The DNA of coktel Vision

SENSE of Self

Coktel Vision was unafraid to reflect French culture and history, whether in France itself or one of the territories it controlled. Muriel Tramis’ projects drew on her own family history, the Asterix games indulged a long-running French cartoon series and James Debug even explored the capital in James Debug : Le Mystère De Paris.

education, education, education

Edutainment games made up a large portion of Coktel Vision’s output and became its entire focus for the final ten years or so of its life. The friendly alien Adi (who borrowed the eyebrows of Coktel president Roland Oskian) became a staple in the life of many a French elementary school pupil.

ADVENTURE GAMES

A huge number of Coktel’s games were adventures, many of which were well-received point-and-clicks. Muriel Tramis was a big fan of adventures and they continued to be made in droves following Sierra On-line’s takeover of the company in 1992, with Bargon Attack, Ween: The Prophecy, Inca and Lost In Time among them.

STUNNING graphics

French developers paid special attention to the graphics of their games and this desire for good looks runs deep. “I think the French in general care a lot about aesthetics: the way they decorate their homes, the way they present the table for dinner, their architecture or art,” says Coktel’s former PR boss Emma Kreuz.

use of Technology

Although Coktel began by making games for the Amstrad CPC and Thomson machines (France’s most popular 8-bit systems), it moved with the times and took advantage of the technology at its disposal. Inca was set in a 3D environment while Lost In Time used FMV. Inca was even distributed in demo form on BBS systems.