Dive into 1980s Point-n-Click Adventure and Mystery with Unusual Findings, Out Now on Xbox

Hello everybody! I’m Hernan Lopez from Epic Llama Games and I’m happy to share the great news about the release of our new adventure game Amazing FindingsWith you, and all 1980s fans! Looking back at all the work done, I would like to give you some insight into the game’s background.

The process of making unusual discoveries took lots of work. I mean a lot! Even the game script is enormous. It’s full of unusual events and scripted things. It was still so fun!

Let me explain the basic plot for the game in case you are unsure. It’s Christmas Eve in a calm little town, where three kids are desperately trying to watch a pay per view adult TV-channel using an illegal signal decoder. They were stunned to discover that an alien killer had appeared from space. They had to capture him! Rest assured nothing will go according to anyone’s plan… things are going to get wild and stakes are going to soar!

The majority of our staff was born between 1980 and 1990, so they grew up in that time period. Although we were too young to “truly” experience the 80s since we barely lived in that time, we grew up consuming the 80s pop culture. As children and teens, we were addicted to TV series like Viaje a lo inesperado, Cine de trasnoche disco, El mundo del espectáculo. I’m sure you have no idea what I’m talking about here, as those were extremely local TV shows (We are from Cordoba, Argentina). For all that I’m also quite certain, that you grew up (if you are over 30 years old) watching pretty similar stuff. Those shows used to be like this: a host talks a bit about the movie that was about to come next, and then… the movie!  It could be either a horror movie or an action film, depending on what time it is. However, it was always a classic 80s film. Sometimes, they would show big blockbusters like The GooniesOr AliensHowever, you might also be able to see some more obscure names like: Krull, Batteries Not Included’Or Explorators.

Amazing FindingsOur goal was for the players to experience that feeling. You can do more. Allow them to be immersed in a classic 80s film that features the most memorable elements of 1980s cinema. Explore, visit, revisit, explore with them, chat with fascinating characters, try out new things, and solve the mystery. Amazing Findings. To achieve this, we did a lot research. Along with all of the 1980s pop-culture we’ve already consumed, we required ourselves to watch at most one 80s episode each day throughout the GDD (game development document) phase.

But Unusual Findings does not only focus on 80s nostalgia. One of our main themes is nostalgia. And I don’t mean nostalgia only for the 80s. Vinny, for example, loves black-and white films from the 1940s.

There are other big themes in Amazing Findingsfriendship, and facing the unknowable. This is what happens in the game, but it’s done in different ways. That is something I will not spoil, however.

To emphasize the “facing the unknown” point we had to add some unusual findings, I mean features, to the usual point and click game loop. So instead of having just one main character walking around and investigating everything, we came up with a group of three friends… walking around and investigating everything! Vinny Nick, Tony and Tony all tag along with the player to share their thoughts or assist Vinny when needed. It plays way better, since now the main character is not “monologuing” around, but is rather having an organic talk with the rest of the team.

Vinny and Nick wanted Tony to become real teenage friends who support each other throughout their adventures. The three of them are always making fun of each other and occasionally arguing.

When the player selects from the various dialogue options, the trio will react accordingly. You can choose from different dialogue options, which is a great narrative element, but it’s also fun! Many puzzles will change as a result, some in unexpected ways. To give you an idea, the last chapter is essentially three different chapters which don’t share a single location or item (all the puzzles and dialogues are unique). This makes the game more replayable, even though it’s quite long.

Location-wise these three friends are going to visit some places iconic for horror movies (woods in the night, the lovers’ lane, a junkyard, a secret lab, sewers) and some places full of nostalgia like an amusement arcade, a VHS store or a treehouse.

The game art is another feature that we love. We are proud of not only the game’s pixel art but also its music. It is our greatest achievement: the top-selling game! I’m going to spin you round Like a record from Dead or Alive – the real kings of synth pop! It is amazing how hard it takes for small studios like ours get into the OST. It is amazing to be able to play a piece of 80s music in our game. But that’s not all! We also have music by some retro-wave stars such as Robert Parker or Midnight Fighters. Tomas Ferrero (LATAM Grammy Nominee) is the composer of our original OST!

Amazing Findings pays tribute to all those iconic movies we watched, to all those toys we played with, to all that wonderful synthesizer oozing music we still listen to and, on the whole, to that wonderful era that shaped us… I hope players will enjoy the game as much as we enjoyed making it for them!

Amazing Findings

ESDigital Games

☆☆☆☆☆
4

★★★★★

$19.99

It’s the 80s and the Christmas is coming, Vinny, Nick and Tony are young and their new cable signal descrambler just arrived. That same night while trying to decrypt a pay per view adult channel, they pick up the distress signal of an alien spaceship crash-landing in the woods near their town… Things only get weirder as they realize that the towering alien is killing very specific members of their community!

The Video Buster Store has clues to help you explore the globe. You can also challenge the other kids at Laser Llamas Arcades. The Emerald Sword Comic Store offers new tricks. The Lost Guys are a punk group of guys. Or, ask THE BULL, the iconic 80s Action hero for assistance!

The 80s icons of The Goonies and Monster Squad are honoured in this story. The gameplay combines the best aspects of Point and Click such as Full Throttle and Full Throttle, with its own twist.

Your choices matter. How you interact with these three friends will impact their friendship and the overall story. This can change the ways they work together, how they travel, where they answer, the stories they tell, and even the location they use.

Uncover the truth hidden behind the alien invasion… well sort of. What is the problem? It is killing the locals. It is a terrible thing. How do the boys stop it from happening? What will they do? The answers to these and other questions… in Unusual Findings.