## Description

_Kidnapped_ is the first installment in the episodic Casebook detective
series. In this adventure, the player is a detective who needs to investigate
the kidnapping of the children Harry and Greta Birchermann. They were taken
from their room, leaving the parents devastated.

Played from a first-person perspective, players need to interrogate witnesses
and search the crime scenes for clues. The game uses full motion video for the
cutscenes, where the player is still able to adjust the viewpoint slightly.
The crime scenes themselves are build up using in-house developed technology
where different high-resolution photographs are stitched together into a
single environment, allowing the player to fully move around and navigate a
scenery with photo-realistic detail in real-time seemingly presented as a 3D
engine.

The player’s notebook is used to store locations, objectives and video
interviews. Players can navigate the crime scenes and zoom in on details with
a camera to take pictures of important clues. These are then investigated
inside a police van for details. The examination is done through mini-games
where objects need to be checked for prints, swabs collect samples, chemical
samples need to be isolated, and chromosomes have to be separated to single
out DNA. All pictures are saved in an extensive evidence folder. It contains
character cards, and photographs can be combined through a drag-and-drop
technique to establish connections. While researching, the player is in
contact with his partner James Burton and Pete Inverness at the police
laboratory. When sufficient progress has been established, the story is
furthered and new crime scenes are unlocked.

The game is very accessible as clues are visibly shown in the evidence folder.
While researching a crime scene, players can also press a key on the keyboard
to follow their “intuition” and be guided directly to the next item of
interest.

Casebook: Episode 1 – Kidnapped