Nostradamus the game

Storyline

« Nostradamus – The Last Prophecy » is set in 16th century Provence, in a country ravaged by religious wars and devastated by the plague.
It has been three years since Catherine de Médicis’ rule as regent came to an end, but she still holds the reins of power, making her the target of repeated attacks from the French nobility. One day in March 1566, when she realizes that she has fallen victim to a terrible curse, she turns to her doctor and astrologer, Michel de Nostre-Dame, better known as Nostradamus.

Unfortunately, the famous prophet is too old and weak to take on such a mission alone. Refusing to abandon his queen in her hour of need, he sends his daughter Madeleine in his place. However, there is no such thing as women astrologers, let alone women doctors in medieval times. To be accepted as such, the young woman must go in disguise and assume her younger brother’s identity, César, who is away for some time.

Alternating between Madeleine the young woman and Madeleine disguised as César, players are plunged into a thriller where political scheming and ancestral prophecies are intertwined. The game begins as an initiatory adventure in the footsteps of her father, the prophet and astrologer, before creating all the suspense of a detective novel: from one murder to another, players make their way through a test-riddled forensic investigation.

Following in the same vein as « The Secrets of Da Vinci – The Forbidden Manuscript© », « Nostradamus – The Last Prophecy » is a historical adventure game in which players have to solve a series of riddles and puzzles inspired by the works of Nostradamus, taking them through the worlds of astrology, medicine, and medicinal plants.

Though the game does not offer two fundamentally different paths, “transforming” the main character gives players a unique alternative by allowing them to assume another identity, change sex (their appearance in any case) and use it to their advantage when interacting with others characters.

Characters

Madeleine – César :

The heroine of the adventure, embodied in the first person by the player, is, by definition, a changeable character, since, thanks to the Cosmetics prepared by Nostradamus, she can change sexes at will.

Using this ploy she can carry out her inquiries at the castle, as Madeleine or as Caesar, and attempt to use each of her identities to the maximum.

Madeleine is more logical than she is superstitious. She catches on quickly to the fact that she is on the trail of an assassin who is using the queen’s gullibility where astrology is concerned to disguise his crimes as fearsome prophecies.
As if stalking a murderer is not enough, the young woman is subject to recurring visions which slowly undermine her own convictions. Visions of the temple, the Celts, sacrifices, and treasure. And what if everything is bound together: past, present, and the uncertain future? At issue is the crown of France, but the stars are not yet lined up.

Catherine de Médicis :

Daughter of Lorenzo II de Medici and Madeleine de La Tour d’Auvergne, Catherine de Medici, Queen and later regent of France had a profound and lasting influence on the XVIth century.

While Catherine de Medici is very often portrayed as rigid and austere, in fact, she fought all her life against the wars of religion. Unfortunately, the St. Batholomew’s Day massacre came along to add to the evil legends about her…

Deeply versed in astrology, she had her children’s birth charts read by Nostradamus and hoped that his son, Caesar, would be able to elucidate the numerous zones that would mark out the future of the royal family and those around them.

Catherine is an intelligent woman. She is tough and she is dangerous, but she is also someone who, because of her beliefs, can be fragile and even gullible when it comes to the future of her children.

Jean-Aimé de Chavigny :

As Nostradamus’ assistant, Jean-Aimé harbors a dream of becoming a royal astronomer. For a time, this hope incites him to follow the Court around the country in its Tour de France.

On the surface, Jean-Aimé seems very sure of himself. He knows however that he does not have Nostradamus’ intelligence and that knowledge fuels certain jealousy, even bitterness mostly against the young Caesar.

But despite this rancor, Chavigny has a crush on Madeleine, a chink in his armor that the young woman won’t hesitate to make use of during her inquiries.

Nostradamus :

At 62 years old, Nostradamus feels like a tired old man who knows that his end is drawing near. He is an apothecary, a medical doctor, and an astrologer who has wrestled all his life against the numerous outbreaks of the plague which ravaged France in the 16th century. He has also had to fight against all those who accuse him of heresy or who, jealous of his success, try unrelentingly to discredit him. Even though he is worn out, he still maintains his integrity. He is in no way deserves the label of magician or sorcerer that has often been applied to him. This is the man that Queen Catherine comes to visit in March 1566.

The discovery of a curious, small stone several weeks earlier coincides with a worsening of Nostradamus’ health and prevents him from responding to Catherine de Medici’s plea, even though he has been her astrologer for many years.
This is why he sends his elder daughter Madeleine in his place.

He has always felt that a special destiny awaited Madeleine and because he sees much of himself in her, he undertakes, despite his frail health, to do whatever he can to help her.

Highlights