Moebius: Empire Rising

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

Moebius: Empire Rising is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Pinkerton Road Studios and published by Phoenix Online Publishing in 2014¹. Created by Jane Jensen, the legendary designer behind Sierra’s Gabriel Knight series, the game represents her return to adventure gaming after a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $435,000². The game follows Malachi Rector, “an antiques dealer who travels the world hunting down valuable artifacts”³, as he becomes entangled in a government conspiracy involving historical patterns and metaphysical theories.

Described as “a contemporary adventure that merges classic point-and-click puzzle solving with Jane Jensen’s sophisticated storytelling”⁴, Moebius: Empire Rising was positioned as the first installment in a planned series. The game features a unique profiling mechanic reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes stories, where players analyze characters and objects to uncover connections between historical figures and contemporary events⁵. Built using the Unity engine, the game blends 2D and 3D graphics in what Jensen intended as “a metaphysical thriller in the vein of Jensen’s Gabriel Knight games”⁶.

Game Info

Developer: Pinkerton Road Studios¹ Designer: Jane Jensen¹ Publisher: Phoenix Online Publishing¹ Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Steam, GOG⁷ Release Year: 2014 Series: Moebius Sierra Lineage: Spiritual Successor

Story Summary

The story centers on Malachi Rector, described as “a savant antiques appraiser” who is “extremely logical, but doesn’t handle people or emotions well”⁸. Rector is recruited by a mysterious government agency called FITA “to investigate a series of events and document them in his meticulous way”². His assignment involves investigating historical connections and patterns related to the “Moebius Theory” - a concept suggesting that history repeats itself in cyclical patterns⁹.

The game’s central mystery begins with the murder of a young woman in Venice, which Rector must investigate using his unique analytical abilities⁵. As noted in one review, “What he finds during his investigation will bring a mysterious and powerful paranormal secret the US government will protect at all costs — even his life”¹⁰. The protagonist is joined by David Walker, his bodyguard, described as “a bad-joke loving ex-special forces badass with a heart of gold”¹⁰. The plot unfolds across multiple international locations as Rector uncovers connections between historical figures and contemporary events, with the thematic element reinforced by a quote from Dexter’s office: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”¹¹.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Moebius: Empire Rising employs traditional point-and-click adventure mechanics with modern updates⁹. The game is controlled primarily through mouse and keyboard input, featuring a third-person perspective where players direct Malachi Rector through various environments⁷. The interface supports standard adventure game interactions including examining objects, talking to characters, and combining inventory items¹².

Structure and Progression

The game features “an overall points system similar to that found in classic Sierra games. The total number of points possible in the game is 676”⁹. Players progress through multiple chapters set in different international locations, with the game providing approximately 10 hours of gameplay¹³. The narrative structure follows Rector’s investigation as he travels between locations, gathering clues and making connections between historical and contemporary figures¹⁴.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The game’s signature feature is its character profiling system, where “Malachi Rector, an expert in antiquities whose photographic memory and eye for detail transform people and clues into interactive puzzles”¹⁵. This mechanic allows players to analyze characters and objects to uncover historical connections and personality traits¹⁶. The game also includes traditional inventory-based puzzles and some reaction-based challenges that can result in player death⁷. Hidden throughout the game are “4 hidden pink cows to find throughout the game” with the “final pink cow located in the game credits”¹⁷.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Publication	Score	Notes
Metacritic	54/100	Aggregate critic score2
GameRankings	60.00%	Aggregate score2
GameSpot	4/10	”Instantly forgettable, this game is better off lost to time”18
IGN	7.9/10	Most positive major outlet review2
Game Informer	6/10	”Moebius is missing a spark — something that makes you want to keep playing”8
Polygon	4/10	Critical of gameplay and story elements2
Eurogamer	5/10	Mixed reception from European outlet2
PCGamesN	4/10	”There isn’t a single thing Moebius does well”19
USgamer	90/100	Notably positive outlier review20

Modern Assessment

The game received mixed to negative reviews from critics, with many expressing disappointment given Jane Jensen’s reputation. As one reviewer noted, “Had I not known that this was the work of Jane Jensen, I honestly wouldn’t have believed it”¹⁹. The consensus among critics was that while the game attempted to recapture the magic of classic adventure games, “The lack of meaningful puzzles and memorable characters make it pale in comparison to her Sierra adventures”⁶. Steam users were more forgiving, with 79% positive reviews from 155 users²¹, while GOG users rated it 3.4/5 stars¹⁵.

Development

Origins

Moebius: Empire Rising originated from Jane Jensen’s return to adventure game development through crowdfunding. The project was “announced on April 10, 2012 as part of a plan to produce two graphic adventure games”². Jensen launched a Kickstarter campaign on the same date with a goal of $300,000,whichwasreachedonMay7,2012{[}^{r}ef-2].ThecampaignultimatelyendedonMay19,2012,havingraisedover$435,000 from backers².

Production

The game was developed through a collaboration between Jensen’s Pinkerton Road Studios and Phoenix Online Studios¹⁶. Phoenix Online had previously created “non-commercial King’s Quest homage The Silver Lining”², making them experienced with Sierra-style adventure games. The development team was led by Jane Jensen as designer and writer, with Robert Holmes composing the soundtrack²². The voice cast included Owen Thomas as Malachi Rector and featured actors such as Colin Benoit as David Walker and Erik Braa as Douglas Carter¹.

Technical Achievements

The game was built using Unity Engine version 4.7.1f1 as a 32-bit application⁷. It supports multiple graphics APIs including Direct3D 9 and OpenGL 2.0⁷. The game features “low-res textures” and “janky 3D animation” according to some technical assessments⁷. System requirements include Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10, a 2 GHz processor, and 1.5-4 GB of RAM depending on the platform⁷. The game suffers from some technical issues including “cursor disappearances,” “sluggish animations,” and “stuttering”⁷.

Legacy

Despite the mixed critical reception, Moebius: Empire Rising represents an important milestone as Jane Jensen’s return to adventure gaming after many years in casual game development². The game was intended as “the first installment in a planned series”¹⁶, though subsequent entries have not materialized. The project demonstrated both the potential and limitations of crowdfunding for veteran developers attempting to recapture past successes. As one German reviewer noted, “Moebius wirkt wie ein typisches Symptom des Kickstarter-Virus: Alte Helden, deren Stern längst untergegangen ist, dürfen sich noch ein letztes Mal im Glanze ihres Lichtes sonnen” (Moebius seems like a typical symptom of the Kickstarter virus: Old heroes whose star has long since set are allowed to bask in their glory one last time)¹³.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• Steam
• GOG

Soundtrack

• Phoenix Online Store

Series Continuity

• Previous: None (series debut)
• Next: None (planned sequels unreleased)

References

Footnotes

1. IMDb – - Game credits and basic information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. Wikipedia – - Kickstarter funding details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

3. Wikipedia – - Character description ↩

4. FreeGOGPCGames – - Game description ↩

5. MobyGames – - Gameplay mechanics ↩ ↩²

6. Game Critics – - Genre description ↩ ↩²

7. PCGamingWiki – - Platform information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

8. Game Informer – - Character description ↩ ↩²

9. Gamezebo – - Moebius Theory explanation ↩ ↩² ↩³

10. Cult of Mac – - Plot description ↩ ↩²

11. Game Boomers – - Thematic quote ↩

12. TV Tropes – - Interface details ↩

13. Eurogamer.de – - Gameplay duration ↩ ↩²

14. JayIsGames – - Story structure ↩

15. GOG – - Character abilities description ↩ ↩²

16. Choicest Games – - Profiling mechanic ↩ ↩² ↩³

17. Steam Community – - Easter eggs ↩

18. GameSpot – - Review quote ↩

19. PCGamesN – - Review criticism ↩ ↩²

20. Metacritic – - USgamer score ↩

21. Steam – - User review aggregate ↩

22. Choicest Games – - Composer information ↩