In Remembrance: Presto Studios

Editorial

would like to begin with a shout out to the good people at Good Old Games. Thanks to them countless classic titles, many of which are out of print, can still be enjoyed at truly inexpensive prices. Check them out at their website, you’ll be surprised at what gems you’ll find. And now, with that out of the way, here is a Remembrance of Presto Studios. If you missed the first part of this series please go to In Remembrance of Ensemble Studios.

Presto Studios is a company old school point and click adventure game fans may remember well. The Robert Rodriguez of game designers this then small developer produced their first game from out of virtually a garage with only a handful of people as a staff. This game, The Journeyman Project, would go on to become a hit franchise that spawned 2 sequels, a number of remakes, and die-hard fans who would forever hold a special place in their memories for the time traveling machine Pegasus, series protagonist Gage Blackwood, and the rest of the Temporal Security Annex (not to be confused with the real life TSA that’s dedicated to stopping you from bringing toothpaste onto an airplane). Combining beautiful locales, historically-influenced ideas, brilliant puzzle design, a futuristic setting, a greater focus on adventure than humor, and a Time Cop-inspired storyline it had all the thrill of a good science fiction story with none of the cartoon of their Lucasarts competitors. If that wasn’t enough they were the ones behind the critically acclaimed Myst III: Exile, continuing a franchise in a way many still consider to be a masterpiece. Thanks to Good Old Games both old and new fans can enjoy The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time at the budget price of $5.99. That’s right, it’s a cheap alternative to Sam and Max and its many clones. Presto Studios still have a website up for those wishing to learn more about their old games.



A victim of the times rising development costs killed this studio. With an almost complete focus on the then dying Point and Click Adventure Genre in 2002 they weren’t able to keep up with their competition. If they had only waited a few more years they may have ridden on the success of Sam and Max and given us an option other than the cartoonish comedy that currently enjoys a monopoly on the genre.



While Presto lives on in the hearts and minds of fans they also persist in these studio.

Oceanhouse Media: The president of Presto Studios, Michel Kripalani, would go on to found Oceanhouse Media, a developer for mobile systems such as the iPhone and Android. They’ve worked on translations of popular childrens book series like Dr. Seuss and The Berenstein Bears as well as original apps such as “Bowls: Authentic Tibetan Singing Bowls”. While  I can’t vouch for their interactive books the Tibetan Bowls app is quite good and stands as a Journeyman Project fans’ version of the Star Trek Communicator app. Visit their website to learn more. Be sure to check out our interview with Mr. Kripalani later on in this article.

Other: Apart from the above notable exception the many people behind Presto have spread out to various elements in the entertainment industry, from games to films and etc. Two of the Presto Studios individuals we interviewed, Jose Albanil and Geno Andrews, were no exception. Mr. Albanil would go on to become a freelance graphic artist in the entertainment industry. You can see more of his work at Art of Jose Albanil. Mr. Andrews, similarly, returned to film and later would work in app development. You can learn more about his professional career at his website and about his app pursuits at Appsolutely Creative.

Page 2: An interview with Jose Albanil (Lead Modeler) and Geno Andrews (Composer/Sound Designer) >>>