One of the few discoveries I had time to make at my single day at San Diego was the graphic adventure game that John Green is developing. Nearly Departed is currently available only as a game demo (you can download the demo for free from the game’s website) with a full game promised for the near future.

In Nearly Departed, you take the role of a teen who wakes up at an open greave with a craving for the taste of fresh brains — you’ve been turned into a zombie. From there, your goal is to figure out who you were how you became a zombie.

Nearly Departed’s game play recalls classics of the genre like King’s Quest, Day of the Tenacle or Gabriel Knight. The puzzles are challenging but never sacrifice the story — as in the best graphic adventure games, Nearly Departed’s puzzles has the ring of real-world problem solving. The graphics, meanwhile, remind me of Day of the Tenacle with its vivid colors and strong lines. Playing the demo of Nearly Departed, really charms you to the game.