<s>
Faust	B-Language
,	O
known	O
as	O
Seven	B-Application
Games	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Soul	I-Application
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
is	O
1999	O
graphic	O
adventure	O
game	O
created	O
by	O
Arxel	O
Tribe	O
,	O
Anne	O
Carrière	O
Multimedia	O
and	O
Cryo	O
Interactive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loosely	O
inspired	O
by	O
Goethe	O
's	O
Faust	B-Language
,	O
it	O
tells	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Marcellus	O
Faust	B-Language
and	O
his	O
battle	O
of	O
wills	O
with	O
the	O
demon	O
Mephistopheles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Faust	B-Language
began	O
development	O
in	O
late	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Designed	O
primarily	O
as	O
a	O
cultural	O
object	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
game	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
Arxel	O
Tribe	O
's	O
second	O
project	O
derived	O
from	O
German	O
Romantic	O
literature	O
,	O
following	O
Ring	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arxel	O
drew	O
inspiration	O
from	O
the	O
many	O
interpretations	O
of	O
the	O
Faust	B-Language
legend	O
and	O
sought	O
to	O
create	O
its	O
own	O
version	O
for	O
modern	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Faust	B-Language
underwent	O
one	O
year	O
of	O
development	O
by	O
a	O
team	O
of	O
30	O
people	O
,	O
split	O
between	O
France	O
and	O
Slovenia	O
,	O
and	O
ultimately	O
cost	O
£	O
700,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
attracted	O
a	O
cult	O
fan	O
following	O
,	O
Faust	B-Language
was	O
a	O
major	O
commercial	O
flop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
generic	O
features	O
of	O
post-Myst	O
adventure	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
assumes	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
an	O
elderly	O
African	O
American	O
man	O
named	O
Marcellus	O
Faust	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
very	O
end	O
it	O
is	O
revealed	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
,	O
not	O
Mephistopheles	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
devil	O
;	O
Faust	B-Language
has	O
had	O
his	O
memory	O
wiped	O
so	O
he	O
can	O
look	O
over	O
these	O
cases	O
objectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arxel	O
Tribe	O
began	O
development	O
of	O
Faust	B-Language
in	O
late	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Faust	B-Language
was	O
devised	O
as	O
one	O
entry	O
in	O
Cryo	O
Interactive	O
's	O
series	O
of	O
literature	O
-	O
and	O
myth-based	O
titles	O
,	O
begun	O
by	O
the	O
company	O
after	O
its	O
success	O
with	O
Atlantis	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Lost	I-Application
Tales	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Faust	B-Language
co-writer	O
Béryl	O
Chanteux	O
likewise	O
argued	O
that	O
Arxel	O
's	O
goal	O
was	O
not	O
to	O
make	O
"	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
:	O
she	O
reported	O
that	O
Fausts	B-Language
"	O
cultural	O
content	O
"	O
was	O
its	O
driving	O
force	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Working	O
from	O
Johann	O
Wolfgang	O
von	O
Goethe	O
's	O
play	O
Faust	B-Language
,	O
Arxel	O
Tribe	O
continued	O
its	O
trend	O
of	O
adapting	O
the	O
literary	O
output	O
of	O
German	O
Romanticism	O
,	O
in	O
line	O
with	O
its	O
Richard	O
Wagner-inspired	O
Ring	B-Application
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
originality	O
was	O
a	O
main	O
goal	O
for	O
Faust	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Frédéric	O
Dufresne	O
of	O
Génération	O
4	O
noted	O
that	O
Arxel	O
opted	O
for	O
a	O
looser	O
style	O
of	O
adaptation	O
with	O
Faust	B-Language
than	O
it	O
had	O
with	O
Ring	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Carrière	O
said	O
that	O
Fausts	B-Language
structure	O
and	O
core	O
ideas	O
were	O
"	O
even	O
crazier	O
"	O
than	O
those	O
of	O
its	O
experimental	O
predecessor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Carrière	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
drew	O
influence	O
from	O
the	O
many	O
retellings	O
of	O
Faust	B-Language
's	O
story	O
,	O
including	O
Doctor	O
Faustus	O
by	O
Thomas	O
Mann	O
,	O
The	O
Master	O
and	O
Margarita	O
by	O
Mikhail	O
Bulgakov	O
and	O
The	O
Tragical	O
History	O
of	O
the	O
Life	O
and	O
Death	O
of	O
Doctor	O
Faustus	O
by	O
Christopher	O
Marlowe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Faust	B-Language
was	O
built	O
from	O
a	O
100-page	O
design	O
document	O
written	O
by	O
Carrière	O
,	O
which	O
outlined	O
the	O
environments	O
,	O
characters	O
and	O
available	O
actions	O
in	O
each	O
scene	O
throughout	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
February	O
1999	O
,	O
the	O
seven	O
episodes	O
of	O
Faust	B-Language
were	O
planned	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
installments	O
in	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
21	O
—	O
an	O
episodic	O
release	O
format	O
,	O
set	O
to	O
continue	O
after	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
launch	O
,	O
that	O
Carrière	O
called	O
"	O
a	O
new	O
approach	O
of	O
adventure	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
results	O
were	O
intended	O
for	O
an	O
adult	O
audience	O
:	O
Carrière	O
told	O
Libération	O
that	O
Faust	B-Language
was	O
written	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
a	O
transgressive	O
game	O
,	O
offbeat	O
and	O
ironic	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
role	O
of	O
Mephistopheles	O
,	O
portrayed	O
as	O
a	O
dandy	B-Application
,	O
was	O
intentionally	O
steeped	O
in	O
moral	O
relativism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
retrospect	O
,	O
de	O
Fondaumière	O
described	O
him	O
as	O
Fausts	B-Language
true	O
protagonist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Faust	B-Language
team	O
numbered	O
above	O
30	O
members	O
and	O
the	O
development	O
cycle	O
lasted	O
one	O
year	O
,	O
with	O
10	O
months	O
of	O
production	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arxel	O
Tribe	O
worked	O
with	O
the	O
CINview	O
engine	O
,	O
written	O
by	O
the	O
company	O
during	O
its	O
creation	O
of	O
Ring	B-Application
and	O
Pilgrim	B-Application
:	I-Application
Faith	I-Application
as	I-Application
a	I-Application
Weapon	I-Application
,	O
to	O
generate	O
Fausts	B-Language
rotatable	O
360°	O
panoramas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
character	O
in	O
Faust	B-Language
began	O
as	O
a	O
design	O
on	O
paper	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
then	O
developed	O
as	O
a	O
physical	O
sculpture	O
that	O
the	O
team	O
digitized	O
via	O
3D	B-Algorithm
scanning	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thereafter	O
,	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
animation	O
was	O
applied	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
final	O
budget	O
for	O
Faust	B-Language
totaled	O
6.2	O
FF	O
million	O
,	O
or	O
around	O
£	O
700,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Chanteux	O
,	O
Fausts	B-Language
expenses	O
were	O
raised	O
by	O
its	O
technology	O
and	O
licensed	O
music	O
,	O
the	O
latter	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
Universal	O
Music	O
Group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Featuring	O
what	O
The	O
Independent	O
called	O
"	O
a	O
cool	O
jazz	O
emphasis	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
Faust	B-Language
soundtrack	O
contains	O
recordings	O
by	O
Sarah	O
Vaughan	O
,	O
Mel	O
Tormé	O
and	O
Stan	O
Getz	O
,	O
among	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Faust	B-Language
first	O
launched	O
in	O
October	O
1999	O
,	O
on	O
four	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Faust	B-Language
was	O
retitled	O
Seven	B-Application
Games	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Soul	I-Application
and	O
published	O
by	O
DreamCatcher	O
Interactive	O
,	O
which	O
launched	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
November	O
17	O
,	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Faust	B-Language
failed	O
commercially	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Market	O
research	O
firm	O
PC	O
Data	O
estimated	O
Fausts	B-Language
North	O
American	O
retail	O
sales	O
during	O
2000	O
as	O
4,500	O
copies	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
4,429	O
derived	O
from	O
December	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
title	O
's	O
poor	O
sales	O
,	O
de	O
Fondaumière	O
was	O
nevertheless	O
pleased	O
with	O
Fausts	B-Language
critical	O
reception	O
,	O
and	O
he	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
drew	O
a	O
cult	O
fan	O
following	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metacritic	O
reported	O
that	O
Faust	B-Language
received	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
reviews	O
"	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
mirrored	O
this	O
view	O
,	O
commenting	O
"	O
The	O
box	O
for	O
Seven	B-Application
Games	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Soul	I-Application
promises	O
a	O
game	O
rich	O
with	O
story	O
and	O
immerse	O
atmosphere	O
an	O
adventure	O
that	O
simply	O
oozes	O
inexplicable	O
style	O
and	O
vivid	O
imagery	O
through	O
exotic	O
locations	O
,	O
dark	O
mystery	O
and	O
quirky	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
editors	O
of	O
Eurogamer	O
nominated	O
Faust	B-Language
for	O
their	O
Gaming	O
Globes	O
2000	O
awards	O
in	O
four	O
categories	O
:	O
"	O
Cinematography	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
Adapted	O
Storyline	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
Male	O
Lead	O
Character	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Male	O
Supporting	O
Character	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mephistopheles	O
ultimately	O
won	O
the	O
editors	O
 '	O
choice	O
in	O
the	O
final	O
category	O
;	O
the	O
other	O
awards	O
went	O
variously	O
to	O
Outcast	B-Application
,	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VIII	I-Application
and	O
Indiana	B-Application
Jones	I-Application
and	I-Application
the	I-Application
Infernal	I-Application
Machine	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Russia	O
,	O
Game.EXE	O
named	O
Faust	B-Language
the	O
best-localized	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
,	O
praising	O
Nival	O
's	O
"	O
fanatical	O
professionalism	O
"	O
compared	O
to	O
other	O
Russian	O
game	O
translators	O
 '	O
loose	O
and	O
informal	O
work	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game.EXEs	O
editors	O
also	O
presented	O
Faust	B-Language
with	O
their	O
"	O
Best	O
Scenario	O
"	O
award	O
,	O
which	O
it	O
shared	O
with	O
four	O
other	O
titles	O
,	O
including	O
The	B-Application
Longest	I-Application
Journey	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
first	O
years	O
after	O
Fausts	B-Language
release	O
,	O
Eurogamer	O
's	O
John	O
Bye	O
recalled	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
adventure	O
games	O
of	O
1999	O
"	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
truly	O
excellent	O
"	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2001	O
,	O
Guillaume	O
de	O
Fondaumière	O
retrospectively	O
told	O
Game.EXE	O
that	O
Faust	B-Language
was	O
"	O
very	O
dear	O
to	O
all	O
of	O
us	O
"	O
at	O
Arxel	O
Tribe	O
,	O
despite	O
its	O
commercial	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
site	O
's	O
staff	O
lauded	O
Fausts	B-Language
uniqueness	O
and	O
depth	O
,	O
and	O
singled	O
out	O
its	O
soundtrack	O
for	O
praise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
John	O
Walker	O
offered	O
a	O
less	O
positive	O
lookback	O
at	O
Faust	B-Language
,	O
as	O
he	O
disliked	O
Cryo	O
Interactive	O
's	O
entire	O
catalogue	O
of	O
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nevertheless	O
,	O
he	O
argued	O
that	O
Faust	B-Language
was	O
somewhat	O
superior	O
to	O
Cryo	O
's	O
and	O
Arxel	O
Tribe	O
's	O
other	O
output	O
,	O
and	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
not	O
all	O
that	O
dreadful.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Faust	B-Language
was	O
one	O
of	O
many	O
pop	O
culture	O
interpretations	O
of	O
its	O
source	O
material	O
during	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
board	O
game	O
(	O
Doctor	O
Faust	B-Language
)	O
designed	O
by	O
Reinhold	O
Wittig	O
and	O
"	O
all	O
manner	O
of	O
musical	O
Faust	B-Language
adaptations	O
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
writer	O
J	O
.	O
M	O
.	O
van	O
der	O
Laan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
grouped	O
Arxel	O
Tribe	O
's	O
Faust	B-Language
with	O
other	O
work	O
that	O
used	O
Goethe	O
's	O
play	O
as	O
"	O
window-dressing	O
for	O
mindless	O
entertainments	O
or	O
marketing	O
products	O
such	O
as	O
lipstick	O
,	O
shampoo	O
,	O
cigars	O
,	O
even	O
beer.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Author	O
Edwin	O
Gentzler	O
called	O
Arxel	O
's	O
project	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
trend	O
in	O
games	O
and	O
comics	O
that	O
focused	O
on	O
the	O
play	O
's	O
"	O
theme	O
of	O
the	O
competition	O
between	O
God	O
and	O
the	O
Devil	O
for	O
Faust	B-Language
's	O
soul.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
Faust	B-Language
legend	O
's	O
prominence	O
in	O
games	O
like	O
Faust	B-Language
led	O
to	O
its	O
being	O
"	O
culturally	O
ingrained	O
at	O
a	O
young	O
age	O
"	O
,	O
among	O
players	O
who	O
otherwise	O
had	O
no	O
knowledge	O
of	O
Goethe	O
's	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
