The Gentleman PC

Published on PC, The Gentleman is a narrative musical game with arcade elements. The title is developed by Danish Cape Copenhagen responsible for e.g. an arcade shooter Chase Ace and DIG IT! A Digger Simulator. The Gentleman is mostly inspired by the golden era of Hollywood musicals and works of such artists as Fred Astaire, Buster Keaton, and Charlie Chaplin. The title was noticed by DFI Spilordningen, a Danish film institute which co-founded the production.

Plot

The title is set during the Great Depression (1929–1933). It tells a story of the titular gentleman Fred and Lisa, the daughter of a powerful entrepreneur. The lovers are in trouble, as Fred is merely a street performer, and Lisa’s Father - Johnathan Joseph Price the Third – would never have his daughter marry a man of such a low social class. By marrying Lisa with someone of higher social rank, Johnathan hopes to get himself a coat of arms which would help him to establish close relations with the Royal family.

Due to a set of coincidences, Fred finds himself in the middle of the preparation of the wedding between Lisa and the count. The street performer learns about his impure intentions towards Lisa, her family, and Fred himself, whom he plans to eliminate with cold blood. The young gentleman needs to stop the wedding.

Mechanics

The production from Cape Copenhagen features an arcade gameplay model with the QTE (Quick Time Events) mechanics playing a key role. Gameplay consists in reacting to popping up prompts with instructions concerning pressing either the correct button or going the right direction. If you succeed in doing that, the hero goes forward to the rhythm of the music and interacts with the environment: Fred dances with passers-by, around street lamps, and even with inanimate objects, like waste bins and banners, which come to life.

Technical aspects

The Gentleman for PC features jolly and colourful visuals. However, it is the jazz soundtrack that plays the first fiddle.

Last updated on 15 March 2017