The Cypher - an interactive murder mystery
To unlock the mystery of The Cypher players must carefully explore three different time paths: the middle ages, the summer of 1900 and the final weeks of the 20th century. They explore ancient ruins, examine historical documents, news clippings, forensic evidence, hack into secret computer files and uncover clues to a startling mystery. Each week new evidence emerges and new locations are revealed. In the final episode, players race against time, an evil villain and each other to solve the mystery before time runs out. The Cypher became a runaway success for Sierra's World Opponent Network (WON.net) with over 2 million registered players and 2.5 million page views per month.
“...part Sir Walter Scott, part HG Wells, part William Gibson, The Cypher is a sleuth novel which involves the viewer at every step.” — The Financial Times
“...this new genre of interactive fiction mixes compelling storytelling with stunning graphics to draw readers into a tale of murder and magic...” — Media Inc.
“...The Cypher...represent(s) the next step in the evolution of interactive narrative: fiction created for the medium of multimedia, not simply translated to it.” — Mac Home Journal
- Client: MSN / Sierra Entertainment Inc.
- Creative Direction: Ted Evans
- Art Direction: Vince Peddle
- Design: Ted Evans / Vince Peddle / Rick Franklin
- Animation: Ted Evans / Vince Peddle
- HD Motion Graphics: Ian Evans
- Script: Ted Evans / Paul Gregutt
