itch.io

This glow-up is going to rule so hard I cannot wait

Thanks so much! Thanks for playing!

Thanks so much for playing! :D

Thanks so much!

Thanks so much for playing! It was a blast to make :)

Oh, I just realized this is on the old prototype! If you're interested, there's a new demo out with a TON of changes and additions here: https://arcanaxix.itch.io/amadeus-ep1-waltz

(I made a new Itch page for it because I changed SO much that I wanted to preserve this original version as like, a sketch of sorts)

Regardless, thank you so much, again!

Thank you so much!! I'm really glad you appreciated the controls, I'm still working on a few things to make the pure-keyboard experience a little smoother but it's definitely a priority to make it feel good to play. I really appreciate it!

I finally had a moment to replay this now that you've updated it!

First off, playing it while knowing some things about it already [from when I played the original version] made it almost hurt more at the start because that Dramatic Irony hit so hard. The somber tone is just as effective as I remember it and your illustrations, melodies, and soundscapes are so beautiful.

The voicework you added really adds a finishing layer of polish to it all, too. What a fantastic collaboration, huge congrats to the voice cast for putting their all into this. The version you finished prior already felt like a whole and cohesive work of art, it was so chilling and effective, but I'm so glad you were able to really finish it. What an awesome game you made here. Massive, massive congratulations.

Definitely want to nab that artbook+OST bundle on my next paycheck!

WAAGGHH! Okay I just actually set aside the time to play this. You're killing me here.

My expectations going in: "well, it uses hand-painted animation cels, so my hipster sensibilities will be appeased, and it's gay, so that gives it points. beyond that we'll see"

What I got: the single most healing experience I've had in a long ass time. Playing this actually made me consider going to a convention this summer. It has been 4 years since the last time I went to a convention. I have never felt so seen by a game.

[Also the fact that the font + color makes it looks like old subtitles.... absolutely impeccable...]

The fluff was so cute it had me making scrunched Kermit face the whole time, but really I just keep coming back to how painfully relatable this all was. What a delightful story and a brilliant idea to literally use animation cels as your medium to tell it. This is straight up one of the best VN's I've played, obviously it's relatively short but it's like a short story as opposed to a novel—it's exactly as long as it needs to be to tell the story it needs to tell.

Absolutely fantastic shit, I'm inflicting this on every single other old tired gay ex-cosplayer I know [I know many of them]

extremely hyped for armatization mechanic, about to take on heldalf as grape-flavored hunter

YESSSSSS!!!!!! IT'S OUT!!!!!!! This is such a universe brain concept, I truly just LOVE the fact that you actually hand-painted animation cels to make the assets for this. I can't wait to check it out when I have the time HOPEFULLY VERY VERY SOON!!!! Congratulations!!

So unbelievably excited about what you guys are doing!

OK, the promised time has come. Just sat down to play this.

This is literally a masterpiece.

The beat slaps. The order I happened to unlock everything in built up so perfectly that I imagine you constructed it really well and any order just works. Was listening on my SUPER NICE HEADPHONES BTW so I could appreciate it fully.

I'm about to go link this to all of my werewolf-head friends and tell them "I know it's March and not October but play this anyway", but before I do that I just need to gush here on this page a bit.

The writing is hilarious, the music slaps hard, the art is endearing and the VR headset had me completely losing my shit. I truly appreciate you picking up the mantle left by Castlevania Symphony of the Night of "games that are campy halloweeny, hit you in the face with unexpected and hilarious nonsense, and yet also incredibly sexy." Symphony of the Night perhaps takes itself slightly more seriously but both games are 10/10 masterpieces.

Thank you for your contribution to werewolves

I keep starting these when I'm just about to clock out of work (yes I am habitually searching itch.io for werewolf games on the clock at the end of my shift) and it's always a bad idea because they slap so hard I need to keep playing but then it's time to leave. Literally just the first minute of this is an incredible hook. Funny but also the atmosphere genuinely slaps. That CRT filter at the start is effervescent. Will be giving this a full sit-down play later.

Congratulations on yet another Steam release!

Thank you so much for giving it a play!

And thank you for the suggestion—that had been floating around in my head as a "hmm I might add this," but hearing someone else say they'd like to see that implemented is gonna bump it up to "will probably add." Appreciate it!

Thank you SO much! I'm so excited to write the rest of it, I hope it lives up to expectations!

I hope you enjoy it!!! Please let me know what you think... it should be VASTLY improved since the version Cozy played :D

VERY exciting stuff in this update I can't wait to play more. I honestly really dig that you can dive right into the chaos of Impossible mode...

This was an incredible demo. Absolutely loved it. Going to write an essay of bullet points here, don't mind me.

Mechanics stuff:
- Thank you, SO MUCH, for the point-and-enter alternate controls. I have wrist issues and point-and-clicks are really hard for me to play even though I love them dearly. It makes a massive difference having an alternate control scheme and it's a big reason I was able to play the whole thing in one sitting.
- There were just a few points (mostly when navigating hallways) where the glow to indicate movement was not completely obvious - in cases where an object or some such is highlighted it was really clear, but in a few cases where there is just a light glow on the side of a dark screen, it might benefit from having something else there to highlight to make it more obvious. However, if you don't get this feedback from anyone else, you can likely disregard and it might just be a matter of the glare hitting weird on my screen when I played.

Visuals:
- Your art is always incredible. I REALLY loved how most of the game is completely muted and grey-scale, and there are just touches of blue here and there that really make it feel COLD. The very sparse use of red was very impactful because of how little it was used, and it was not lost on me that Lin's portrait contains both colors
- The textures are wonderful
- I LOVE THE CURSOR AND TEXT BOX DESIGNS SO MUCH!

Music:
- The extra layer that kicks in when you enter the room with the candles was magical. Really effective having it grow there.
- Having most of the soundtrack solely piano-based makes it really feel lonely and isolated. The compositions and performances are both gorgeous.
- LOVE the starkly different track that plays in the cellar darkness, that was REALLY effective

Sound:
- THE ARMOR FOLEY IS *chefs kiss*
- Atmospheric layers to the sound, whether they're a separate track or mixed in with the music, are phenomenal. It sounds as cold and abandoned as it looks, through and through.

Narrative:
- I really like your depiction of what being a ghost is like. A spirit consisting of more or less raw regrets and feelings, but no body or physical sensations. How not having a voice to shout or ears to cover makes it impossible to drown out the undesired. It's really interesting and described in a way that makes the reader really feel it, too
- I feel like I learned more about armor parts in the past hour than in the entire rest of my life leading up to it. I love that you credited an armor consultant, it 100% comes through in the writing because you can tell the spirit haunting the armor is deeply familiar with it
- The "real" ending is a fantastic hook - I cannot wait to experience the rest of the story!

I've loved just about everything I've played from you, so I expected to love this, but it was definitely really fun playing something that also had these interactive point-and-click elements. Because your artwork is so strong it REALLY compels the player to click on stuff and experience the narrative that way, so this just really works in a lot of ways. Amazing work and huge congratulations on the demo release!

OK! I had the time this evening to sit down and go through all the options and find all the interactible objects to view all of the memories. I really loved it. The art is stunning, I really enjoy the "voice" of the transformed wolf and how it responds to stress and instinct, the soundtrack was incredibly effective, and it was overall a really cohesive and strong experience. The click-and-drag controls were a little hard on my wrists but it was worth it especially since it wasn't too long. I'm really glad I found this, amazing work!

I only had the time to check out the very start of this so far, but I'm REALLY loving it. The art is incredible and that concept of a werewolf transformation is horrifying and fascinating. I'm really excited to check out more when I have the time (...and I might try to play through the French version as well sometime, just as language practice)

I always really love to see unique depictions of werewolves. Really excited about this. Awesome stuff, can't wait to fully experience it!

This is one of the funniest oddly specific concepts I've seen in a while. I desperately want to wrangle a group of people together to give this a whirl sometime

(also to clarify i didn't mean YOU have to update this i meant i had to update my comment to reflect the fact i played more of the game and it ruled)

based and thank you

okay have to update this because the power of exposition was literally hysterical. this is the greatest game ever made thank you

I am going to have to revisit this when I have more time because what I played so far has been great. 10/10 werewolf stuff but it makes you a dipshit THAT is what I am talking about. OP, your brain is huge.

Looking forward to the development of the torturously difficult versions!

Wow, I loved this so much. Found this in the SF game dev discord but you've got a follow from me because I really want to see what you continue to make. It's so effective and meditative, I really loved it! Amazing job.

Holy smokes, that's so much for just one year. I completely relate to taking on way too much in a project that balloons in scope and I think your decision to focus on other/smaller things first is a really smart one.

This is gonna be my first year in a long time I've skipped on the Global Game Jam, because I already have enough to do on my own big projects that a game jam on top of it seems like extra stress I don't need. Game jams can be really wonderful, but they are also really exhausting and it's best only to do them if you're excited about them and not already at capacity with other projects.

Take your time in the new year, I always love your work but it's best if it's made by someone who has got some very needed rest and recharge time!

Gorgeous. The character portraits are so reminiscent of paintings it just makes me feel nostalgic simply looking at YOUR portrait in the corner while playing. The art + music combined just feel so meditative and expressive.

The main BGM piece is so effective at setting the tone, it's gentle and melancholic and feels lonely. Really puts you in the space of the cold, cold middle of nowhere. And I LOVE that the singing is actually represented in-game, it's so lovely!

Color me enamored and intrigued...

Thank you so much! Good luck on your upcoming releases too!!

Okay, I knew I would love this just based on It Paints Me, but I finally had some time this evening while procrastinating on stuff to sit down and check it out. I meant to "just start it", and that was at 10pm, and it is now ummm 12:40am. Suffice it to say I could not put this down.

The music is wonderful - it's slow paced and ambient but the melodies are still captivating. The tone-setting is ON POINT. Moreover, I am the biggest sucker in the entire universe for diegetic music so I went nuts over this. The scene where Kit played the piano waltz I was absolutely just losing it. Incredible stuff.

The narrative pacing is masterful, honestly. You introduce this skeleton in a chest and of course I as a reader am spending the whole time going "GO FREE THE SKELETON!!!!!" which makes this really powerful tension whenever Kit is, you know, dealing with his own shit; because on one hand I am captivated by his own story but on the other *points to skeleton* GO INVESTIGATE THAT. THAT'S A SKELETON. COME ON BRO. But the pacing is very stubborn because Kit is stubborn, it is slow because he is exhausted and hurt and processing and dying, and it just really forces the reader to experience a taste of the hell he is going through.

The visuals are wonderful, the TEXTURES can't really be described by any word better than "delicious." I want to eat this game. I mean that in the best possible way.

So many of the narrative ideas, symbols, and concepts being touched on here are things that deeply resonate with me in ways that are really hard to express. Like playing a game I really like is one thing, playing a game I really like that I have a very specific and personal connection with is something else entirely. This already feels like the latter.

I am so beyond excited for more whenever it is ready. In the meantime I'm going to be annoying at everyone I know and tell them to play this right now immediately.

So beyond excited for this new demo, all the teaser visuals just look stunning....

Really enjoyed this. I LOVE the art especially, the way it communicates without words, and the blend of different styles and colored/black-and-white elements. It's so effective. Awesome work, thank you for making it!

I saw your illustrations on twitter a while ago, which made me really interested in checking this out, but I only sat down and got around to it today. This was such a fantastic experience. As others have mentioned, I definitely could feel some House in Fata Morgana influence (one of my favorite visual novels ever, so a very good thing) - especially with the sound design choices. The music is incredibly effective, and the music/sound design/visuals/UI are all so cohesive.

Really impressed by your work and I will definitely be following to check out future projects from you.

Wow, wow, WOW! This was incredible. Super long comment incoming because I have so much to say.

I found this game because, since I'm currently writing a narrative game featuring a werewolf, I wanted to see what other similar games are already out there. I wanted to see what themes I'm considering have already been explored, and how; I wanted to engage with and appreciate someone else's vision; and honestly I just absolutely love werewolves so I wanted to play a werewolf VN. So I just searched itch using "werewolf" and "visual novel" as filters. Nice tagging, because I found exactly what I was looking for.

This was SUCH an effective and compelling story. I was amazed by what you accomplished using relatively few assets - just enough portraits and expressions to make the characters feel alive and emotional, just enough backgrounds to set the tone, and limiting it to just black/white/red in terms of palette was SO EFFECTIVE. It made that climax title screen absolutely incredible.

I was taking notes the whole time about exactly what you did in this game that made it SO effective. Your writing evoked a lot of really clear sounds and images and sensations, I noted in particular how when describing Charlie's mom bring the car to a stop and turn it off, it was described in terms of sound: the roaring engine, and how at the turn of the key the sound quieted. It turned the scene from just a catalogue of "this happened" into something where I could hear and feel it, and I could sense Charlie's focus on specific sounds and actions by the way it is described. Just excellent writing all around.

[Vague spoilers below because I have more to say but honestly I recommend anyone just download and play the game now instead of reading the rest of this comment]

I adore stories about generational trauma and that do very interesting things with the werewolf puberty metaphor. This was just an excellent game all around. Really great work!

Really excited to check out 0.3 there's a lot of intriguing stuff here

It's cool to see what elements of the Impossible Cave DNA were already present in the initial vision, despite how much is changed. And I'm glad you were able to identify what wasn't working and re-prioritize to create something you're passionate about finishing. Can't wait for future updates!

This is a really polished demo, feels really great, nice and atmospheric.