N-Gaging with Ashen

Firefox compatible

Client: Nokia
Creative Agency: Click Here

The N-Gage was Nokia’s first foray into the handheld video gaming market. And they were looking for ideas to promote game titles for that device.

The similarities in dimensions between a graphic novel panel and an online ad, the natural navigation and the storytelling opportunities brought us to examine lesser-known graphic novels like “Kafka” and “Sandman,” books that are more “art” than “comic strip,” with content tailored to the 18-25 male -- the same target as the N-Gage.

Nokia felt the approach was perfect for their “Ashen” title because it was a horror/supernatural/action first-person-shooter with an attitude that meshed perfectly with our thinking.

Using the graphic novel approach, we told the story with minimal copy. Adding sound and motion brought that story to life. Again, following some lessons learned from the graphic novel format, we wanted an exploratory experience where the audience wouldn’t be hit over the head with directions on how to engage with the work.

The client-side stakeholders were spread across three continents, so acquiring assets was a challenge. As a result, the majority of the creative assets for the Ashen site were developed in-house: Paintings, sketches and photography were all brought together to get that itchy, moody, graphic novel feel. In fact, “itchy” was our guiding descriptor throughout production.

In this industry, when you get an opportunity to define your own creative sandbox, you’ve got to enjoy it, and we definitely had a good time, going well beyond the client’s expectations in the process. Our work upped the ante for the other game title sites Nokia had in production at the time. This site has brought accolades to Nokia and to our agency, and has taken home numerous awards; selected as the top online creative for all of Dallas/Ft Worth in the 2005 DFWIMA (Dallas-Fort Worth Interactive Marketing Association) Awards, for instance, and topped off by an appearance in the current Graphis Interactive Design Annual.

Looking back, our only regret is what could have been. A change in the client’s game launch strategy shifted, and we were not able to follow through with the original plan of promoting the site through online advertising. Banners, skyscrapers and LRECs come in shapes that are perfectly suited to the graphic novel format and we were looking forward to extending the Ashen storyline into those formats, but were ultimately unable to.
-- Brian Linder, art director, Click Here

Creative Showcase is meant to be a teaching tool and an inspiration for our readers. We comment only on creative that we really love. Our panelists discuss what makes it great, but if they feel there were missed opportunities that would have made it better, we invite them to mention those. And finally, we seek out a wide range of opinions that reflect the marketplace for the panel, in order to provide constructive, useable feedback for agencies, clients and others involved in these creative pieces.

Ashen Game is a new game for Nokia's N-Gage handheld game device and phone. The site has a very rich design, optimized for 1024x728 resolution. (Note that pop-up blockers must be turned off for the site to work.) It has a clever horizontal navigation that works well and is entertaining. A nice touch is the site has both HTML and flash options. The HTML is very easy to navigate and has clear access to fun behind-the-scenes info, support and the community/multiplayer functions of the N-Gage Arena. I found all these features to be clear, understandable and easy to navigate. There is an excellent multimedia section with game sounds, screen shots, trailers, and six game play videos. This section is very easy to use and understand even for novice gamers.

The flash site, the Ashen Experience, launches in a new window and has a nice background sound track. The look is cool, like a retro comic book with interactive elements and clues hidden discreetly in the site. My only complaint is the menu is a bit too discreet with subtle white text that at times gets lost against the changing background, even with the red rollover. The menu starts out with the heading "The Tale Unfolds." It is fun to explore the site, and the experience is just as fun in both HTML and flash versions, although the flash version is a richer graphical experience.

Conclusion: N-Gage did it right with the Ashen site. They also have links to 14 other game sites. Other game publishers can learn from this site -- how to walk the line between hip and useful while giving users fun information and resources. This site does what it promises -- it educates the user about the game while entertaining without the usual frustrations of overdesigned and overly complicated game sites.
-- Mark Friedler, CEO, GameDAILY

Something wicked this way comes. It's called 'Ashen' and it's yet another portal-to-hell/bad-stuff-happened-during-the-war/other-dimensions-have-opened first-person shooter, this time for Nokia's N-Gage platform.

While the storyline of the game seems run-of-the-mill for the genre, the flash experience is quite beautifully imagined and produced. Drawn in a style reminiscent of the comic book artist Bill Sienkiewicz, the side-scrolling pop-up site attempts to convey the mood of the game by letting the user explore his way through a series of images, some click-able and containing more info, some just pretty. The copy promises that there is a mystery to be explored, but never goes into the fine print about how the game really plays. Which is nice, as we've all seen way too many ads for games that were really just a collection of screenshots from the game. So all in all a fine teaser for the game. My one complaint is about the navigation. While I'm all for experiential navigation in principle, here it's mainly confusing, and it is difficult to navigate back and forth through the site. But who's to say my mouse wasn't overtaken by an evil force from another dimension? Now, where's that shotgun when you need it?
-- Lars Bastholm, executive creative director NY,  AKQA