Amazon has announced an exciting new interactive game for Amazon Echo owners. But these aren’t the usual Alexa-activated affairs we’ve previously seen from the hugely-successful smart speaker, this is something much more prestigious. Amazon has called upon audiobook firm Audible to produce an interactive spoken-word drama for its Echo smart speaker based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s celebrated fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Since Amazon owns Audible, it cannot have been particularly tough to negotiate this exclusive deal.
However, the exclusivity does mean you won’t be able to play along if you’ve kitted out your home with Google Home speakers and smart displays.
Dubbed Sherlock Holmes: The Great Game, the interactive Alexa mystery was produced at Audible’s Grammy award-winning studios. According to Amazon, “The Great Game blends rich sound-design and an original score with best-in-class performances from Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Dr Strange, Justice League) and a full-cast.”
When you kickstart the adventure, you’ll be able to shape the investigation by selecting one of a number of multiple choice options at key moments in the story. These decisions will guide the narrative to one of 61 possible endings – only two of which see the story through to its final conclusion. So, there’s plenty of opportunities to replay to find out what else could’ve happened.
Those who manage to crack The Great Game along with chatty AI assistant Alexa will reveal a hidden backstory for another new Audible original drama, dubbed Sherlock Holmes: The Voice Of Treason. Finish the interactive adventure on your Amazon Echo and you’ll unearth new character details, histories and additional clues not available in The Voice Of Treason, Amazon promises.
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Though both are self-contained stories, played together with the Alexa skill and companion Audible Original drama create 10 hours of immersive mystery-solving entertainment, dear Watson. Speaking about the all-new adventures, George Mann, co-writer of The Great Game, said: “It was a brain-twisting joy to plot this fiendish new puzzle for Sherlock Holmes, and anyone who completes the game will get a little insight into what it must be like to take part in one of Holmes and Watson’s adventures, as well as glimpsing the beginning of the bigger tale yet to come…”
Cavan Scott, The Great Game co-writer, said: “Playing the game adds context to the adventure we see in The Voice of Treason. It introduces us to the world that Holmes and Watson find themselves, while also being a thrill-a-minute ride in itself, packed with intrigue, peril and plenty of explosive action. Plus, players might uncover some hints about characters and events to come.”
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Sherlock Holmes: The Voice Of Treason is available to download now at audible.co.uk. If you subscribe to the monthly audiobook plan, it’ll cost you one credit. If you’re not a member of the service, you’ll have to cough-up £19.99 for the adventure. You can also enjoy the Sherlock Holmes mystery free as part of your Audible 30-day trial.
Scott Coope, Alexa Skills Director at Audible UK, said: “The Great Game sets a new standard among Alexa skills for interactive storytelling.
“It’s been produced with the same award-winning attention to detail and narrative craft that we use for our audiobooks, dramas and podcasts. This exciting new format puts listeners in control – their decisions will shape the outcome of the story and put their critical thinking to the test.”
Meanwhile, the interactive Alexa-driven mystery Sherlock Holmes: The Great Game is free for Audible members and non-members alike.
To get started just say “Alexa, start the Great Game” on Alexa enabled devices or through the free Alexa App from the Android Play or iOS App Store.
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