''J.U.L.I.A.'' is a 2012

indie video game An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large Video game publisher, game publisher, in contrast to most AAA ...

developed by CBE Software. It is an adventure game with a heavy emphasis on puzzles,

mini-games A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...

and menu-based interfaces. The game is set in 2430 when a scientific expedition is sent to a distant star system.

Story

The game centers on three characters –

Astrobiologist Astrobiology, and the related field of exobiology, is an interdisciplinary scientific field that studies the origins, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Astrobiology is the multidisciplinary field that inves ...

Rachel Manners, the ship's artificially intelligent computer J.U.L.I.A. and a remote-controlled landing craft MOBOT. Rachel is awakened by J.U.L.I.A. from cryogenic sleep and finds out that other members of the expedition are dead. She starts to investigate what happened. It takes her all over the solar system. She is helped by MOBOT who provides an exploration on

planet A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...

s and by J.U.L.I.A. who helps her with multiple puzzles.

Reception

The game received mixed reviews from critics who praised the story, puzzles, graphics and music, but criticized its gameplay, which many found boring. The game earned two Aggie Awards nominations in 2012. It was nominated in category for the best character (for character of MOBOT) and the best gameplay. It won neither.

Related games

A spin-off game, ''J.U.L.I.A. Untold'', was later released. The game starts with discovering a partially destroyed backup database. Developers later started to work on '' J.U.L.I.A. Among the Stars''. It was originally planned to be the Enhanced Edition of the game but thanks to success on Indiegogo, it became a remake with much different gameplay and story. The release date was 12 October 2014.

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

CBE Software site
2012 video games Adventure games CBE Software games Indie games Linux games MacOS games Puzzle video games Science fiction video games Single-player video games Video games developed in the Czech Republic Video games featuring female protagonists Windows games