Yoomurjak's Ring
Encyclopedia
Yoomurjak’s Ring is an FMV (Full motion video based game) point-and-click adventure game
by Private Moon Studios, designed by Hungarian game designer and musician Pierrot (Tamás Z. Marosi)
in 2005. The original release of the game was in Hungary in October 2006. The English subtitled version was first released by digital download in April 2009 by Lezard Interactive.
An important objective of the game is to introduce the baroque Hungarian town of Eger through a first-person experience provided by nearly 800 panoramic photographs and film footage fit for an entire movie.
adventure game with a simple interface. It is a mixture of third-person movie scenes and first-person navigation and interaction. The player can pan around in each node in 360 degrees, in any direction.
The game inherited its engine from Private Moon’s AGON
series, with some enhancements. It features an Inventory for collecting items that will be used later. All dialogs are logged in a separate notebook for reference. This is useful as dialogs are not repeated.
As an adventure game, the player’s first challenge is to figure out what to do next. Most of the clues are given in the dialogs and narrations, some in documents.
The voice is the original Hungarian. The localized version is subtitled (English).
and the picturesque town of Eger
because he has read about it in an old Hungarian novel. But he also has another reason to go there.
This book was one of his favorite childhood readings, titled ‘Eclipse of the Crescent Moon
’, written by a Hungarian author Géza Gárdonyi
who also lived in Eger. This is a real novel about the heroic past of Eger in the middle of the 16th century when the town was one of the ultimate strongholds against the Ottoman
forces advancing. When Jonathan received that book from his great-grandfather he found two letters in it from a strange Hungarian scientist named Ábray, dated back in 1898. This man claimed to have discoveries about no less than travelling in time.
Upon arriving in Eger, Jonathan wants to find the descendants of this scientist. Juli, the assistant of the tourist office gives him a number of hints and an old man also seems to have some promising information. Jonathan learns about a family legend and the most peculiar disappearance of an apprentice who once worked for the scientist himself.
The legend is about the same old book. The old man believes that the author modeled Yoomurjak, the Turkish character in the book, on his grandfather, who was actually the disappeared apprentice. The gentleman claims that in that period Ábray was working on devising a time machine and due to a doomed journey in time his aide remained in the 16th century. Jonathan, a realistic man, almost laughs at the theory, but the sudden death of the old man awakens his curiosity. In a note left behind the old man entrusts Jonathan with accomplishing his unfinished research.
The game covers the events of five days:
As to his identity in the game, he is the great-grandson of Professor Samuel Hunt, the protagonist of Private Moon’s adventure game series AGON. His mother was born in Hungary and taught Jonathan the culture and the language of her home country. After breaking up with his girlfriend Allison, Jonathan aims to start an entirely new life in the peaceful town of Eger. But it turns out differently.
Yoomurjak:
Yoomurjak (originally Jumurdzsák) is a (negative) hero of the novel, a fictitious character. In the novel, he was a soldier of the Ottoman army. Yoomurjak had an amulet: a ring that he wore to protect him from danger. Once, when he was captured he decided to buy his freedom against this ring. Later he tried to get it back but to no avail. The game uses the motive of this very ring, assuming it was found and used for purposes you have to unfold in the game.
The fort, a number of museums, the town hall, the historic library, the Lyceum, the observatory, a wine cellar, an antique shop, a minaret from the Turkish period, the immense basilica and many other locations are to be explored.
Professional actors:
All these roles are played by professional Hungarian actors. The main characters are played by prominent Hungarian celebrities: László Görög (Görög László), György Bárdy (Bárdy György) and in the gangster’s role a popular rapper Ganxsta Zolee
.
Panoramic views:
The first-person view control and the large number of panoramic pictures provide a real-life feeling of walking around the streets of Eger and in the interiors. Most of the panoramic pictures are not static; the loop movements of the characters and extras make the exploration of the locations even more realistic.
More than 1.5 hours of footage:
The film footage is presented to the gamers in many small fragments. The movie scenes and dialogues, starting from half a minute to nearly 10-minute long, blend in seamlessly into the realistic environment created by panoramic pictures.
Special sound recordings:
The atmospheric background noises were recorded in the original locations, just like most of the dialogues. Besides the mostly electronically scored mood-enhancing tracks, music also has a special role in the riddles of the game.
Eger
:
Eger is a city in northern Hungary, with a population of about 56.000. The town is a major touristic destination of the country. It is best known for its castle, thermal baths, historic buildings (including the northernmost Turkish minaret), and its red and white wines.
Senator Ház:
The small hotel Jonathan uses (room No. 15) is one of Eger’s oldest baroque buildings. It was built from the actual stones of the castle’s outside walls some 300 years ago. One of its owners was a Senator, hence the name Senator Ház (the house of the senator).
Lyceum
:
The Lyceum was built for the purpose of a university. Today, a college operates in the building and it also houses several significant collections. The especially beautiful Archdiocesan Library was opened in 1793 with 20,000 volumes – currently, it houses nearly 150,000 volumes. The observatory and the Camera Obscura (a large periscope) was installed 1776, equipped with the most modern apparatuses of the time, based on the design of astronomer Maximilian (Miksa) Hell.
Minaret
:
Eger was part of the Ottoman Empire for 91 years (1596–1687). During this time, numerous Turkish buildings were erected in the city, among them a mosque with this minaret. The mosque has not survived the centuries but the minaret, the northernmost one in Europe, is still in perfect condition. Jonathan has to climb 97 steps to reach the balcony.
The Gárdonyi House:
Géza Gárdonyi
is one of the best known writers in Hungary. Between 1897 and 1922, he lived in this house,and here wrote many of his works, including one of his
most beautiful historical novels, Stars of Eger. Gárdonyi owned nearly ten-thousand books. Every piece of his furniture has remained in its original place, as shown in the game. He often took notes in cryptography which are displayed in the glass cabinets.
The Castle of Eger:
This large medieval fortress ranks among the most visited attractions in the country. The castle's defenders are said to have numbered fewer than 2,000, including women and children when they successfully held off a Turkish army of 80,000 soldiers in 1552 (the Siege of Eger
). Since then, the castle has been a symbol of patriotic integrity and resistance.
The Turkish Bath:
The predecessor of the Turkish Bath, professor Cifra’s favorite place, was built in the early 17th century when the town was under Turkish rule. The bath was to serve the purpose of ritual bathing but the water's beneficial effects on health soon became evident. The curative effect of the water is attributed to its radon content.
Movie director: András Komlós
Chief Programmer: Gábor Csendes
Panoramic images: Tamás D. Varga
Music and Sound: Pierrot
Title Music: Pierrot & Jamie Winchester
reviews:
interviews:
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
by Private Moon Studios, designed by Hungarian game designer and musician Pierrot (Tamás Z. Marosi)
Pierrot (Tamás Z. Marosi)
Pierrot, born Tamás Zoltán Marosi is a Hungarian game designer, musician and producer, best known internationally for his video game series AGON and Yoomurjak's Ring. He is also well known in Hungary as a musician, singer-songwriter and producer of several music albums...
in 2005. The original release of the game was in Hungary in October 2006. The English subtitled version was first released by digital download in April 2009 by Lezard Interactive.
An important objective of the game is to introduce the baroque Hungarian town of Eger through a first-person experience provided by nearly 800 panoramic photographs and film footage fit for an entire movie.
Gameplay
Yoomurjak's Ring is a point-and-clickPoint-and-click
Point-and-click is the action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left button , or other pointing device...
adventure game with a simple interface. It is a mixture of third-person movie scenes and first-person navigation and interaction. The player can pan around in each node in 360 degrees, in any direction.
The game inherited its engine from Private Moon’s AGON
AGON
AGON is a series of episodic adventure games for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows by Private Moon Studios. The game uses QuickTime VR-like panoramas in a first person camera mode. The game takes place starting in 1903.-Gameplay:...
series, with some enhancements. It features an Inventory for collecting items that will be used later. All dialogs are logged in a separate notebook for reference. This is useful as dialogs are not repeated.
As an adventure game, the player’s first challenge is to figure out what to do next. Most of the clues are given in the dialogs and narrations, some in documents.
The voice is the original Hungarian. The localized version is subtitled (English).
The plot
Jonathan Hunt is a young American journalist. He decides to visit his mother's birthplace in HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and the picturesque town of Eger
Eger
Eger is the second largest city in Northern Hungary, the county seat of Heves, east of the Mátra Mountains. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, historic buildings , and red and white wines.- Name :...
because he has read about it in an old Hungarian novel. But he also has another reason to go there.
This book was one of his favorite childhood readings, titled ‘Eclipse of the Crescent Moon
Eclipse of the Crescent Moon
Eclipse of the Crescent Moon is a historical novel by the Hungarian writer Géza Gárdonyi. It was first published in 1899 and is one of the most popular novels in Hungary.-Background:...
’, written by a Hungarian author Géza Gárdonyi
Géza Gárdonyi
Géza Gárdonyi, born Géza Ziegler was a Hungarian writer and journalist. Although he wrote a range of works, he had his greatest success as a historical novelist, particularly with Eclipse of the Crescent Moon and Slave of the Huns.-Life:Gárdonyi was born in Agárdpuszta, Austria-Hungary, the son of...
who also lived in Eger. This is a real novel about the heroic past of Eger in the middle of the 16th century when the town was one of the ultimate strongholds against the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
forces advancing. When Jonathan received that book from his great-grandfather he found two letters in it from a strange Hungarian scientist named Ábray, dated back in 1898. This man claimed to have discoveries about no less than travelling in time.
Upon arriving in Eger, Jonathan wants to find the descendants of this scientist. Juli, the assistant of the tourist office gives him a number of hints and an old man also seems to have some promising information. Jonathan learns about a family legend and the most peculiar disappearance of an apprentice who once worked for the scientist himself.
The legend is about the same old book. The old man believes that the author modeled Yoomurjak, the Turkish character in the book, on his grandfather, who was actually the disappeared apprentice. The gentleman claims that in that period Ábray was working on devising a time machine and due to a doomed journey in time his aide remained in the 16th century. Jonathan, a realistic man, almost laughs at the theory, but the sudden death of the old man awakens his curiosity. In a note left behind the old man entrusts Jonathan with accomplishing his unfinished research.
The game covers the events of five days:
- Day 1 (Eger, the town of legends)
- Day 2 (Proofs of the first time traveler)
- Day 3 (Yoomurjak’s messages)
- Day 4 (On the track of the ring)
- Day 5 (The power of the ring)
Characters
Jonathan Hunt:As to his identity in the game, he is the great-grandson of Professor Samuel Hunt, the protagonist of Private Moon’s adventure game series AGON. His mother was born in Hungary and taught Jonathan the culture and the language of her home country. After breaking up with his girlfriend Allison, Jonathan aims to start an entirely new life in the peaceful town of Eger. But it turns out differently.
Yoomurjak:
Yoomurjak (originally Jumurdzsák) is a (negative) hero of the novel, a fictitious character. In the novel, he was a soldier of the Ottoman army. Yoomurjak had an amulet: a ring that he wore to protect him from danger. Once, when he was captured he decided to buy his freedom against this ring. Later he tried to get it back but to no avail. The game uses the motive of this very ring, assuming it was found and used for purposes you have to unfold in the game.
Features
Over 30 locations:The fort, a number of museums, the town hall, the historic library, the Lyceum, the observatory, a wine cellar, an antique shop, a minaret from the Turkish period, the immense basilica and many other locations are to be explored.
Professional actors:
All these roles are played by professional Hungarian actors. The main characters are played by prominent Hungarian celebrities: László Görög (Görög László), György Bárdy (Bárdy György) and in the gangster’s role a popular rapper Ganxsta Zolee
Hungarian hip hop
Popular Hungarian hip hop is popular among the inner city/urban population in Hungary. Performers include a gangsta rap pioneer, Ganxsta Zolee és a Kartel, his local fellow Dopeman, LL Junior and Sub Bass Monster....
.
Panoramic views:
The first-person view control and the large number of panoramic pictures provide a real-life feeling of walking around the streets of Eger and in the interiors. Most of the panoramic pictures are not static; the loop movements of the characters and extras make the exploration of the locations even more realistic.
More than 1.5 hours of footage:
The film footage is presented to the gamers in many small fragments. The movie scenes and dialogues, starting from half a minute to nearly 10-minute long, blend in seamlessly into the realistic environment created by panoramic pictures.
Special sound recordings:
The atmospheric background noises were recorded in the original locations, just like most of the dialogues. Besides the mostly electronically scored mood-enhancing tracks, music also has a special role in the riddles of the game.
Locations
A few of the historic locations in the game:Eger
Eger
Eger is the second largest city in Northern Hungary, the county seat of Heves, east of the Mátra Mountains. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, historic buildings , and red and white wines.- Name :...
:
Eger is a city in northern Hungary, with a population of about 56.000. The town is a major touristic destination of the country. It is best known for its castle, thermal baths, historic buildings (including the northernmost Turkish minaret), and its red and white wines.
Senator Ház:
The small hotel Jonathan uses (room No. 15) is one of Eger’s oldest baroque buildings. It was built from the actual stones of the castle’s outside walls some 300 years ago. One of its owners was a Senator, hence the name Senator Ház (the house of the senator).
Lyceum
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies between countries; usually it is a type of secondary school.-History:...
:
The Lyceum was built for the purpose of a university. Today, a college operates in the building and it also houses several significant collections. The especially beautiful Archdiocesan Library was opened in 1793 with 20,000 volumes – currently, it houses nearly 150,000 volumes. The observatory and the Camera Obscura (a large periscope) was installed 1776, equipped with the most modern apparatuses of the time, based on the design of astronomer Maximilian (Miksa) Hell.
Minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
:
Eger was part of the Ottoman Empire for 91 years (1596–1687). During this time, numerous Turkish buildings were erected in the city, among them a mosque with this minaret. The mosque has not survived the centuries but the minaret, the northernmost one in Europe, is still in perfect condition. Jonathan has to climb 97 steps to reach the balcony.
The Gárdonyi House:
Géza Gárdonyi
Géza Gárdonyi
Géza Gárdonyi, born Géza Ziegler was a Hungarian writer and journalist. Although he wrote a range of works, he had his greatest success as a historical novelist, particularly with Eclipse of the Crescent Moon and Slave of the Huns.-Life:Gárdonyi was born in Agárdpuszta, Austria-Hungary, the son of...
is one of the best known writers in Hungary. Between 1897 and 1922, he lived in this house,and here wrote many of his works, including one of his
most beautiful historical novels, Stars of Eger. Gárdonyi owned nearly ten-thousand books. Every piece of his furniture has remained in its original place, as shown in the game. He often took notes in cryptography which are displayed in the glass cabinets.
The Castle of Eger:
This large medieval fortress ranks among the most visited attractions in the country. The castle's defenders are said to have numbered fewer than 2,000, including women and children when they successfully held off a Turkish army of 80,000 soldiers in 1552 (the Siege of Eger
Siege of Eger
The Siege of Eger occurred during the 16th century Ottoman Wars in Europe. It was a major Hungarian victory after a series of crushing defeats at the hands of Ottoman forces and checked the Ottoman expansion into both Central Europe and Eastern Europe....
). Since then, the castle has been a symbol of patriotic integrity and resistance.
The Turkish Bath:
The predecessor of the Turkish Bath, professor Cifra’s favorite place, was built in the early 17th century when the town was under Turkish rule. The bath was to serve the purpose of ritual bathing but the water's beneficial effects on health soon became evident. The curative effect of the water is attributed to its radon content.
The background
Private Moon Studios was given the opportunity to create Yoomurjak’s Ring by winning a competition. The municipality of Eger was looking for alternative ideas for promoting their town in an unconventional way, making also use of Gárdonyi’s popular novel (The Eclipse of the Crescent Moon) as both the author and the book are strongly related to the town.The creators
Game designer/producer: Pierrot (Tamás Z. Marosi)Pierrot (Tamás Z. Marosi)
Pierrot, born Tamás Zoltán Marosi is a Hungarian game designer, musician and producer, best known internationally for his video game series AGON and Yoomurjak's Ring. He is also well known in Hungary as a musician, singer-songwriter and producer of several music albums...
Movie director: András Komlós
Chief Programmer: Gábor Csendes
Panoramic images: Tamás D. Varga
Music and Sound: Pierrot
Title Music: Pierrot & Jamie Winchester
Awards
2007: First prize at eFestival in interactive strory-telling (Yoomurjak’s Ring)External links
- The game's website: http://www.yoomurjak.com
- Yoomurjak's Ring on MobyGames: http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/yoomurjaks-ring
- Yoomurjak's Ring on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yoomurjaks.ring
reviews:
- Just Adventure: http://www.justadventure.com/reviews/YoomurjaksRing/YoomurjaksRing.shtm
- A Hardy Developer’s Journal: http://www.hardydev.com/2010/05/19/yoomurjaks-ring-video-review/
- Adventure Gamers: http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,1043
interviews: