PopCap Takes Casual Games to Venice

Casual game publisher PopCap invites players to save the sinking artistic heritage of Venice in its new retro-style puzzle/action game.

Casual game publisher PopCap has added a new title to its lineup of titles with Venice, a new retro-styled puzzle/action game which invites players to help save Venice’s priceless artifacts as they pilot their gondolas through dozens of classic buildings—which are, of course, slowly sinking. The game offers modes which emphasize puzzle-solving and outright action, and enables players to save buildings by filling open slots with appropriate treasures.

“Venice is a different sort of game, melding numerous puzzle-solving elements with varying degrees of retro-arcade action depending on your preference,” said PopCap co-founder and chief creative officer Jason Kapalka. “The themed soundtrack and artwork create great settings in which to experience the sights and sounds of ancient Italy while navigating your way to victory.”

In the game, players pilot a golden gondola through Venice’s watery canals, launching treasures into the walls and towers of Venice’s buildings as they slowly sink. Successful shots enable further progress in the game, even as the difficulty increases and it becomes more complicated for players to keep their ship afloat. Power-ups and special shots add variety to the game, and four modes—Journey, Flood, Survival, and Trick Shots—offer something for a variety of players.

Venice was developed by the studio Retro64. “We’re thrilled to have PopCap publishing Venice and helping with the fine-tuning of the game” said Retro64’s Mike Boeh, lead developer of Venice. “PopCap truly has a knack for making a game as good as it can possibly be, and that’s reflected in the final version of Venice.”

Venice required Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, or Vista with DirectX 7 or higher, a free trial download is available, and the full version is priced at $19.95 via download from PopCap and other game portals, including Yahoo Games, RealArcade, and MSN’s Game Zone.