The Act (video game)

"The Act" is an arcade video game produced by Cecropia in the United States in 2007. The game is a unique interactive cartoon featuring the hand-drawn art of a number of former Disney animatorscite journal|title=Ex-Disney animators raise curtain on new Act|author=James Lewis|journal=The Toronto Star|date=2006-9-28|accessdate=2008-07-21] . It was test-marketed in selected locations throughout North America in 2006, and it has received generally favorable press coveragecite web|url=http://www.boston.com/partners/worldnow/necn.html?catID=80769&clipid=1123384&autoStart=true&mute=false&continuous=true|title=Mass. company creates interactive video game|date=2006-12-15|accessdate=2008-07-21|author=New England Cable News] .

Plot

"The Act" tells the story of Edgar, who works as a window washer at a large hospital. He sees Sylvia, a nurse, through a window and quickly falls in love, but is forced to get back to work when his boss comes out to check up on him. His lazy brother, Wally, climbs through a window into a patient's room and falls asleep in his bed, and is mistakenly taken to an operating room for a brain transplant. In an effort to save his brother, Edgar sneaks into the hotel disguised as a doctor, runs into Sylvia and tries to impress her while taking care of a number of patients.

He eventually runs into his boss, who accidentally chokes on his cigar in surprise, forcing Edgar to save his life by using the Heimlich maneuver. Edgar is forced to reveal his true identity as a simple window washer to Sylvia and is dragged away by a security guard. Seeing his brother about to be operated upon, Edgar breaks into the operating room and quickly takes Wally back to the patient's room, where the correct patient is now waiting for his operation. Edgar and Wally then return to work, but Edgar comes back into the room when he sees Sylvia crying. When he successfully consoles her with a flower, she gives the flower back to him in a sign of acceptance.

Gameplay

The objective of "The Act" is to guide Edgar through a series of interactive scenes, each of which has a specific goal. The scenes vary in length, style and goal, but the player controls Edgar in each scene by way of a single control knob. In some scenes, the knob controls Edgar's level of boldness as he attempts to flirt with Sylvia, while other scenes control him more directly as he attempts to perform the Heimlich maneuver on his boss or run down a series of narrow hallways while dodging obstacles. If the player fails the scene's objective, the scene ends, then quickly rewinds back to the beginning to be played again. The player is given three attempts per credit; The game ends when the player either uses up all of his or her attempts, or successfully completes the last scene.

ee Also

* [http://www.theactgame.com/ TheActGame.com] (primary website)

References