Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~ Episode 1 ~ Waltz

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 is coming soon. The demo is completely remade as of November 27, 2024 with a host of new mechanics, art, music, and story.

Demo Features

• 20-40 minutes of playtime

• 5 scenes (2 visual novel scenes + 2 point-and-click scenes + opening cinematic)

• 3 detailed, hand-drawn location backgrounds to explore

• Opening cinematic cutscene

• 8 inked character portrait expressions

• 10 original music tracks, including 2 tracks with multiple 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 adjustable appearance speed and delay time between textboxes (+ instant text speed option)
  Backlog of previously-read text + diegetic "glossary" for story reference

• "Cycle through all interactibles" hotkey

• 3 save slots

• 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

• I key to cycle mouse cursor through all interactible objects

UI

• ESC Key: pause/open Settings Menu

• N Key: pause/open Notebooks Menu

• Menus can be navigated by mouse click or keyboard ARROW keys

• 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 - no longer in demo, but coming to full episode) - Jay Lee

• VO (Kain's Ghost - no longer in demo, but coming to full episode) - Nat Ferare

• Narrative Consulting - Ashlee Scheuermann,* Frances Maples, Luke Tellson

• Code Consulting - Dan Mellot, Carlos Nieto

• Mix Consulting (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."