I have played all the Carol Reed games, nolalou, and that "sameness" is definitely part of the charm for me

Actually they aren't the same look, if you take what Nolalou just played, Hope Springs Eternal" has not the same look as the later games. The first Carol Reed games used a water color type filter that gradually, as new games were released, started to fade out (thankfully) until they are now beautiful actual HD photographs. The water color filters in the first several games is why I didn't get into the Carol Reed games because it drove my eyes bonkers but may or may not have been used because of the technology of that time. Each game after Remedy and Hope Springs Eternal gradually used less and less of the effect until, I believe, it was Black Circle that completely eliminated it and we were treated to the wonderful talent of Mikaels photography. It wasn't until Black Circle that I fell in love with Carol Reed and have played every game since, including the previous games and after already finishing Profound Red I am anxiously looking forward to Carols next Mystery.

Well the photos themselves may not be exactly the same type throughout the series, GreyFuss, but for me the game format as a whole has remained the same - and I like it

Another Profound Red review has been posted:

Profound Red review

Mad when I was reviewing the game I e-mailed Mikael with a question or two. In our discussions I learned the photos used in the game were taken by Mikael. I have to say he has a great photographic eye.

About the transition of these games over the years in terms of their appearance, here is an excerpt from an interview that Mikael did with Adventure Gamers:

Thank you Marion

Thanks from me, too

Just finished playing this. What a corker!

I loved the varied environments and would like to know more about them in real life, especially Mercury Street which is so evocative. I wish MDNA had a website which amplified information about the settings of the game.

When the credits rolled at the end I realised the club had a real life existence. In-game exploration of this was a real eye opener!

For the first time also I paid proper attention to the credit roll and got to see what Carol looks like and indeed what Mikael looks like.

I found all this background info extremely interesting and would like to know more.

Not that it answers any question you had, but I was with Mikael at Mercury Street when he was photographing, and took pictures of my own. Those won't be in my, hopefully-sometimes-soon-to-be-released game, but in the next I will use the same location.

And now you know what I look like as well (Kim).

I know that I look biased (spelling?), but this game was my favourite. The story was

A Star is born!


I really missed going to in Profound Red. I also think I missed the relevance of the title in the game although thats not new with me.

I didn't get the title either!

Indeed.

I miss the hammock GreyFuss. I enjoyed relaxing in it.

I'm happy that you like the game! Thank you for all the kind words.

There is no specific meaning to the title. It's just that there is a lot of red in the game, and that we've used colours in several previous titles. And it's supposed to be sort of a hommage to italian director Dario Argento's film "Profondo Rosso" (who also uses the title without any specific meaning).

BUT, I recently read a Russian review of the game, where the reviewer said that it was "obvious" that the title referred to the different shades of red appearing in the game, especially in the club scenes. So, I guess it's up to the player.

The allotment was not mine, but my wife's. She's sold it now. That's not a problem however, since Carol has sold her allotment too, to buy a summer house instead. It's very likely that it will appear in the next game.

I might create a web site that covers all the locations used in the games when I retire. There are several places that don't exist anymore, so it could also have a historical value for people that haven't played the games.

Mercury Street is shot in a small (almost) abandoned village called Bjornhammar. I found this video on YouTube from an Urban Explorer who has filmed the place. In real life, it's (quite ironically) called "Happy Street".

Thanks Mikael for the background info. Not to hurry your retirement but I am anxious to see a web site of everything Carol. A new summer house for you and the wife (plus Carol) that sounds exciting and I can't wait to see how you incorporate it into Carols future mysteries.

Very interesting Mikael!

Kim, glad you "outed yourself"! I was tempted to post how awesome it was to have you in the game, but was waiting for you to say something!

Ana

Great info, Mikael. And I'm so glad to hear that there will be another Carol Reed game!

Yes. Thank you Mikael for the extra bits of news AND for confirming there is to be another game in the series

But retirement is surely a VERY long way off ????

If only because we won't allow it !!!!

Heh, I have actually outed myself in other threads, so you didn't have to wait. I think I have anyway lol. The memory is, well.
I know it sounds a bit perhaps childish, but I'm STILL super excited to be a part of a game.

Maybe the next game will find Carol in jail framed for a murder she didn't commit and its up to Stina and RebKean to prove her innocence. Find out how Bigge infiltrates the Cult located at the old Allotments and how Of course Mikael will be Carols Attorney but is he part of the conspiracy and will Carol will be found guilty? Will Jonas finally propose to Carol and live happily ever after or will the Police not believe his alibi at the time of the murder? Stay tuned for the next Carol Reed game to find out titled...No Color At All coming soon.

Hahaha, nice! Can I use that?
Actually, the "detective" in my (upcoming) game is called Rebecca, so that part sounds about right, hehe. Oh, I read it wrong, you wrote Stina, not Carol, oops. Well, never mind that then. Perhaps Rebecca is the one framing Carol? Perfect! She wants to take over Carol's business! Oh yeah, this is gold.

I just finished the game, which I won here on Gameboomers. The 3rd one in the series that I've played. The orignal years ago, the 2nd game just about a month ago. I enjoyed Profound Red very much, though at first it took some getting used to the still photos instead of video when interacting with various characters in the game. I also though it could add to the enjoyment if you heard Carol's voice when she's asking questions, but those are minor complaints.

I wonder what 'game engine' is used to create these games. It might be fun to give game creation a try, and as I live in New Orleans, there are lots of great settings that could be used.

Louis
p.s. no mention if Carol will make use of the membership she was given at the end of the game!

I believe that Mikael uses the Wintermute engine for the Carol Reed games.