"To Play, or Not to Play?" Alawar Entertainment Releases Hamlet Video Game for PC
Surreal reimagining of Shakespeare's classic "puzzles the will" with mind-bending riddles and quirky humor
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 8, 2010 - Leading casual game publisher Alawar Entertainment and independent developer mif2000 have put a hilarious twist on a beloved classic in Hamlet, or the last game without MMORPG features, shaders and product placement, available today. This unique PC game—an unusual, interactive take on one of Shakespeare's best-known plays—can be downloaded from Alawar's website at http://www.alawar.com. After enjoying a free one-hour demo, players can register the full version of the game for only $9.95.
It may be based on a literary classic, but mif2000's Hamlet is not your English teacher's Shakespeare. The game reconstructs the Bard's drama by dropping an explorer from the future onto the scene of Prince Hamlet's bloody revenge. The player must guide this man on an absurdist mission to save Hamlet's beloved Ophelia from the clutches of the evil King Claudius. The game's creative storyline and accessible point-and-click gameplay will appeal to a diverse audience, from casual gamers to old-school adventure game fans to hardcore Shakespeare buffs.
Mif2000 is an alias for Denis Galanin, a Russian video game developer who has been involved with a number of commercial games. For the past several years he has focused on his own indie projects. Hamlet took him about eight months to create.
"From the first time we heard about its wonderfully bizarre concept, we were captivated by mif2000's Hamlet," says Kirill Plotnikov, Alawar Entertainment's Vice President of Publishing. "Alawar started out as an independent game developer, so we truly understand the unique needs of indie developers and their projects. We've enjoyed collaborating with mif2000 and hope for many more opportunities to publish creative indie games like Hamlet in the future."
Each of Hamlet's 25 levels boast unique and challenging logic puzzles, colorful and eye-catching artwork, and abundant humor that puts a surreal spin on the Shakespearean source material. Drawing from traditional adventure game conventions, Hamlet is a thinking man's (and woman's) game, with each level ending in a puzzling face-off with characters from the original play—unique "boss battles" that can only be won by players who rely on their wits, not their swords.
Hamlet is available in English and Russian versions. To learn more about the game and download the free demo, please visit: http://www.alawar.com/game/hamlet
About Alawar Entertainment
Founded in 1999, Alawar Entertainment specializes in the development, publication and distribution of casual games. The company has published more than 200 casual PC titles, including some of the industry's leading downloadable releases, such as the Farm Frenzy(R), Hyperballoid(R), Magic Encyclopedia(R), Craze(R) and Treasures of Montezuma(R) games. In addition to the PC, Alawar's titles are available on the iPhone, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Mac and J2ME platform. Soon, the company will enter the social games and MMO markets and expand onto other leading-edge platforms.