Unearthed announced from Saudi studio Semaphore
If you cannot wait for a new Uncharted game, perhaps the rather shameless but neat-looking Unearthed: Trail of Ibn Buttuta will slake your thirst.
According to the developer's website, Unearthed will release on Mac, PC and PlayStation 3 as well as Android and iDevice, while the game's website itself suggests an episodic release format.
The plot sees treasure hunter Faris Jawad travelling through the Atlas mountains in Morocco, Damascus, Alexandria and Dubai, on the trail of 12th Century explorer Ibn Battuta, while facing off against "an unholy alliance of a militia army leader, a weapons dealer and a wealthy antiquities smuggler".
The game also features a multiplayer component - but it's a browser-based social game, currently available on Facebook and due on MySpace et al soon.
Check out a trailer below; there's more, including early gameplay footage, on RipTen. No release date as yet beyond "this season".
This actually seems kind of cool - I mean, it's obviously extremely derivative, but how many games include positive portrayals of Islamic characters and culture? For that matter, how many major console games are developed in Saudi Arabia?
Thanks, Kotaku.
