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Many an old school gamer remembers playing through the three Gabriel Knight games that were released by Sierra On-Line back between the years of 1993 and 1999. They were adventure games that took factual events and wrapped them into an extraordinary work of fiction. Jane Jensen, the woman behind those adventures as well as several great novels was nice enough to join us for an interview about her newest game, Gray Matter.

Photo courtesty of JaneJensen.com

Joe Haygood: First off, where did the idea of Gray Matter come from?

Jane Jensen: That’s a hard thing to quantify. I wanted to do another supernatural series but had the idea that I wanted more of a Matrix-like, mind-bending reality approach. I thought powers of the mind would be one fruitful topic and so I started researching neurobiology (via pop science books) and psi research. The story concept was born from that.

JH: Can you give a little more detail about what the story is about? So far, only little bits and pieces have been released. Do you have any more tidbits you can give to our readers?

JJ: Neurobiologist Dr. David Styles is one of the game’s central characters: since losing his wife in a horrible accident some several years ago, he has become a recluse, seldom leaving Dread Hill House, his English country estate. When student and part-time street performer Samantha Everett shows up at his doorstep, she unexpectedly becomes his assistant. Hailing from America, she has been travelling through most of Europe the last couple years. Her first task: finding six test subjects at Oxford University for one of Styles’ experiments. The experiment starts off innocently enough, but then inexplicable incidents start mounting. And Styles is visited by his dear departed wife. Now it’s up to Sam to solve the mysteries of Dread Hill House.

In Gray Matter, players control both Dr. David Styles as well as Samantha Everett in their bid to uncover the secrets and find out the truth. Gray Matter tackles questions concerning the nature of reality and the power of the human mind in constructing the world we take for granted. [ed. note - Ms. Jensen was only able to release the official bio of the story.]

JH: What has driven you to ground your stories in the trappings of reality? This was used to great effect with King Ludwig and the “lost” Wagner opera, so can we expect more of this with Grey Matter?

JJ: I’ve always felt that the more fact you can mix with the fiction, the more power the fiction has. Especially if the lines between the two can be blurred. It helps give the story credibility. Gray Matter will be along these same lines.

JH: Dr. Styles and Samantha Everett seem to continue a trend of characters in your games where opposites attract. Do you feel that the having the characters so different helps with the flow of the game?

JJ: They’re very different, but also have some core similarities. That’s part of the interest of the story and of their relationship, I think. In general, it’s more interesting to write dialogue and scenes when you have two characters that can really play off each other and aren’t always in agreement.

JH: Is Gray Matter a self contained game, or is it open-ended with the possibility of sequels?

JJ: It was planned as a series. This is very much a “pilot” episode.

JH: Gray Matter is being developed as a traditional 2D adventure game. What drove you to use this style of gameplay, versus a more traditional 3D engine? Did it have anything to do with the poor reception of use in Gabriel Knight 3?

JJ: I was excited about the 3D in GK3, but at the end of the day, looking back, I’m not sure it added enough to be worth the adding difficulty for users. After working in the casual gaming industry for a few years, I’m more focused on giving users an experience that is exceptionally easy and seamless. Technology shouldn’t be a barrier to the story.

JH: What was your motivation to come back to the gaming scene after several years away? What have you been working on since your last game?

JJ: I spent a few years writing a book, Dante’s Equation. Since then I’ve been in the casual gaming industry where I’ve done a number of titles such as Inspector Parker and, more recently, Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile.

JH: Anyone that played through all three Gabriel Knight games knows the way things were left between Gabriel and Grace. Were there ever any plans in a future Gabriel Knight to sort out their feelings, or was it left the way it was by design?

JJ: No, I intended to do another GK game, but the brand is owned by Vivendi and they moved in a different direction strategically, away from Sierra’s traditional adventure games.

JH: Last question, is Gray Matter the only property you are working on with Anaconda Games, or are there other properties that you have not announced as of yet.

JJ: It’s the only one at present.

JH: I want to thank you for taking the time to complete this interview. I hope that we can chat from time to time to see the progress of the game and watch it come to fruition.

JJ: Thanks for your interest!

To read more about Gray Matter, check out the official website here (not much at the moment, but it will probably become more populated as the game gets closer to release). If you want to read more about the lovely Jane Jensen, go to her official site at www.janejensen.com.