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 playtime7 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 ScenesTAB 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 ArcanaXIXClarinet (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
The moon Aska rises full this night.
Amadeus, our titular 16-year-old werewolf, makes a(n inadvisable) deal out of desperation. He sells his own memories to a Witch, in exchange for a notebook and a promise...
Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~ Episode 1 ~ Waltz is now available to the public! There is also still a free demo, now updated to reflect the finished game.
The episode includes:
Twenty-four original music tracks, 6 of which are dynamic
[/*]A pathfinding algorithm for the point-and-click movement
[/*]Flexible control scheme supporting any preferred combination of keyboard/mouse
[/*]Sound design sourced from recordings of shattered porcelain & a broken piano
[/*]\"Seed\" mechanic inspired by Professor Layton hint coins
[/*]Opening cinematic
[/*]Fifty hand-drawn, scanned, & edited images as a backdrop for the story; 13 of which are detailed point-and-click backgrounds
[/*]Layers of foreshadowing for reveals in future episodes
[/*]
What\'s Next?
I only have the broadest roadmap currently, but here\'s what it looks like.
[olist]Check for reports of bugs & other issues
[/*]Patch anything major*
[/*]Full OST release with possible in-game content update to accompany (estimated Q1 2026)
[/*]Once Episode 1 confirmed stable, shift focus to Episode 2!
[/*][/olist]*\"Major\" is specified here because I am ok with minor bugs that don\'t significantly detract from the experience. I would prefer to develop the remaining episodes sooner than later, but will of course address any pain points that are disruptive.
Episode 2\'s outline is written (the entire 5-episode saga has been written in its broad strokes; this was necessary to build in foreshadowing from the outset). However, development of the episode itself has not started. Once I\'ve pivoted to the next episode, you\'ll hear about it in an announcement.
Until then, please enjoy Episode 1. I have poured my heart into this game and i hope it comes through, and that you enjoy playing it!
Minimum Setup
- OS: 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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