Ghosthunter:Lazarus Jones

Lazarus Jones (born c. 1978) is a rookie Detroit cop. Originally from Kalamazoo, Lazarus found more than he bargained for on his first day on the job when he was sent to investigate the soon-to-be demolished Montsaye High School building with his new partner, senior officer Anna Steele.

History
"He may be new to the job, but Officer Lazarus Jones of the Detroit Police Department, is in for a really tough first day. Alongside his senior officer, Anna Steele, he is about to find himself caught up in a terrifying case where the supernatural becomes reality."

- Game Booklet Description

2003
Soon after joining the Detroit Police Department, Anna Steele took Lazarus under her wing and together they were sent to investigate the abandoned Montsaye High School due to several calls from the demolition crew. In the school's basement, Lazarus found the Array, a giant machine full of captured ghosts, all of whom he unwittingly released. His partner was then captured by Lord Hawksmoor, the ancient ghost of a knight.

Appearance
Lazarus is a caucasian male with blue eyes, dark brown spiked hair and pale skin. He has a scar across his right eyebrow.

As a police officer, he wears a white shirt open at the collar with a black tie and a police badge attached to the right breast, as well as blue bootcut jeans and brown sneakers with white stripes and soles. He also has a shoulder holster for his Glock 17.

After becoming a Ghosthunter, his clothing includes a black leather jacket with red stripes, yellow details and belts, and attached communicator, as well as several holsters for the Shotgun, Grenade and Sniper Rifle. He also wears a pair of Spectral Goggles on his head.

Personality
Lazarus is a cheerful, humorous character with a casual, informal manner of speech. He frequently swears, particularly when upset. He is both curious and impulsive, shown particularly when he first enters Montsaye High School and pushes a button on the Array, releasing all the ghosts trapped within. He is fairly emotional, as he dislikes being forced to become a Ghosthunter and while he is initially disturbed by the ghosts, he quickly adapts and focuses on both the mission of recapturing them and the bigger picture of stopping Hawksmoor. His humour is often sarcastic, but he is a caring individual overall (such as when he is determined to rescue Steele, is unsure about recapturing the ghosts aboard HMS Victoria as they still retain their humanity, and when he returns a teddy bear to the ghost of Polly Agglin in Devil's Scar Penitentiary in order to help put her to rest). He is also flirtatious, wolf-whistling at a pin-up poster of a woman in a bikini - and doesn't seem to take Steele's initial attitude towards him all that seriously, insisting to himself that she does actually like him.

Supranormal Sight
This gives Lazarus the ability to see ghosts - the result of Astral fusing with him when he released the ghosts from the Array. He can also release her from his body within spectral rifts to let her freely move around and use her special abilities.

Development
According to Jason Wilson, who served as Art Director and Concept Artist on Ghosthunter, Lazarus' initial designs were based on Brad Pitt's look in the film Fight Club.

Portrayal
Lazarus is voiced by Rob Paulsen in English. Wilson suggested that the French film star Vincent Cassel should voice Lazarus in the French version of the game. In order to get the actor excited, Wilson created comic-style storyboards of key moments from the game which were translated into French. Cassel found the project fun.

Etymology

 * Lazarus is the Latin form of Λάζαρος (Lazaros), a Greek form of Eleazar, which appears in the New Testament. Lazarus was a man from Bethany, the brother of Mary and Martha, who was restored to life by Jesus. This may be foreshadowing the events at the end of the game.
 * Jones comes from the given name Jon, a mediaeval variant of John. John is an English form of Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek name Ἰωάννης (Ioannes), derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan) meaning "Yahweh is gracious".

Merchandise
A replica of Lazarus' jacket was given away by Eurogamer in December 2003 to promote the game's release.

Trivia

 * Lazarus keeps a notebook throughout the game.