles as they explore his estate to uncover twelve of Prospero's thirteen magical books, within which are the source of his powers. As the player collects the books around the island, Prospero opines over the knowledge within through a series of [[Software:Full motion video|full motion video]] scenes, in which each are the source and sum total of human knowledge, responsible for many of the social and historical changes of the [[Philosophy:Renaissance|Renaissance]]. However, once the player obtains all the books, Prospero reveals that he seeks the books not to recover them, but to destroy them, stating that the books are "monsters spawned by limitless human desire," with the titular ''Book of Watermarks'' creating infinite and uncontainable amounts of information dangerous to humanity. Once Prospero retrieves the books, he vows to cast each of them into the sea.<ref name=OB/>

==Gameplay==

[[Image: Book of Watermarks gameplay.png|thumb|left|A screenshot of ''The Book of Watermarks'', depicting the [[Pre-rendering|pre-rendered]] environments.]]

''The Book of Watermarks'' is played as a conventional [[Software:Adventure game|adventure game]] in which the player navigates the [[Pre-rendering|pre-rendered]] scenery of two islands, Ceres and Iris Island, to collect the twelve books sought by Prospero. The game is navigated from a first-person perspective, with the player using directional controls to travel between static scenes, with animations playing between transitions.<ref name=H101/> To progress, players complete a series of puzzle mechanics, including finding keys for locked doors, completing patterns or words found on clues elsewhere in the island, or navigating mazes.<ref name=OB/> If the player is stuck, they are able to find and consult the titular ''Book of Watermarks'' to receive clues about where to go next, either identifying the location of the next puzzle, or providing a solution.<ref name=OB/> Rarely for a Japanese release, the game's [[Software:Full motion video|full motion video]] cutscenes and much of its text are mostly in English.<ref name=KT>{{cite web|website=Kotaku|title=The Japanese Game That Was Played In English, Based On Shakespeare|last=Plunkett|first=Luke|date=11 May 2012|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/05/the-japanese-game-that-was-played-in-english-based-on-shakespeare/}}</ref>

==Development==

''The Book of Watermarks'' was developed over the course of two years by three staff members of Arc Entertainment, led by director Takashi Kobayashi.<ref name=TP>{{cite web|website=Geisen|language=Japanese|title="Book of Watermarks" Completion Commemorative Event Held|date=14 July 1999|url=http://teleparc.com/ja/game/geisen-x/news/vol87301.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010211025315/http://teleparc.com/ja/game/geisen-x/news/vol87301.htm |archive-date=2001-02-11 }}</ref> Kobayashi stated the game was developed under several influences, primarily the Shakespeare play ''The Tempest'', of which Prospero plays a character, the [[Biography:Jorge Luis Borges|Jorge Luis Borges]] story ''[[The Library of Babel]]'', and the 1991 Peter Greenaway film ''Prospero's Books'', as well as heavy use of Classical and Renaissance aesthetics and philosophy.<ref>{{cite web|website=Watermarks|title=This is an introduction to the game for maniacs.
|date=1999|last=Kobayashi|first=Takashi|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010224060320fw_/http://www.watermarks.com/html/frame/bw/maniac.html}}</ref> [[Company:Sony Interactive Entertainment|Sony Computer Entertainment]] held a release event and interview with Kobayashi on 14 July 1999 in Ginza.<ref name=TP/> At the event, Kobayashi praised the game as a "game for adults", reflecting upon his aim of developing a game that "has an appropriate amount of intelligence, have a world that arouses the imagination, and (is not) noisy."<ref name=TP/> The soundtrack of the game is partly contributed to by Irish composer Moya Brennan, member of Clannad and sister to Irish new age artist Enya.<ref name=H101/>

==Reception==

''The Book of Watermarks'' received lukewarm attention upon release. Chinese publication ''Game Software'' praised the game's production as "outstanding among similar works" due to the involvement of [[Company:Sony Interactive Entertainment|Sony Computer Entertainment]], although finding the puzzles "a bit too difficult".<ref name=GS>{{cite book|chapter=The Book of Watermarks|title=Game Software|language=Chinese|date=2000|pages=121|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/game-software-2002_202209/%E7%94%B5%E5%AD%90%E6%B8%B8%E6%88%8F%E8%BD%AF%E4%BB%B6%20%28Game%20Software%29%202000%E4%B8%8B%E5%8D%8A%E5%B9%B4%E5%90%88%E8%AE%A2%E6%9C%AC/page/120}}</ref> Japanese magazine ''Dengeki PlayStation'' praised the "splendor" of the game's graphics, although found the movement of the camera slow and "unsuitable for impatient people".<ref name=DP>{{cite journal|title=The Book of Watermarks|journal=Dengeki PlayStation|issue=113|language=Japanese|date=23 July 1999|url=https://archive.org/details/dengeki-play-station-113-july-23-1999/page/108}}</ref>

=== Retrospective ===

''The Book of Watermarks'' has retrospectively been provided with more attention, with favorable reception of the game as a unique entry in the early catalog of the [[Engineering:PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], and indicative of the appetite for Japanese developers to release unusual or experimental titles. Simon Parkin of ''Eurogamer'' stated the game was "memorable" and part of an effort by developers "to paint their visions in full, often without compromise, in a way that only the best-funded independent game-makers are able to do today."<ref>{{cite web|website=Eurogamer|last=Parkin|first=Simon|title=20 years of PlayStation: Japan's war on cliché|date=8 December 2014|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/20-years-of-playstation-japans-war-on-cliche}}</ref> Similarly, in a retrospective of the [[Engineering:PlayStation (console)|PlayStation's]] twentieth anniversary, ''Edge'' cited ''The Book of Watermarks'' as an example of the "unusual curios" and "leftfield releases" on the platform.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Edge|pages=73|title=PlayStation: The Story Behind the Brand|issue=274|date=December 2014|url=https://archive.org/details/Edge_Gaming/Edge%20Gaming%20Magazine%20274}}</ref> Keith Stuart of ''{{wipe|The Guardian}}'' similarly cited ''The Book of Watermarks'' as part of a genre of "eerie" games on the [[Engineering:PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], stating the console featured "weird, traumatising games because (it) was so successful, game development was still relatively inexpensive and European publishers were enthusiastically importing Japanese titles."<ref>{{cite web|website=The Guardian|last=Stuart|first=Keith|title=Weird Dreams in Granny's Garden: a brief history of cursed video games|date=6 September 2019|url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/sep/06/weird-cursed-video-games-spectrum-commodore-playstation}}</ref>

Long after its release, several critics have written long-form reviews of the game. Writing for ''The Obscuritory'', Phil Salvador praised the game's visual design, stating that its "monumental stature" and "stately wonder...turns if from just a dull  dull collection of puzzles into a divine game of connect-the-dots." Whilst critiquing the pacing and puzzles in the game, Salvador praised its eclectic design, stating 'the game cribs from a basket of influences, re-appropriating European art, history, literature, and even entire languages out of context for its own purposes. It can be narratively inert, erratically paced, and, frankly, infuriating, but it's never uninteresting."<ref name=OB>{{cite web|website=The Obscuritory|last=Salvador|first=Phil|title=The Book of Watermarks|date=1 December 2021|url=https://obscuritory.com/adventure/book-of-watermarks/}}</ref> ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' also noted that whilst "the adventure is linear, the riddles are rather classical and the progression isn’t really fascinating," the game was a unique departure from convention in the Japanese market, stating "it definitely has the merit of trying to offer to the Japanese public a game whose standards stemmed from an other ludo-cultural context than that of the anime-dominated Japanese adventure game scene."<ref name=H101>{{cite web|website=Hardcore Gaming 101|title=Book of Watermarks, The|author=Iwant|date=14 April 2012|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/book-of-watermarks-the/}}</ref> Luke Plunkett of ''Kotaku'' praised the game's "serious dedication to context...with a wonderfully late-90s look and sound."<ref name=KT/>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cite web |title=The Book of Watermarks for PlayStation (1999) |website=MobyGames |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/game/book-of-watermarks |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209065103/https://www.mobygames.com/game/game/book-of-watermarks |archive-date=2023-02-09 |url-status=dead |ref=none}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Book of Watermarks, The}}
[[Category:First-person adventure games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]

{{Sourceattribution|The Book of Watermarks}}