<s>
Amerzone	B-Application
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
Amerzone	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Explorer	I-Application
's	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
first-person	O
fantasy	O
graphic	O
adventure	O
game	O
published	O
by	O
Microïds	O
and	O
designed	O
by	O
Benoît	O
Sokal	O
,	O
who	O
based	O
it	O
on	O
his	O
1986	O
Inspector	O
Canardo	O
comic	O
strip	O
L'Amerzone	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amerzone	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
the	O
classic	B-Application
Mac	I-Application
OS	I-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
in	O
1999	O
,	O
and	O
re-released	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
in	O
2014	O
by	O
Anuman	O
Interactive	O
,	O
whom	O
had	O
bought	O
out	O
Microïds	O
in	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
comic	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
tells	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
a	O
French	O
explorer	O
,	O
Alexandre	O
Valembois	O
,	O
who	O
goes	O
on	O
an	O
expedition	O
to	O
the	O
mysterious	O
South	O
American	O
country	O
of	O
Amerzone	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
become	O
threatened	O
when	O
a	O
friend	O
of	O
Valembois	O
turns	O
Amerzone	B-Application
into	O
a	O
brutal	O
dictatorship	O
,	O
and	O
Valembois	O
endeavors	O
to	O
rescue	O
the	O
endangered	O
species	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amerzone	B-Application
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reception	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
setting	O
became	O
the	O
foundation	O
of	O
Sokal	O
's	O
Syberia	B-Application
series	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
the	O
namesake	O
for	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
development	O
company	O
he	O
co-founded	O
White	O
Birds	O
Productions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
world	O
of	O
Amerzone	B-Application
interweaves	O
fact	O
and	O
fiction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Amerzone	B-Application
"	O
itself	O
is	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
a	O
fictional	O
region	O
in	O
South	O
America	O
and	O
the	O
great	O
river	O
that	O
runs	O
through	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
lush	O
tropical	O
rainforest	O
in	O
the	O
Amerzone	B-Application
,	O
suggest	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
real-life	O
Amazon	O
rainforest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
veers	O
further	O
into	O
the	O
realm	O
of	O
fantasy	O
once	O
the	O
player	O
enters	O
Amerzone	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Animals	O
in	O
the	O
Amerzone	B-Application
tend	O
to	O
resemble	O
real-life	O
animals	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
bizarre	O
flourishes	O
:	O
the	O
ventousier	O
resembles	O
a	O
shrew	O
,	O
but	O
its	O
snout	O
branches	O
off	O
into	O
sucker-bearing	O
arms	O
;	O
the	O
rhinopotamus	O
is	O
cross	O
between	O
a	O
rhinoceros	B-Algorithm
and	O
hippopotamus	O
;	O
the	O
web-footed	O
giraffe	O
navigates	O
the	O
marshlands	O
with	O
its	O
webbed	O
feet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Has	O
virtually	O
no	O
identity	O
:	O
all	O
that	O
is	O
known	O
is	O
they	O
were	O
assigned	O
by	O
their	O
employer	O
,	O
Mondial	O
Magazine	O
,	O
to	O
interview	O
Valembois	O
about	O
the	O
Amerzone	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fascinated	O
by	O
the	O
biology	O
of	O
Amerzone	B-Application
,	O
he	O
goes	O
on	O
a	O
scientific	O
expedition	O
there	O
from	O
1932	O
to	O
1934	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
meets	O
him	O
in	O
1998	O
,	O
he	O
is	O
exhausted	O
and	O
tormented	O
by	O
his	O
past	O
mistakes	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
only	O
think	O
of	O
returning	O
the	O
egg	O
to	O
Amerzone	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Antonio	O
Alvarez	O
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
Marc	O
Moro	O
)	O
:	O
An	O
Amerzone	B-Application
native	O
who	O
befriends	O
Valembois	O
in	O
1929	O
while	O
studying	O
law	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
David	O
Mackowski	O
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
Luc	O
Gentil	O
)	O
:	O
A	O
Jesuit	O
who	O
also	O
accompanies	O
Valembois	O
to	O
Amerzone	B-Application
,	O
being	O
equally	O
fascinated	O
by	O
the	O
place	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unwisely	O
attempts	O
to	O
convert	O
the	O
Amerzone	B-Application
natives	O
to	O
Catholicism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Valembois	O
,	O
by	O
1998	O
he	O
is	O
filled	O
with	O
regret	O
and	O
sadness	O
over	O
his	O
mistakes	O
and	O
what	O
has	O
become	O
of	O
Amerzone	B-Application
under	O
Alvarez	O
's	O
rule	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alexandre	O
Valembois	O
,	O
a	O
zoology	O
buff	O
fascinated	O
by	O
Amerzone	B-Application
,	O
lobbies	O
the	O
National	O
Museum	O
of	O
Natural	O
History	O
in	O
Paris	O
to	O
fund	O
an	O
expedition	O
to	O
discover	O
the	O
exotic	O
flora	O
and	O
fauna	O
mentioned	O
by	O
Antonio	O
Alvarez	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valembois	O
,	O
Alvarez	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Jesuit	O
David	O
Mackowski	O
set	O
out	O
on	O
October	O
22	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
finding	O
their	O
way	O
by	O
following	O
the	O
migrating	O
Amerzone	B-Application
geese	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
set	O
foot	O
in	O
Amerzone	B-Application
on	O
Christmas	O
Day	O
,	O
and	O
make	O
their	O
way	O
to	O
the	O
former	O
trading	O
post	O
of	O
Puebla	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
hires	O
Angel	O
as	O
a	O
guide	O
and	O
rows	O
up	O
the	O
Amerzone	B-Application
River	O
,	O
going	O
it	O
alone	O
after	O
Angel	O
abandons	O
him	O
on	O
February	O
18	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meanwhile	O
,	O
Alvarez	O
has	O
seized	O
power	O
in	O
Amerzone	B-Application
and	O
turned	O
the	O
country	O
into	O
a	O
despotic	O
dictatorship	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
ties	O
to	O
the	O
Museum	O
now	O
severed	O
,	O
Valembois	O
independently	O
builds	O
a	O
new	O
Hydraflot	O
with	O
which	O
to	O
return	O
to	O
Amerzone	B-Application
with	O
the	O
egg	O
,	O
but	O
comes	O
to	O
realize	O
that	O
he	O
is	O
too	O
old	O
and	O
weak	O
for	O
the	O
journey	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
old	O
man	O
confesses	O
that	O
he	O
is	O
dying	O
,	O
and	O
beseeches	O
the	O
journalist	O
to	O
travel	O
to	O
Amerzone	B-Application
with	O
the	O
egg	O
and	O
safeguard	O
the	O
White	O
Birds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
vehicle	O
now	O
uses	O
programs	O
on	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
to	O
switch	O
between	O
different	O
configurations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
leaves	O
to	O
the	O
journalist	O
his	O
old	O
expedition	O
journal	O
,	O
containing	O
all	O
his	O
observations	O
on	O
Amerzone	B-Application
wildlife	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
candid	O
letter	O
detailing	O
his	O
experiences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
journalist	O
manages	O
to	O
free	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
finds	O
a	O
disk	O
that	O
turns	O
the	O
Hydraflot	O
into	O
a	O
helicopter	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
journalist	O
manages	O
to	O
escape	O
,	O
fuels	O
up	O
and	O
locates	O
a	O
disk	O
which	O
lets	O
him	O
go	O
up	O
the	O
Amerzone	B-Application
river	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amerzone	B-Application
plays	O
like	O
a	O
typical	O
first-person	O
point-and-click	O
adventure	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
a	O
resource	O
management	O
component	O
in	O
the	O
Hydroflot	O
:	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
constantly	O
be	O
on	O
the	O
lookout	O
for	O
fuel	O
and	O
floppy	B-Device
disks	I-Device
required	O
to	O
keep	O
the	O
vehicle	O
running	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
use	O
touchscreens	B-Device
for	O
input	O
,	O
the	O
controls	O
were	O
redesigned	O
:	O
objects	O
are	O
highlighted	O
with	O
clickable	O
icons	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
camera	O
can	O
be	O
controlled	O
by	O
tilting	O
the	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
advent	O
of	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
,	O
which	O
could	O
store	O
hundreds	O
of	O
times	O
more	O
data	O
than	O
then-ubiquitous	O
floppy	B-Device
disks	I-Device
,	O
Sokal	O
was	O
inspired	O
in	O
1995	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
multimedia	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
containing	O
2D	O
and	O
3D	O
art	O
which	O
would	O
add	O
up	O
to	O
a	O
cohesive	O
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sokal	O
and	O
Duquesne	O
began	O
planning	O
a	O
full-fledged	O
video	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
Sokal	O
decided	O
to	O
base	O
on	O
his	O
comic	O
book	O
L'Amerzone	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
credits	O
Myst	B-Application
as	O
his	O
inspiration	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
cites	O
Werner	O
Herzog	O
films	O
like	O
Fitzcarraldo	O
and	O
the	O
writings	O
of	O
Gabriel	O
García	O
Márquez	O
as	O
influences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
is	O
quoted	O
especially	O
as	O
saying	O
"	O
Myst	B-Application
is	I-Application
really	O
the	O
game	O
that	O
made	O
me	O
want	O
to	O
make	O
Amerzone	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
began	O
producing	O
artwork	O
in	O
1996	O
,	O
using	O
LightWave	B-Device
3D	I-Device
for	O
character	O
and	O
object	O
models	O
,	O
and	O
Bryce	B-Application
3D	I-Application
for	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1998	O
,	O
Duquesne	O
left	O
to	O
pursue	O
a	O
career	O
at	O
LightWave	B-Device
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
and	O
Sokal	O
called	O
on	O
the	O
Belgian	O
company	O
Grid	O
Animation	O
to	O
produce	O
cutscenes	O
and	O
do	O
further	O
graphics	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
JATV	O
,	O
he	O
was	O
quoted	O
as	O
saying	O
:	O
"	O
I	O
recall	O
that	O
 [ for ] 	O
the	O
first	O
chapters	O
of	O
Amerzone	B-Application
,	O
I	O
modeled	O
everything	O
because	O
I	O
wanted	O
to	O
be	O
on	O
top	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
impossible	O
of	O
course	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amerzone	B-Application
underwent	O
several	O
changes	O
in	O
direction	O
as	O
some	O
design	O
ideas	O
proved	O
impractical	O
or	O
unappealing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Anuman	O
interactive	O
started	O
work	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
ports	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
November	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amerzone	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
France	O
on	O
4	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
for	O
Windows	O
on	O
March	O
18	O
,	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
ports	O
followed	O
in	O
September	O
and	O
December	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
December	O
also	O
saw	O
the	O
DVD-ROM	O
rerelease	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
cutscenes	O
were	O
in	O
MPEG2	B-Algorithm
format	O
instead	O
of	O
Smacker	B-Algorithm
video	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
official	O
strategy	O
guide	O
,	O
Amerzone	B-Application
:	O
Strategies	O
&	O
Secrets	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
June	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
a	O
walkthrough	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
it	O
contains	O
a	O
guide	O
to	O
the	O
Amerzone	B-Application
universe	O
,	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
Sokal	O
and	O
some	O
behind-the-scenes	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
book	O
,	O
Amerzone	B-Application
:	O
Memoirs	O
of	O
an	O
Expedition	O
,	O
was	O
put	O
out	O
by	O
Casterman	O
in	O
November	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
29	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
port	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
identical	O
to	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amerzone	B-Application
was	O
a	O
surprise	O
commercial	O
success	O
;	O
GameSpot	O
UK	O
noted	O
in	O
June	O
1999	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
become	O
a	O
"	O
big	O
hit	O
in	O
France	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
,	O
Michel	O
Bams	O
of	O
Sokal	O
's	O
White	O
Birds	O
Productions	O
reported	O
that	O
Amerzone	B-Application
had	O
risen	O
above	O
1	O
million	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
presentation	O
was	O
ubiquitously	O
praised	O
:	O
the	O
visuals	O
were	O
called	O
"	O
magnificent	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
amazing	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
frequently	O
compared	O
to	O
those	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
although	O
some	O
complained	O
of	O
excessive	O
pixelation	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amerzone	B-Application
won	O
the	O
Pixel-INA	O
prize	O
for	O
games	O
at	O
the	O
1999	O
Imagina	O
festival	O
in	O
Monaco	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amerzone	B-Application
is	O
occasionally	O
referenced	O
in	O
his	O
later	O
games	O
,	O
most	O
notably	O
the	O
Syberia	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amerzone	B-Application
is	O
collected	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
Syberia	B-Application
installments	O
as	O
the	O
Syberia	B-Application
Collection	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
