Review by: Pete Hines
Published: December 10, 1997

In Byzantine: The Betrayal, you play the role of a journalist summoned to the city of Istanbul, Turkey by an old college roommate and friend, named Emre. He claims to have a great story for you to uncover and you decide you can’t pass up the opportunity. Once there, things go from you not knowing a whole lot, to you not knowing a whole lot and having your “host” disappear. To find out what’s going on you’ll have to trust your instincts, piece together the clues, and try to solve the mystery and get out in one piece.

Upon arrival in Istanbul, you find your friend’s apartment occupied by some rather testy and demanding policemen. From there, things only get weirder. You find yourself running around like Emre’s “go-fer.” Apparently, he’s stumbled upon something big that has to do with an ancient artifact and, as it turns out, a brutal murder. Wait, it gets better. You are even considered a suspect, and you will find yourself traveling back and forth across the city trying to figure out who knows what. Saying any more about the plot will give away some of the fun, so let me just say that you have to be careful with whom you trust.

The entire game is played using a combination of video that was taped on location and digital renderings of various interior and exterior locations. Interactions with the characters in the game are managed through a simple interface. Conversation is based on hearing what someone has to say and then choosing from a number of options for your next response. Characters are shown speaking in a short video clip, after which you are prompted to respond in one of several ways. The right choices and questions can get you valuable information, while the wrong ones can get you nowhere, or worse. The game’s six CDs (that’s right, six) have more than 45 minutes of total video footage that submerses the player into the culture and feeling of Istanbul.

Interacting with the different objects is done via the various cursors. The cursor will change to a compass when you are able to scroll around the room or location you’re in. This allows you to view the room from every angle. Moving from one area to the next is done though the directional arrows on the cursor; they change when you position the cursor over a doorway or area into which you can move. When the cursor moves over an object, say on a desk, that can be picked up or manipulated in some way, it changes to indicate whether you can look at the object, pick it up, or perhaps use something in your inventory there. This includes the ability to hand objects in your inventory to characters you meet. When you pick up an object in your inventory and hold it over a person or place, it will become highlighted to indicate that it can be used in this manner.

To move to different locations entirely, you have a general map of the city, with certain locations highlighted and outlined. These are the locations that you can choose to visit. As the game progresses, additional sites will be accessible to you. While the game structures fairly closely where you can go, it still allows you some freedom to move about, which is both a good and bad thing. If you try to skip steps, you may find a particular location is not yet open. If you go back somewhere for no particular reason, you might find a thug who knocks you unconscious and ends your game before you ever know what hits you.