We posted about the upcoming game from PassionFruit Games several months ago in our Lit. Angels section because the story for this game is taken from Marjorie M. Liu’s Tiger Eye novel. Today, I’m happy to finally be able to share some more information out this new game with our readers and fans of any of Marjorie’s books. What’s interesting about Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box, is not just that it’s based on one of Liu’s novels, but that it’s the first U.S. released game based on a Paranormal Romance novel.

You can grab the game, starting today exclusively at www.passionfruitgames.com. The Premium game package is $9.99 (US) and the Standard is only $6.99 (US).  The game is PC only today, but the Mac version will follow close behind with a release in May.

The Tiger Eye novel that the game is based on, tells the story of Dela, a woman with psychic abilities who buys a riddle box in Beijing’s Dirt Market. She opens it to find an ancient warrior, Hari, bound to serve as a slave to whomever has opened the box. PassionFruit Games will mirror the international scope of the book through two games, the first to take place in China and the second in the U.S.

If you’re interested in grabbing the novel the game is based on, look for Tiger Eye by Marjorie M. Liu, re-released by Harper Collins/Avon in January 2011, www.marjoriemliu.com. Or grab it from the GA Amazon store here.

To celebrate their premier title, PassionFruit Games is inviting fans and members of the media to a launch party today, Wednesday, April 28th at www.passionfruitgames.com/releaseparty from 7:00 to 9:00 pm EST (4:00 to 6:00pm PST). Attendees will be able to chat with Tiger Eye game developers, artists, programmers, and author Marjorie M. Liu. They will also be able to ask for and share tips about the game, and will also be entered into a raffle with the chance to win:  PassionFruit merchandise, copies of the Tiger Eye novel, and an advance galley copy of A Wild Light, the next Hunter Kiss novel set to release July 28th. They also have the chance to win collectible variant covers of Liu’s Black Widow Marvel comic book and a framed signed cover of the next Dirk & Steele novel, In the Dark of Dreams, when it goes on-sale this November. And finally, visitors will learn how to participate in an online mystery adventure set in Liu’s Dirk & Steele universe.

Melissa Heidrich, Studio Director of PassionFruit Games, says of the launch: “Looking back, it’s incredible what our team has accomplished in the last six months. The ten of us on the development side had been laid off together and had no office, no equipment, no funding – what we had were a romance novel and some great ideas. Since then, we’ve started our own studio, figured out how to translate that romance novel into interactive entertainment, and now have this amazingly fun game that has been very well-received by our testers.”

These testers are a slice of the market PassionFruit Games is working hard to reach out to, namely women aged 25 to 65. Since romance readers and casual gamers have similar attributes—both groups encompassing mainly women who enjoy a good story or activity to relax and escape—PassionFruit Games has taken great pains to work closely with women from both demographics.

Says Ayu Othman, the Art Director at PassionFruit Games: “Getting input from our target audience has been an extremely important process throughout our game’s development. At every major milestone, we have conducted focus testing and have refined and optimized the game based on player feedback.”

The Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box game breaks new ground when it goes on-sale today:

• This is the premier title for PassionFruit Games and is put together by the same team members who developed the critically acclaimed Nancy Drew Dossier: Resorting to Danger when they were at Her Interactive; that game was chosen as the “Best Hidden Object Game of 2009” by Yahoo! Games
• This is one of the first romance casual games to hit the U.S. market. Although a market for romance themed video games has existed abroad for years, these games are still essentially unknown here
• The game features a timeless love story and a shape-changing hero from ages past, making Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box the first game based on a PARANORMAL romance novel and released into the American market
• The game heavily features a sexy leading man, instead of scantily clad women, and the game’s cut scenes feature animated and sensual sequences and voice-acted story development that further the relationship of the two main characters
• The game features a film-quality soundtrack composed and scored for full orchestra by critically acclaimed composer Matt Sayre. This includes more than 70 minutes of custom music, which is very unusual for a casual game
• A huge variety of different types of puzzles are featured: in addition to hidden object finding, the game also features all kinds of brain teasers, word games, spatial activities, and logic puzzles, as well as a match-3 minigame
• The author of the original Tiger Eye novel, New York Times bestselling author Marjorie M. Liu, actually wrote the game’s script herself and was involved with the game every step of the way, giving input on scene art, character design, and voice actor selection
• PassionFruit Games and Marjorie M. Liu recently hit their goal of collecting 300 tweets with the hash tag #Share Love towards their donation of a desktop with the Tiger Eye game on it to Women in Need, a New York City area women’s shelter.

Says Alyssa Montoya, Volunteer & Event Coordinator for Women In Need, Inc. of the donation: “For over 25 years, Women in Need has provided New York City’s homeless women and their families with safe housing, support, and the skills to become self-reliant. It’s fantastic to have supporters like Marjorie M. Liu and PassionFruit Games—their generous donation of much needed computer equipment can help women look for work and learn the skills they need to continue on their journey towards self-sufficiency. It is inspiring that PassionFruit Games is a company run by women who provide entertainment for other women through their romance casual games. This donation brings what they are doing full circle.”

And don’t forget to keep an eye on GamingAngels.com for a review of Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box coming soon!