Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~ Episode 1 ~ Waltz (tuxdb.com)

Demo Launched! Thank you!

The demo for Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~ Episode 1 ~ Waltz launched last Friday. Its first weekend saw 55 wishlists (22 installs) on Steam, and 2 donations* (18 downloads) on itch!! I really didn't dare to dream it would get such a positive receptionmy very stubborn approach to development has been "make the game for ME, stick to MY vision and MY priorities, be open about MY influences," so I was reaching a point where I somewhat doubted if the game would appeal to anyone else at all. I've never been more thrilled to be wrong. Some of my favorite things people have said about it:

"I feel the influence of Umineko here." - I love this comment because while Umineko is the #1 no-questions-asked hugest direct influence in the narrative, I didn't think that would become obvious until Episode 3 or so. Silly me to not recognize that a game coded on a laptop with Beatrice hand-painted on it** would have the influence clear from the get-go.
"music f***s deliciously"
"I want to punt him [Amadeus] across the room (affectionate)" - me too, reader. Me too. (affectionate)

Every single expression of support has been incredibly motivating. I'll be spending the next month defining benchmarks & deadlines through the finish line of Episode 1's release this Fall, and while it's been important to me to make something I'm passionate enough about to completely self-motivate, the encouragement I've received from this new demo's release has given me a massive boost of extra momentum. I'm incredibly excited to get started on what's next. Communications will return to monthly progress devlogs on itch/Steam, and more frequent updates on Tumblr/Discord. Stay updated on your preferred platform: linktr.ee/amadeusgame If you'd like a sooner date than "this fall" for major news, there just might be something to look forward to in the summer. There's also an archive of devlogs on developing this demo in the linktree above if you'd like more to read. In the meantime, check out lots of other cool indie game projects and tell all of your friends about them! So long as you're following on itch or have the game wishlisted on Steam, you won't miss when Episode 1 of Amadeus officially launches. Thank you so much for playing. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *Note on donations: these will be automatically deducted from the price of the full game on itch when it releases for those who donated. There was one donation for the original prototype, however, that can't be automatically deducted by itch. To that donatorif you email me with a receipt showing that was you, I am more than happy to just give you a free download key when the game launches, considering you supported the project from so early on. **pic related:

[ 2024-02-27 00:53:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~ Episode 1 ~ Waltz
ArcanaXIX

Developer

ArcanaXIX

Publisher

October 2024

Release

Action Indie Strategy Casual RPG Adventure Simulation F2P Sports MMO Racing Singleplayer Multiplayer Coop EA

Story

Play as Amadeus, a young werewolf struggling to understand his condition, as he navigates a tale woven by Witches. He is equal parts desperate and determined—how can one reclaim agency over themself, when afflicted by a curse that steals it from them every time the moon Aska draws full?

Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee is a narrative game heavily inspired by Umineko When They Cry thematically, and Professor Layton aesthetically. Gameplay is a blend of pure Visual Novel scenes + Point-and-Click Adventure scenes. The story is linear, and will be told in 5 sequential episodes.

Episode 1 ~ Waltz will release Fall 2024. Please check out the demo in the meantime!

Demo Features

20-40 minutes of playtime
7 detailed, hand-drawn backgrounds to explore
6 portrait expressions for Amadeus
6 original music tracks, including 1 track with 3 dynamic layers
Point-and-Click controls with unique cursor icons to indicate player interactions
Alternate Hover-and-Spacebar control scheme for players who have difficulty with mouse click
Toggle for auto-scrolling text with adjustible appearance speed and delay time between textboxes
Diegetic backlog of previously-read text
Optional splash screen to fill window beyond 4:3 gameplay (may impact performance - see system requirements)

Controls

VN Scenes

TAB Key: toggle Auto Text Progression on/off
SPACE Key: display full text/progress text
1/2/3 Key: select choice
Mouse click on the displayed buttons is supported as an alternative

Point-and-Click Scenes

HOVER with mouse, cursor will change to indicate if object is interactible
If cursor changes, MOUSE CLICK or SPACE to trigger...
-Boot: Amadeus will MOVE to location
-Eye: Amadeus will INSPECT distant objects
-Hand: Amadeus will INTERACT WITH nearby objects
-Arrow: Amadeus will MOVE to a new screen
WASD and ARROW KEYS supported as alternative to MOVE Amadeus
SPACE supported as alternative to INTERACT with nearby objects

UI

ESC Key: pause/open Settings Menu
N Key: pause/open Notebooks Menu
To adjust sliders in Settings Menu, use mouse to click and drag the pencil icon left/right
Menus can also be opened + closed by clicking on the buttons in the screen corners

Credits

Game Design, Art, Music/Sound, C# Scripting, Implementation, Narrative - Leo ArcanaXIX
Clarinet (Deal With a Witch) - Lucas Bere
Marimba (Spellbound Mischief) - Jay Lee
VO (Kain's Ghost) - Nat Ferare
Narrative Consultant - Ashlee Scheuermann*
Code Consultant - Dan Mellott
Mix Consultant (Deal With a Witch, Spellbound Mischief) - Sonia Mokhtari
Playtesting - Derek, Joanna, Luke, Aaron, Ashlee
Playtesting (original prototype) - Alex, Lucas, Skipper, Nathalie, Taylor, Dan

*Ashlee also wished to be credited as "Made Everything Worse." Thank you Ashlee. <3

MINIMAL SETUPOS: Linux MintMemory: 8 GB RAMStorage: 500 MB available spaceAdditional Notes: Currently only tested on Linux Mint but should support other distros.
Memory: 8 GB RAMStorage: 500 MB available spaceAdditional Notes: Currently only tested on Linux Mint but should support other distros.
Storage: 500 MB available spaceAdditional Notes: Currently only tested on Linux Mint but should support other distros.

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