Considering how tight-lipped Kheops has been in recent months, I was surprised to see that Lascaux is nearly finished. The game is on schedule to wrap up in April and ship in June. Publisher negotiations are currently underway, and while Hozjan assures us that an announcement will come soon, no details are available yet. The title will be finalized soon as well, based in part on publisher input. The Lascaux name may be included in the title of the French release, since the cave is well known locally. However, Hozjan tells us that localized versions will probably be renamed to make the title more recognizable to players.

Something Hojzan emphasized throughout the demo is how seriously he and the others at Kheops take reviewer and fan feedback about their games. Several of Lascaux's interface and gameplay decisions seem to have been based on player comments. That, coupled with the studio's foray into this as yet unexplored prehistoric setting, leaves plenty to be excited about. With so many of the same types of games coming out in the same worn-out settings, it sometimes seems the "powers that be" don't realize we're hungry for something new. With Lascaux Project, however, Kheops is taking a step into uncharted territory—bringing along the aspects of their games they know work well. This gives adventure gamers a great reason to look forward to the future... and to the past.