To be perfectly honest, I don’t know a whole lot about Sony’s summer thriller Salt aside from the brief plot synopsis, basically that a CIA operative named Agent Salt is forced to go on the run after she is accused of being a traitor mixed up in a massive and deadly plot known as Day X.
The movie isn’t based on a game, comic or other medium. Yes folks, it’s actually that rare Hollywood antiquity of an original storyline. As such, Sony is pulling out all the stops to promote Salt’s July 23rd release and familiarize audiences with this world of high tech espionage.
Part of their promotional plan is a first person online game which places gamers right in the thick of things. As a bit of a gamer myself, I decided to take the plunge and try out the Salt game at DayXExists.com. The site launched on May 17th with the first of nine missions. A new mission will be released every Tuesday.
Once at DayExists.com, I’m shown the intro trailer, which mixes imagery from the game and the movie. I click on Mission 1 and step into the shoes of a CIA Junior Analyst, watching the world through his eyes. After a quick look around Agency Headquarters, I sit at my cubicle and log into my computer. Another agent hands stops by to hand me a folder on the Day X Taskforce and tells me about a briefing in fifteen minutes. Noticing a series of dots under specific letters on the memo, I decode the message, which tells me to go to Locker 121 at the Morgan Right Building. It also gives me the locker’s combination.
Although this will mean missing the briefing, I’m intrigued enough to take the chance. Inside the locker, a cell phone already ringing. Agent Salt is on the other end of the line talking through some kind of voice altering device. “I am not part of Day X,” she says. Salt needs my help to clear her name and stop Day X. It all happens so quick, I’m not entirely sure what to make of things just yet.
When I arrive back at headquarters, I am immediately summoned into the director’s office, Special Agent Larson. He launches into an interrogation to find out why I missed the briefing and whether I’ve had contact with Salt. After coasting through the first part of Mission 1, this is the part of the game where I first get to interact with the world. Eyeing me suspiciously, Larson fires a stream of questions to which I must respond to each with a “Truth” or a “Bluff.”
The way I respond will determine how the meeting goes and whether I keep Larson’s trust and possibly my job as well. The better I do, the more points I get. Luckily, I seem to pick the right mixture of honesty and avoidances to please Larson, at least for the time being. I’ve got to get some more info before I figure out my next move.
Sony’s Day X Exists game is a unique way to introduce fans to the world and get them excited for the movie this summer. It’s part movie, part game, kind of a modernized version of those “Choose Your Own Adventure” novels I used to read as a kid. I’m definitely excited to see how the whole thing plays out as I play through all the missions before release. I feel like the experience should give me a very unique perspective when I see the movie.
I’ll be back with another update after I play through Mission 2.
Salt opens in theaters nationwide July 23rd, 2010.
