''Méwilo'' is a 1987 French adventure video game by

Coktel Vision Coktel Vision (also known as Coktel and Coktel Studio) was a French video game developer and video game publisher, publisher based in Paris. It was best known for its educational game, educational and adventure games. History Coktel Vision w ...

Development

It was the first game by

Muriel Tramis Muriel Tramis (born in 1958) is a French video game designer from Martinique. She is known as the first Black woman video game designer. She has written and directed the adventure games ''Méwilo'', ''Freedom: Rebels in the Darkness'', ''Geisha ( ...

who was designer and producer at Coktel Vision. It saw a new direction for the developer, which had previously released strategy games. Tramis "proposed to program a game that hethought totally original", which became ''Mewilo''. The head of the Coktel Vision, Roland Oskian, allowed her to develop her own story, and she began work in 1986. Collaborating with

Martiniquan Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

créolité ''Créolité'' is a literary movement first developed in the 1980s by the Martinican writers Patrick Chamoiseau, Jean Bernabé and Raphaël Confiant. They published ''Eloge de la créolité'' (In Praise of Creoleness) in 1989 as a response to the ...

writer

Patrick Chamoiseau Patrick Chamoiseau (born 3 December 1953) is a French author from Martinique known for his work in the créolité movement. His work spans a variety of forms and genres, including novels, essays, children's books, screenplays, theatre and comics. ...

the game was inspired by the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

legend of jars of gold. It was graphic designed by Philippe Truca. The software was accompanied by a short story by Chamoiseau.

Plot and gameplay

Set in the town of Saint-Pierre,

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

on May 7, 1902, the game takes place a day before Mount Pelée is set to erupt, causing catastrophic damage. The player is a parapsychologist called into town to investigate

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

sightings.

Release and aftermath

Tramis suggests that while the game was a failure in France, ''Mewilo'' performed better in Germany due to the country being "tinged with colonialism". For the 30th anniversary, Tramis created a crowdfunding campaign to create a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

Critical reception

''Atari Magazine'' praised the "excellent graphics, which can hardly be surpassed in terms of color and richness of detail"; it also highlighted the German localisation. ''

Joystick A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal cont ...

'' deemed it an "exciting and instructive adventure", highlighting themes of slavery and the social ills of the tropical plantations.

Aktueller Software Markt ''Aktueller Software Markt'' (literally ''Current Software Market''), commonly known by its acronym, ''ASM'', was a German multi-platform video game magazine that was published by Tronic-Verlag from 1986 until 1995. It was one of the first magazine ...

felt it was "very complex and extensive", and praised the "thought-out story' which "included the cultural and social background of ramis'home country". Additionally, the magazine wrote "Tramis understood how to create a captivating atmosphere through the interesting and realistic background of the story". ''Amstar Magazine'' thought the game was original in its subject and execution, far from the traditional adventures games containing monsters and dungeons. ''Am Magazine'' praised its "cultural dimension" which it felt was "rarely found among its colleagues in adventure games". ''Generation 4'' described it an "educational adventure game" and wished more games in this sub-genre would be released. ''Amiga News'' felt the software "leaves something to be desired", commenting that the "animation (for the rare times when there is some...) is sloppy and jerky". ''

Tilt Tilt may refer to: Music * Tilt (American band), a punk rock group, formed in 1992 * Tilt (British band), an electronic music group, formed in 1993 * Tilt (Polish band), a rock band, formed in 1979 Albums * ''Tilt'' (Cozy Powell album), 1981 * ...

'' wrote it offered a "real dive into the Caribbean soul, all at the same time complex, passionate, violent and irremediably marked by the claws of its history (slavery)".

Reviews

*'' Jeux & Stratégie'' #49

Awards and nominations

Tramis asserts that the city of Paris gave her a silver medal for the work.

References

{{Reflist 1987 video games Video games developed in France Video games set in 1902 Video games set in Martinique Adventure games