Yesterday at E3 09 we got the chance to get an up-close look at Showtime/Marc Ecko Productions/Icarus Studios’ upcoming iPhone game based off the popular television series, Dexter. For those of you who do not know about the show, its titular character (Dexter) is a man driven to brutally kill those who he finds guilty of heinous crimes of their own. This, all while working with the local police department as their blood-spatter analyst… (cont.)
(cont.) In the iPhone game, players are tasked with not only carrying out the brutal acts that Dexter commits in the name of his own version of justice, but also on the investigations that lead to them. This adds a lot of variety to the game by giving players other things to accomplish besides killing.
For instance, a major part of the game tasks players with evidence gathering. From following a suspect to sneaking about their residence on the search for clues, Dexter will put together a picture of their guilt or innocence.
Thankfully, a lot of Dexter is voiced by the actual actors from the television series including Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter. You may remember Hall from his role in the critically-acclaimed Six Feet Under as the homosexual funeral home owner with many inner-demons to battle. This authenticity adds a lot to the overall experience in making it seem like a part of the television series.
The Dexter iPhone game will eventually be an episodic adventure that actually follows along with the television show. For instance, in one of the game’s investigative moments, Dexter is tasked with searching a suspect’s residence for clues. This is not seen in the series episode it parallels, so now gamers and fans of the show know what happened ‘in between’ those critical events. It helps fill out the overall Dexter mythos in a way that only an engrossing game can.
Once your suspect is succesfully abducted, Dexter will proceed with interrogational techniques which would make even the toughest CIA agent flinch in discomfort. He will cut on his suspect and more while goading them into confessing their ‘sins’ (Dexter does not kill those he considers innocent). Once they do, Dexter dispatches them with a killing blow. This is accomplished by a swipe of the finger against the iPhone’s touch screen in the case of a knife or similar object but can be different patterns for varying instruments.
Dexter features very nicely-rendered 3D graphics which give many PSP games a run for their money. Controlling the Dexter character can be accomplished by using a virtual joystick on the screen or the iPhone’s accelerometer (although that method seemed to need a bit more fleshing-out.
Overall, Dexter for the iPhone looks to be a great addition for long-time fans of the series as well as people who have little knowledge of the TV show at all. The Dexter iPhone game will be released later this Summer. Current, its price point is still being determined.
