Release date Russia: February 16, 2009

Last year Akella had announced two mystery crime solving adventure games based on the novels of Daria Dontsova. Just before the first announced game - featuring protagonist Evlampia Romanova - has reached Russian stores, the parallel developed second game is ahead by a nose: Dasha Vasilyeva or as it is named for the international market: La Femme Fatale - The Mysterious Child. Release date is tomorrow, February 15, 2009.

In both novel series 'mass-writer' Daria Dontsova has chosen her personal circumstances and life situation as source of inspiration. This goes to such lengths, that she names the heroine of the Femmes-Fatales-books after herself: Daria or Dasha, sometimes Dashuna ... Russians are very imaginative concerning naming and name-modification in every day life. And Vasilyeva is her real maiden name in addition! They say, the author lives in very similar family circumstances, is or was a French teacher (a German teacher too b.t.w.) exactly like her heroine and surrounds herself with pets, just like her novel characters do. Dontsova makes great sales with this familial style, her humour, her detailed descriptions and complex plots, not only in Russia. Also in Germany several (around 10) of her novels have already been published. She may belong to the line of trivial or light story producers, but her works are very popular and reach many millions within the reading-nation of Russia. Her protagonists are rich and don't have to work for a living, but critizise the upstarts society as a member of it in an ironical way. This may produce a comforting mood in her less well-heeled readers, to be represented by a likeminded soul out there.

In her novels Dontsova lets her heroines stumble across mysterious crimes by chance, uncovering secrets in her widespread kinsfolk and circle of acquaintances. And when it gets too dangerous, there is still Colonel Degtyaryov from the militia, who digs her out of every hole. The Colonel will have his appearance in the actual adventure game too, which was adapted from the 2007 novel that has just been made into a movie. Dasha is divorced, mother of two kids, was a French school teacher and got unexpectedly independent and free of existential concerns by a large heritance. She likes to read mystery novels and has the gift to sense secrets in her environment. 

Some days before Christmas Dasha receives a help call from a friend which urges her to cancel a shopping-trip to Moscow. She visits the poor woman and finds her on the verge of a nerveous breakdown. After some time she finds out what confounds her friend so deeply: the missing daughter from her husband's first marriage suddenly reappeared! It was ten years ago that she'd vanished when throwing away the garbage as a ten year old girl. The search for her yielded no result and it was assumed that the girl became the victim of a crime. But now she simply stands at the doorstep and says : "Hello, here I am, Nastya!" She tells a strange story about amnesia and adoptive parents. While Nastya's grandmother and her father seem to believe her, Dasha's friend and second-wife Tatiana is suspicious. Nastya cannot remember things she should know and even the house cat takes against her. Does the alleged Nastya wants to get her father's money? And what about him, Mikhail Medvedev (seems to be a common Russian name), who led the respectable life of a business man after the losses of his wife and daughter? Which skeletons does he hide in the closet, and which does his wife Tatiana? More and more nasty details from the past show up and  the clues lead to a mental hospital ... 

Dasha's investigation takes three days, while moving between Moscow and the   districts beyond the highway loop, suburbs like Penyagino or Nakhabino. She repairs to the less luxurious quarters, into forensic laboratories, to an animal hospital where she meets her daughter Marusya, to cemeteries and even to a mental hospital. She and the players use a map of Moscow and environment for navigation, where the target locations are marked.

Another game tool is Dasha's diary, containing a to-do-list, personal files and a fact sheet, so you will easily be able to resume after a game pause.

The overall difficulty level is told to be moderate and overchallenging nobody, while there are nonlinear story parts with puzzles, that have more than one correct solution method. A lot of hotspots are around and the possibility to examine them per poin&click accompanied by the corresponding, sometimes ironical comments. Between her clue hunt and conversations Dasha must attend housework from time to time, for example cooking.

It's going to be interesting, how the animated game and character interactions will show. You can at least get a glimpse of the ingame movement by watching the video that is linked on top of this page. The screenshots arouse curiosity in any case, and I guess that a lot of western gamers would love to gain insight to actual Russian life. As an English homepage has already been established, there is hope, that this game and its possible sequels could actually make there way to the west.

System requirements:

• Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista
• Processor Pentium IV 1,8 GHz
• 512 MB RAM
• 64 MB video-RAM
• DirectX-compatible sound card
• 2 GB free hard disk space
• 24x CD-ROM
• Keyboard, mouse
• DirectX 9.0c