<s>
Blacksad	B-Application
:	I-Application
Under	I-Application
the	I-Application
Skin	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2019	O
adventure	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
Spanish	O
company	O
Pendulo	O
Studios	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Microïds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
an	O
adaptation	O
of	O
the	O
Spanish	O
comic	O
series	O
Blacksad	B-Application
by	O
Juan	O
Díaz	O
Canales	O
and	O
Juanjo	O
Guarnido	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
follows	O
John	O
Blacksad	B-Application
as	O
he	O
investigates	O
the	O
suspicious	O
death	O
of	O
a	O
boxing	O
club	O
owner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blacksad	B-Application
is	O
Pendulo	O
's	O
first	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
license	O
and	O
its	O
first	O
to	O
use	O
fully	O
3D	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
project	O
began	O
in	O
late	O
2016	O
at	O
the	O
suggestion	O
of	O
Microïds	O
,	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
media	O
conglomerate	O
that	O
owns	O
Blacksad	B-Application
publisher	O
Dargaud	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
port	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
10	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blacksad	B-Application
:	I-Application
Under	I-Application
the	I-Application
Skin	I-Application
is	O
an	O
adventure	O
game	O
that	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
a	O
three-dimensional	O
game	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
gameplay	O
has	O
been	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
work	O
of	O
Telltale	O
Games	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Team	O
Bondi	O
's	O
L.A.	B-Application
Noire	I-Application
and	O
Frogwares	O
 '	O
Sherlock	B-Application
Holmes	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Devil	I-Application
's	I-Application
Daughter	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blacksad	B-Application
does	O
not	O
feature	O
an	O
inventory	O
,	O
and	O
,	O
unlike	O
in	O
Pendulo	O
Studios	O
 '	O
past	O
games	O
,	O
it	O
forgoes	O
a	O
point-and-click	O
interface	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
direct	O
character	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blacksad	B-Application
features	O
quick-time	O
events	O
,	O
timed	O
conversation	O
sequences	O
and	O
scenes	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
search	O
for	O
clues	O
in	O
the	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
investigations	O
,	O
John	O
Blacksad	B-Application
's	O
heightened	O
feline	O
senses	O
allow	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
slow	O
down	O
time	O
and	O
perceive	O
visual	O
clues	O
in	O
their	O
surroundings	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
then	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
clue	O
index	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blacksad	B-Application
:	I-Application
Under	I-Application
the	I-Application
Skin	I-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
during	O
the	O
1950s	O
,	O
and	O
takes	O
place	O
chronologically	O
between	O
Blacksad	B-Application
:	O
Arctic	O
Nation	O
and	O
Red	O
Soul	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
story	O
begins	O
when	O
protagonist	O
John	O
Blacksad	B-Application
is	O
approached	O
by	O
Sonia	O
Dunn	O
,	O
daughter	O
of	O
a	O
boxing	O
club	O
owner	O
who	O
has	O
died	O
suspiciously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
asks	O
Blacksad	B-Application
to	O
investigate	O
the	O
situation	O
and	O
locate	O
the	O
club	O
's	O
star	O
fighter	O
,	O
who	O
has	O
been	O
missing	O
since	O
her	O
father	O
's	O
death	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Pendulo	O
Studios	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
contains	O
30	O
unique	O
characters	O
and	O
five	O
previously	O
from	O
the	O
Blacksad	B-Application
comic	O
series	O
:	O
John	O
Blacksad	B-Application
,	O
Commissioner	O
Smirnov	O
,	O
Jake	O
Ostiombe	O
,	O
Paulie	O
and	O
Weekly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blacksad	B-Application
:	I-Application
Under	I-Application
the	I-Application
Skin	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
Spanish	O
company	O
Pendulo	O
Studios	O
,	O
the	O
country	O
's	O
longest-running	O
game	O
developer	O
by	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
had	O
previously	O
been	O
responsible	O
for	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Runaway	B-Application
and	O
Hollywood	B-Application
Monsters	I-Application
franchises	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
YS	O
Interactive	O
initially	O
assisted	O
the	O
team	O
on	O
Blacksad	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Pendulo	O
,	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
adapting	O
the	O
Blacksad	B-Application
comic	O
series	O
into	O
a	O
game	O
was	O
first	O
proposed	O
by	O
Pendulo	O
's	O
publisher	O
Microïds	O
,	O
directly	O
after	O
the	O
two	O
companies	O
had	O
completed	O
Yesterday	B-Application
Origins	I-Application
in	O
November	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microïds	O
was	O
owned	O
by	O
the	O
same	O
media	O
conglomerate	O
as	O
Blacksad	B-Application
publisher	O
Dargaud	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Pendulo	O
had	O
never	O
worked	O
with	O
a	O
license	O
before	O
,	O
the	O
developer	O
's	O
Josué	O
Monchán	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
team	O
had	O
"	O
been	O
Blacksad	B-Application
fans	O
for	O
a	O
long	O
time	O
"	O
and	O
agreed	O
to	O
the	O
idea	O
immediately	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
then	O
storyboarded	O
a	O
pitch	O
and	O
submitted	O
it	O
to	O
Dargaud	O
and	O
Blacksads	B-Application
authors	O
,	O
who	O
approved	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pendulo	O
collaborated	O
with	O
Blacksad	B-Application
creators	O
Juan	O
Díaz	O
Canales	O
and	O
Juanjo	O
Guarnido	O
on	O
Under	O
the	O
Skin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guarnido	O
expressed	O
his	O
desire	O
for	O
accuracy	O
to	O
the	O
Blacksad	B-Application
comic	O
's	O
aesthetic	O
,	O
and	O
Monchán	O
called	O
his	O
help	O
and	O
approval	O
"	O
fundamental	O
"	O
to	O
the	O
team	O
's	O
efforts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blacksads	B-Application
authors	O
also	O
offered	O
input	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
voice	O
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Canales	O
requested	O
a	O
deep	O
voice	O
for	O
John	O
Blacksad	B-Application
because	O
of	O
the	O
character	O
's	O
heavy	O
smoking	O
;	O
the	O
team	O
hired	O
Barry	O
Johnson	O
of	O
Detroit	B-General_Concept
:	I-General_Concept
Become	I-General_Concept
Human	I-General_Concept
for	O
the	O
English	O
version	O
,	O
and	O
Gabriel	O
Jiménez	O
—	O
voice	O
of	O
Hugh	O
Jackman	O
in	O
Spanish	O
film	O
dubs	O
—	O
for	O
the	O
Spanish	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
help	O
from	O
the	O
comic	O
's	O
authors	O
,	O
Pendulo	O
opted	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
original	O
story	O
not	O
based	O
on	O
any	O
particular	O
Blacksad	B-Application
installment	O
,	O
but	O
which	O
still	O
takes	O
influence	O
and	O
inspiration	O
from	O
the	O
existing	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blacksad	B-Application
was	O
Pendulo	O
's	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
use	O
fully	O
3D	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pendulo	O
was	O
similarly	O
challenged	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
design	O
:	O
Pinilla	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
team	O
sought	O
to	O
recreate	O
the	O
feeling	O
of	O
the	O
Blacksad	B-Application
comics	O
in	O
an	O
interactive	O
form	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
"	O
find	O
the	O
mechanics	O
that	O
make	O
you	O
feel	O
like	O
[	O
you	O
are ]	O
investigating	O
something	O
"	O
rather	O
than	O
simply	O
observing	O
an	O
investigation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Blacksad	B-Application
's	O
heightened	O
feline	O
senses	O
were	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
make	O
Under	O
the	O
Skins	O
detective	O
work	O
unique	O
to	O
the	O
Blacksad	B-Application
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Easter	O
eggs	O
that	O
reference	O
the	O
Blacksad	B-Application
books	O
were	O
included	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
direct	O
control	O
scheme	O
replaced	O
traditional	O
point-and-click	O
controls	O
because	O
the	O
team	O
wanted	O
Under	O
the	O
Skin	O
to	O
suit	O
game	O
consoles	O
,	O
a	O
concern	O
that	O
started	O
during	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
Yesterday	B-Application
Origins	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
Blacksad	B-Application
was	O
given	O
a	O
release	O
date	O
of	O
September	O
26	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mundo	O
Deportivo	O
reported	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
that	O
Blacksad	B-Application
was	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
final	O
phase	O
of	O
development	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
game	O
received	O
a	O
subsequent	O
delay	O
to	O
November	O
14	O
,	O
its	O
European	O
Xbox	B-Device
Marketplace	O
and	O
PlayStation	O
Store	O
versions	O
nevertheless	O
appeared	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
technical	O
error	O
on	O
November	O
5	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
2018	O
,	O
MeriStation	O
placed	O
Blacksad	B-Application
:	I-Application
Under	I-Application
the	I-Application
Skin	I-Application
among	O
the	O
year	O
's	O
"	O
10	O
most	O
promising	O
"	O
adventure	O
games	O
,	O
while	O
La	O
Vanguardia	O
and	O
VidaExtra	O
listed	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
debut	O
trailer	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
to	O
appear	O
at	O
Gamescom	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Laura	O
Cress	O
of	O
Adventure	O
Gamers	O
,	O
Blacksads	B-Application
display	O
at	O
Gamescom	O
2019	O
was	O
"	O
a	O
popular	O
draw	O
at	O
the	O
annual	O
Adventure-Treff	O
party	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
netted	O
a	O
"	O
Best	O
Action	O
Adventure	O
Game	O
"	O
prize	O
in	O
the	O
annual	O
Gamescom	O
Awards	O
;	O
The	O
Hollywood	O
Reporter	O
cited	O
it	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
few	O
non-sequels	O
to	O
win	O
an	O
award	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
alongside	O
Sony	O
's	O
Concrete	B-Application
Genie	I-Application
and	O
Dreams	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blacksad	B-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
from	O
Metacritic	O
across	O
the	O
various	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Luke	O
Kemp	O
of	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
docked	O
Blacksad	B-Application
:	I-Application
Under	I-Application
the	I-Application
Skin	I-Application
points	O
for	O
being	O
"	O
unaware	O
of	O
its	O
absurdity	O
"	O
,	O
arguing	O
that	O
its	O
combination	O
of	O
animal	O
characters	O
with	O
realistic	O
and	O
sexual	O
imagery	O
undermined	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
serious	O
tone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
he	O
praised	O
its	O
storytelling	O
,	O
atmosphere	O
and	O
faithful	O
adaptation	O
of	O
the	O
Blacksad	B-Application
comics	O
,	O
he	O
found	O
its	O
quick-time	O
events	O
flawed	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
general	O
unpolished	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reviewer	O
for	O
Jeuxvideo.com	O
similarly	O
lauded	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
story	O
,	O
writing	O
and	O
faithfulness	O
to	O
the	O
Blacksad	B-Application
comics	O
,	O
and	O
added	O
praise	O
for	O
its	O
music	O
and	O
puzzles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
she	O
lambasted	O
its	O
"	O
amazing	O
palette	O
of	O
technical	O
flaws	O
and	O
bugs	O
"	O
and	O
found	O
fault	O
with	O
its	O
reliance	O
on	O
backtracking	B-Algorithm
and	O
the	O
"	O
illusion	O
of	O
choice	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
summarized	O
,	O
"	O
Blacksad	B-Application
has	O
technical	O
and	O
gameplay	O
weaknesses	O
,	O
but	O
delivers	O
a	O
gripping	O
adventure	O
story	O
full	O
of	O
interesting	O
characters.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
more	O
positive	O
review	O
,	O
Maja	O
Verfondem	O
of	O
4Players	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
Blacksad	B-Application
is	O
—	O
after	O
the	O
installation	O
of	O
the	O
Day	O
One	O
patch	O
—	O
my	O
adventure	O
highlight	O
of	O
2019	O
,	O
which	O
makes	O
you	O
want	O
to	O
read	O
the	O
comics	O
again.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2020	O
,	O
Pendulo	O
reported	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
impact	O
 [ Blacksad ] 	O
has	O
had	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
has	O
been	O
much	O
greater	O
"	O
than	O
Pendulo	O
's	O
other	O
recent	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
