A new mobile videogame that sees players walk around Valletta as they solve riddles will be launched on Wednesday.
‘Valletta: Streets of History’ will turn participants into detectives who can follow multiple storylines focused on one of three historical themes: poverty, the 1813 plague and the Jewish community within the capital city.
Partly funded by the Malta Arts Council, the game starts with players at the National Library in Valletta where they will receive their first riddle, the first of five clues that will lead them through the cobbled streets.
“We wanted to avoid the big landmarks,” project manager Renata Ntelia said. When the team began the project, one of their goals was to have players venture off the beaten track rather than visit the same landmarks that crop up on most tours.
“It is a different perspective on a familiar space,” researcher and writer Daniel Vella said.
When a player visits a landmark, a pop-up will appear within the game that gives the player a riddle which will lead them to the next spot.
But, for those who are not so puzzle-inclined, a handy ‘Hint’ button sits at the bottom of the screen which, when pressed, points players in the right direction while also giving them a painting of a historical figure-inspired cat.
University Valletta campus. Photo: Malta Arts Council“Cats walk everywhere so they know their way around,” game developer Emmanuela Marla said, pointing out that the game is filled with details and small surprises.
If a hint is not enough, then another button will take users straight to the solution as the game’s focus lies outside of its challenge.
Throughout the several educational journeys, players will also receive artworks of how buildings looked like at the time of that specific story, including 3D models. These can be viewed as an augmented reality model which is superimposed over the building in its current state.
The painting-styled artwork, created by Aphrodite Andreou, features across the entire game and its models. “It’s as if the player is seeing a diary,” the artist said.
The project is a collaborative effort as many of the team’s members have known each other from their time studying and working at the University of Malta's Institute of Digital Games and Department of English.
The idea would naturally shift and transform as each member would bring their own style and expertise into the mix – the art style, for example, is due to Andreou’s affinity for impressionist paintings, which merged well with the game’s style. Once the game is out, the team of Greek game developers and Maltese researchers plan to build upon the patterns of marginalised characters that they established in the first three episodes.
However, there is no concrete timeframe for future updates. The game will be available for free on both iOS and Android devices.
The Streets of History team is made up of: Renata Ntelia, Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone, Daniel Vella, Naomi Cutajar, Aphrodite Theodora Andreou, Emmanuela Marla and Yannis Brellas.
The team acknowledged contributions by Arts Council Malta; Judge Emeritus Giovanni Bonello, Evelyn Pullicino, Joan Abela, Noel D'Anastas, Louis Cini, Vince Peresso, the National Archives and Santo Spirito staff, Chanelle Briffa, Sarah Azzopardi-Ljubibratic, Gabriel Farrugia, Yosanne Vella, Aline P'Nina Tayar and Giselle Borg Olivier.