Carmen Sandiego: The Crown Jewels Caper (a.k.a. Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego?) is the first game in a series of Google Earth web games, based on the Carmen Sandiego Netflix series.
Plot[]
"The world’s greatest super thief has struck again. Can you track her around the globe to recover the stolen loot? You’ll need to talk to locals, gather clues, and learn about different cultures as you follow Carmen’s trail around the world."[1]
Gameplay[]
The game is styled after classic Carmen Sandiego games, having to talk to witnesses and deduce the location of the title character.
Locations[]
London
- Tower of London
- Buckingham Palace
- Tower bridge
St. Louis
- The Gateway Arch
- Busch Stadium
- St Louis Art Museum
Athens
- The Parthenon
- Piraeus Harbor
- Temple of Olympian Zeus
Berlin
- Brandenberg Gate
- Fernsehturm Berlin
- Charlottenburg Palace
Nairobi
- Nairobi National Park
- Giraffe Center
- Snake Park
Tokyo
- Senso-ji Buddhist Temple
- Mount Fuji
- Tokyo Skytree
Mumbai
- Gateway of India
- Chhatrapati shivaji Terminus
- Hanging Gardens
Rio de Janerio
- Copacabna Beach
- Christ the Redeemer statue
- Maracana Stadium
Toronto
- Royal Ontario Museum
- Niagara Falls
- CN Tower
China
- Great Wall
- Temple of Heaven
- National Center for the Performing Arts
Dubai
- Burj Khalifa
- Dubai Autodrome
- The Palm Jumeirah
Moscow
- The Kremlin
- Bolshoi Theater
- Gorky Park
Mexico City
- Pyramid of the Sun
- National Palace
- Museo Nacional de Anthropologia
Sydney
- Sydney Opera House
- Taronga Zoo
- Sydney Harbour Bridge
Witnesses[]
London
- Tower of London
- Tourist
- I saw the person you're looking for and she asked whether Mount Fuji is still active.
- Tourist
- Buckingham Palace
- Beefeater
- A reliable source told me she changed her money for yen.
- Beefeater
- Tower bridge
- Cab Driver
- All I know is that she left in a vehicle flying a flag with a red circle.
- Cab Driver
Tokyo
- Senso-ji Buddhist Temple
- Shopkeeper
- A suspicious person sped away in a vehicle flying green, yellow, and blue flag
- Shopkeeper
- Mount Fuji
- Volcanologist
- I heard she asked for a book about Samba dancing
- Volcanologist
- Tokyo Skytree
- Sightseer
- Sources tell me she was practicing common phrases in Portuguese
- Sightseer
Rio de Janeiro
- Copacabna Beach
- Surfer
- The person you're looking for was here and she asked about the exchange rate for dirham.
- Surfer
- Christ the Redeemer statue
- Sightseer
- I heard she drove off in a vehicle flying a red, green, white and black flag.
- Sightseer
- Maracana Stadium
- Goalie
- A reliable source told me she was researching the tallest building in the world.
- Goalie
Dubai
- Burj Khalifa
- Sightseer
- Sources tell me she wanted to know if Platypuses are mammals.
- Sightseer
- Dubai Autodrome
- Race Car Driver
- A suspicious person was here and she left in a speed boat flying a flag with white stars.
- Race Car Driver
- The Palm Jumeirah
- All I know is she was heading to Earth's smallest continent.
Sydney
- Sydney Opera House
- Soprano
- Rumor has it the thief is in town somewhere.
- Soprano
- Taronga Zoo
- Koala Keeper
- All I know is that something suspicious is going on in town.
- Koala Keeper
- Sydney Harbour Bridge
- Cyclist
- I saw the person you're looking for right here in this town
- Cyclist
Production[]
Early concepts began when Google Brand Studio Experiments Group saw Google Earth's guided tours and geo-quizzes as a perfect fit for Carmen Sandiego.[2]
The Google Earth Carmen Sandiego tech demo
In the summer of 2017, the group began work on a tech demo featuring Carmen Sandiego, using art assets from a Carmen Sandiego SNES game. The demo was short, providing the groundwork for a fuller project. Studio Experiments Group then presented the project to the Google Earth team, and the project was given high praise. It was then agreed that the project would continue.[2]
Keiko Murayama (left) overviewing Linda Fong (right)
In early 2018, the team set up a meeting with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, presenting the aforementioned demo. The company saw it as a perfect fit for their (at the time) upcoming relaunch of the Carmen Sandiego brand. Houghton provided various materials and resources relating to the series' revival, and the project officially began. Jk Kafalas provided the UI design, and the team contacted Chromosphere, the production design team of the Netflix series, to design graphics for ~40 witness characters.[2]
Cut Content[]
The game was originally going to have a pixelated Google Earth, but due to performance issues, the feature was removed. Sound effects were also included in early builds, but due to the fact Google Chrome has sound effects off by default, most players didn't hear them, and thus were removed.[2]
Release[]
The game was released on March 13, 2019, followed by two sequals, Tutankhamun's Mask Caper and The Keys to the Kremlin Caper.
Awards[]
| Year | Award | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020[3] | Webby Awards People's Choice Award
Games - Family & Kids |
Ubilabs | TBD |
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
Production[]
Witnesses[]
