London, 1888. A series of horrendous murders has left a trail of blood throughout the troubled London district of Whitechapel. Nobody, nothing seems to be able to stop this brutal killer, and the population is close to panicking. Step into Sherlock Holmes’ boots and solve the most sinister case in his career! Enter the twisting, gloomy, dirty back streets of 19th Century London in order to follow the trail of the gruesome criminal whose name alone suffices to spread fear and horror. His name is … Jack. Jack the Ripper.

We spoke with Michael Mota, PR Coordinator at DreamCatcher Games to talk about Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper.

The Big Bad Wolf: Can you talk a bit about the main characters in this game?

Michael Mota: Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper pits the world's greatest (fictional) detective against one of history's most infamous (real) serial killers. The purpose was the make this work so as we play Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson which are fictional, we meet one leading character who was involved in the real inquiry : Inspector Abberline from Scotland Yard, one of the leading inspectors. Very capable person but overwhelmed by the case. Along the game we mixed historical suspects and witnesses (Walter Sickert, Francis Tumblety, Mr. Richardson, Israël Schwartz, Jacob Levy or Mrs. Long) and fictional ones (Lucy, who we'll meet in Sherlock Holmes The Awakened, Bella Pullmann, Mr. Finley, Wiggins or Hardiman). All of them have a strong background and give an aspect of the true Whitechapel life. Those characters makes the inquiry a living experience.

The Big Bad Wolf: What kind of research was done about Jack the Ripper prior to the production of this game?

The Big Bad Wolf: Jack is one of the most famous killers of all time. As we play this game, will we feel the fear that sweeps the London streets?

Michael Mota: Absolutely. The sets you have to explore are all gloomy, especially at night; the creepy sound ambient helps to make it stressful. Most of the characters you meet are strange people which you never know if they are trustful or not. We have also created a large amount of disturbing passerby with random actions and dialogs, some of them can even be aggressive. The fear is also present while cut scenes are rolling: we can see some of the crimes through Jack's eyes, feeling his breath, and hearing his voice… without seeing him. When you get to a crime scene, looking at evidence around a body in a gloomy empty street can be quite scary, believe me.

The Big Bad Wolf: Describe for us the game play mechanics.

Michael Mota: Fully 3D rendered, Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper offers players 2 different views that are accessible at any time with pressing button X: a 3rd person view in the purest style used in point & click adventure games, as well as a 1st person view. The 3rd person mode offers a new cinematic perspective allowing the player to catch every detail of the scene and to appreciate the many crime scenes in their wholeness. On the other hand, the first person mode lets the player take the famous detective's place and offers a total immersion in the poor districts of London at that time. This system shows a greater accessibility to all and especially to the adventure games fans usually divided between these 2 modes.

Another novelty is the place we gave to the deductive aspect of the game. Holmes and Watson go over crime scenes with magnifying glasses, do murder scene re-enactments, and make diagrams, timelines, and logic maps of all collected evidence. This original crime scene reconstitution system allows the player to test his theories in intuitive way while tables and diagrams let the player deduct by himself and decide which will be the next step. At last, but not the least, an innovating help system was implemented in the game. At any moment, you can press Left Trigger (LT) to light up all the interactive places on the screen, thus sparing yourself an hour long pixel hunt. In addition, the game often prompts you regarding your next move so you won't waste time revisiting places that won't help your cause. Best of all, your inventory map allows you to warp to any previously visited location and a progressive hint system is included to put you in the right direction during puzzle solving.

The Big Bad Wolf: Is this a free-roaming game?

Michael Mota: Yes.

The Big Bad Wolf: Do you have any downloadable content planned for the game?

Michael Mota: No.

The Big Bad Wolf: What can we expect from this game in terms of blood and guts?

Michael Mota: Let's face it; Jack the Ripper isn't exactly a bedtime story. With its references to prostitution, venereal disease, brutal violence, and racial tensions, we had a dilemma as we wouldn't want to make it too disgusting. So the game tells the facts and you have to solve the cases but it's not overly gory. It handles the many tough aspects of the case maturely, including the squalid living conditions of the victims and the various disturbing theories regarding the Ripper's identity. It also takes the high road in terms of violence which is implied but never shown; for example, victims' body investigation is shown with light drawn graphics instead of realistic 3D style, murder sequences never show the blood splash.

The Big Bad Wolf: Are there any sequels planned?

Michael Mota: Since 2001, we have been building a franchise on Sherlock Holmes' universe, so yes, there will be sequels for the detective's cases. The next one will tell the darkest story of the hero and will show him under is true nature: a drug-doing, woman-avoiding, police-confounding misanthrope who spends half his time collaring criminals and the other half locked in his room - or perhaps leading an other darker life... The truth will be revealed, beyond Holmes' death.

The Big Bad Wolf: When is the release date for Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper?

Michael Mota: In North America, it will be released on April 13th, 2010.

The Big Bad Wolf: Where can our readers find out more about Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper?

Michael Mota: http://www.sherlockholmes-thegame.com

The Big Bad Wolf: In closing, what would you like to say about Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper?

Michael Mota: The game experience on Xbox 360 is unique as in addition to the pc version, Spider Studio has improved the graphics and the ergonomic controls for the console. The result is awesome and you can immerse in the greatest inquiry of all the times; just, don't turn off the light while playing! ;-)

The Big Bad Wolf: Thank you for your time, Michael! Best of luck with Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper!

Be sure to check out more DreamCatcher titles here: www.dreamcatchergames.com/dci

Comment on the Michael Mota - Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper Interview.