Software:Crystal Key 2
| Crystal Key 2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Earthlight Productions, Kheops Studio |
| Publisher(s) | The Adventure Company |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS X |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Graphic adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Crystal Key 2, known in Europe as Evany: Key to a Distant Land, is a 2004 graphic adventure game developed by Canadian studio Earthlight Productions, together with Kheops Studio. It was published by The Adventure Company, and is the sequel to the 1999 title The Crystal Key.
Gameplay and plot
Crystal Key 2's plot builds upon that of the original, and casts the player as Call, who seeks to stop the minions of Ozgar and save the world of Evany.[3]
Development
Crystal Key 2 was revealed by DreamCatcher Interactive's Adventure Company label in April 2003, at first under the name Crystal Key II: The Far Realm.[4] It was among a slew of announcements in preparation for the 2003 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3),[5] and Marek Bronstring of Adventure Gamers called it one of the publisher's "top titles premiering at the show", alongside Traitors Gate II: Cypher.[6] Earthlight Productions developed Crystal Key 2 with Virtools and V-Ray. It was designed to feature spherical 360° panoramas, unlike its predecessor's more limited viewing areas. According to John Matheson, Earthlight sought to overcome the problems that had affected The Crystal Key's production pipeline and give its art team more room "to be as creative as possible".[3]
Initially developed by Earthlight and set for a late-2003 release,[4][7] Crystal Key 2 underwent "many years" of production and took longer than The Adventure Company had wanted, Benoît Hozjan of Kheops Studio later remarked. As a result, Kheops was hired to co-develop the game late in production, which Hozjan said included "the programming and the integration, hand in hand with John Matheson."[8] In July 2003, Matheson estimated Crystal Key 2 as 75% complete and on track for December,[3] but it ultimately launched in March 2004.[9]
Reception
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According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, Crystal Key 2's critical reception was "mixed or average".[14]
References
- ↑ "What's New? [date mislabeled "10 June 2005""] (in en-gb). Eurogamer.net. 2004-09-24. https://www.eurogamer.net/whatsnew-240904.
- ↑ "Crystal Key II ships" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/articles/crystal-key-ii-ships/1100-6091608/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Callaham, John (July 22, 2003). "The Crystal Key II Interview". HomeLAN. http://www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=15713.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Calvert, Justin (April 30, 2003). "Crystal Key II announced". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/crystalkey2/news_6026016.html.
- ↑ Calvert, Justin (April 30, 2003). "The Adventure Company E3 lineup". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/news/news_6026014.html.
- ↑ Bronstring, Marek (April 29, 2003). "Crystal Key 2 and Traitors Gate 2 at E3". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/newsitem.php?id=478.
- ↑ "The Adventure Company to Showcase Exciting Line-up at the Electronic Entertainment Expo" (Press release). Toronto: The Adventure Company. May 2003. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006.
- ↑ Waxman, Becky (2007). "GameBoomers Talks to Benoît Hozjan of Kheops Studio". GameBoomers. http://www.gameboomers.com/interviews/BenoitHozjaninterview.htm.
- ↑ Calvert, Justin (March 17, 2004). "Crystal Key II ships". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/crystalkey2/news_6091608.html.
- ↑ Osborne, Scott (April 21, 2004). "Crystal Key 2: The Far Realm". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/crystalkey2/review.html.
- ↑ Scott, Ryan (August 2004). "Reviews; Crystal Key 2: The Far Realm". Computer Gaming World (241): 82.
- ↑ Harker, Carla (April 23, 2004). "Reviews; Crystal Key 2 (PC)". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/crystal-key-ii-the-far-realm/506911p1.html.
- ↑ Castro, Juan (April 9, 2004). "Crystal Key 2 Review". IGN. http://pc.ign.com/articles/505/505550p1.html.
- ↑ "Crystal Key 2: The Far Realm (pc: 2004): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/crystalkey2thefarrealm.
External links
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