Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~ Episode 1 ~ Waltz

About the Game

"I offer a guarantee—an absolute guarantee—that the tomes will contain the truth on the curse that afflicts you."

Such is the Witch's promise. Is it worth the price she demands?

Can Amadeus discover the truth within the first tome's pages before the moon Aska rises this very night?

About

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; determined to reclaim agency over his own self, while afflicted by a curse that steals it from him every time the greater moon draws full.

Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee is a narrative game heavily inspired by Umineko When They Cry thematically, and Professor Layton aesthetically.

There will be 5 episodes in total. Episode 1 ~ Waltz out November 21, 2025.

Features

• A story about legacy and identity; layered with hints to a greater mystery yet to be unveiled

• 1-2 hours of linear, narrative-focused gameplay

  • 9 interactive Point-and-Click scenes

  • 12 pure Visual Novel scenes

• Notebook mechanic to track hints as the story progresses

• 24 music tracks in a textured, melodic, dissonant, electro-acoustic soundtrack

  • 6 tracks with dynamic layers

  • 15 tracks with live instrumental performances by 5 musicians

• Opening cinematic

• All art physically hand-drawn in pencil and ink on paper

• Flexible point-and-click control scheme:

  • Fully playable with keyboard only

  • Fully playable with mouse only

  • Space supported as click alternative when using mouse controls

  • Cursor icon changes to indicate player interactions

  • "Cycle through all interactibles" hotkey

• Visual Novel QoL Features:

  • Toggle for auto-progressing text

  • Adjustable text appearance speed & auto-progression time between textboxes

  • Instant text appearance option

  • Backlog of previously-read text

 Accessibility

• Game includes a "glitch/flicker" effect in some scenes that cannot be toggled off.

• Fonts cannot be adjusted or re-sized.

• Supports manually scaling to any window size up to screen's native resolution.

• Features discrete volume sliders for music, sound effects, and ambiences.

• Fully playable using keyboard exclusively, mouse exclusively, or any desired combination of keyboard/mouse (including hover-and-spacebar)

• Save anytime in the menu. No autosave.

• No timed inputs or quick time events.

• No audio-only cues.

Credits

Designed, Developed, Written, Composed, and Drawn by Leo "ArcanaXIX"

Musicians

• Amadeus's Piano Performance - ENDYSIS

• Winds (various) - Lucas Bere

  • ​Deal with a Witch (clarinet)

  • ​Dartmaure (clarinet)

  • ​Spellbound Mischief (flute)

  • ​End Credits (flute, whistle)

• Marimba (Spellbound Mischief) - Jay Lee

• Bassoon (Watchtower Interlude) - Quill Grant

• Cello (various) - Leo "ArcanaXIX"​

• Mix Consultant - Sonia Mokhtari

Art & Narrative

• Narrative Consultants - Ashlee Scheuermann, Frances Maples, Luke Tellson, Ageha Nacht

• Solea Design Consultant - Alecya Mitchell

• Proofreading - Ashlee Scheuermann

Programming

• C# Consultants - Dan Mellot, Carlos Nieto

Marketing & Assets

• Logo Design Consultant - Sarah Seward

• Convention Table Assistant - Derek Allsup

• Glitch Effect Shader - Tilman Schmidt

Playtesting

• Playtesting - Derek, Joanna, Luke, Aaron, Ashlee, Nathalie, Ageha

• Playtesting (original prototype) - Alex, Lucas, Skipper, Nathalie, Taylor, Dan