Full-motion videogames (FMVs) have a pretty bad rap in the game biz, and let’s be honest: It’s well deserved. As we said back in 2015, they were “the worst of all worlds,” with limited storage, limited budgets, and limited acting ability. But the genre has enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent years, kickstarted largely by the success of Her Story, which received acclaim when it was released in 2015, and the 2019 followup Telling Lies.
Jessika, announced today by Assemble Entertainment, bears a strong resemblance to those games—in fact, Assemble CEO Stefan Marcinek made a direct comparison to both. After the death of a young woman is ruled a suicide by police, her father—convinced that something far more sinister is going on—hires you to investigate and uncover the truth. Using only your laptop, you’ll dive into her online life to follow trails of keywords, uncover clues, and piece together the truth of Jessika’s life and untimely death.
The game is being developed by Tri Trie Games, a “micro-indie” team team of three developers based in Cologne, Germany. In 2018 it was nominated for Ubisoft Blue Byte’s Newcomer Award, which aims to give a leg up to students and start-ups on the German development scene. Assemble Entertainment’s recent releases include Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Won’t Dry, which against all odds—I mean, all odds—turned out to be quite good.
Jessika is currently expected to come out this summer, and will go for $12.50 on Steam.