Blue World Notes: Blue Mars is Haunted by a Ghostly Adventure Game in Cloud City

Blue Mars is haunted by ghosts, many people told me, and they dwell in Cloud City. If you go there like I did, you'll soon find a ghost on your back, following behind you everywhere you go. Fortunately he (or she) isn't one of those freaky Paranormal Activity kinds of ghosts, but more of a "Do a favor for me buddy and I'll leave you alone" sort of spirits. In this case, you must discover who's responsible for his death. And it starts when you step into the rain swept graveyard, and click the right tombstone.

"So you click the gravestone there first," a tall woman with a halo tells me, after I spend some time searching fruitlessly. "It's the second or third row from the entrance on your right as you come in."

"Are you a guide or just a helpful angel?" I ask.

Bohny laughs: "I'm just trying to figure it out."

The creation of a Blue Martian named Homonculus (as is all of Cloud City), the mystery of the ghosts is an adventure game he's just finishing. (He is adding more elements to it now, but there's more than enough already there to start exploring and uncovering puzzles.) After clicking the tombstone that starts the game, you're given some special abilities, like Mario-style super jumps. It's the most ambitious Blue Mars game I've played so far (though to be fair, I just started exploring), set around a vivid and beautifully rendered, haunted manor that seems to be under an eternal blood red moon and an endless rainstorm. (After playing for over an hour with heavy rain sound effects beating in my ears, I actually began getting real life chills.)

Between an angel and a devil with a ghost on my back -- you know, just like in real life

The puzzles in the game are pretty challenging, but when I went there today, there were several Martians already exploring the place and solving the series of mysteries. So if you're not too shy, you can ask for hints like I did, and they may help you out.

I plan on interviewing Homonculus soon, to find out how he created this game, but until then, here's a video look at Cloud City's ghostly problems, shot by Jasmine of Avatar Reality (be sure to select HD before playing!)