
Screenshots

Watch trailer on Steam ↗Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~ Episode 1 ~ Waltz
ArcanaXIX · Published by ArcanaXIX · Official site ↗
Content notice: This game deals with topics including: child abuse/neglect, death, murder. It also involves body horror with respect to the main character's werewolf transformations.
Positive — 100% positive (20 reviews)
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
Play as Amadeus, a young werewolf struggling to understand his condition, as he navigates a tale woven by Witches. In desperation, he sells his own memories for a notebook and a promise. A linear narrative Visual Novel + Adventure Game. Episode 1 of 5.
£6.69
Lowest price we've ever recorded
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Price history
Adventure · 2025 · More £5 - £15 games
Explore Amadeus' journey as he grapples with his lycanthropy in this linear Visual Novel + Adventure Game from ArcanaXIX. Episode 1 of 5 delves into the dark arts and lost memories.
About this 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 now.
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 Scheuerman, Frances Maples, Luke Tellson, Ageha Nacht
Solea Design Consultant - Alecya Mitchell
Proofreading - Ashlee Scheuerman
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
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS *: Windows 7 64-bit
- Processor: Intel Core i3
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: onboard
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- Additional Notes: For less robust and older systems or outdated OS, it is recommended to toggle OFF the optional splash screen setting, and reduce the screen resolution.
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel Core i7-4770k
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- Additional Notes: This is an example system it tested well on, but it should run well on almost any hardware. Dedicated graphics card should not be necessary.
Supported Languages
Latest news
Patch NotesOfficial
Episode 1 ~ Waltz v1.2: Audio Bug Patched
Patch Notes:Footstep SFX no longer sound repeatedly when there is lagOne text adjustmentBecause this game runs without lag on most machines, most people should not have encountered the audio bug. As of v1.2, it's fixed regardless!(If you experience lag, reducing the resolution in Window Settings is still the recommended workaround.)My work is now largely focused on Episode 2 ~ Reharm. Development updates for Episode 2 are posted to its store page, here:Please let me know if you experience any issues. Thank you for playing!Read full article on Community Announcements (Ace Detective)AnnouncementsOfficial
Tabling at FanimeCon 2026!
Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~ Episode 1 ~ Waltz will be tabling in the Indie Games section at the FanimeCon 2026 gaming hall!If you're attending, please stop by and say hi. I'll have:A short version of the demo to play through in personAll of the notebooks with the physical art I hand-drew for the gameBandcamp album download codesIf you happen to be attending next weekend, I'll see you there. And don't forget to Wishlist Episode 2 if you haven't yet!Read full article on Community Announcements (Ace Detective)AnnouncementsOfficial
Thank you! + Franchise Page Now Up
There's now a franchise page for Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee! If you'd like one place to check the current state of the series, look no further:https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46102296-Amadeus-A-Riddle-for-Thee/🐺 One place for all future episodes 🌺 Demos & soundtracks too 🌕 Highlights deals/discountsThis was made in preparation for Episode 2 ~ Reharm's new store page. Thank you so much for wishlisting this past week to help support the page launch!With this launch behind me, I'll be refocusing on Episode 2's development. There's one more piece of news for Episode 1 happening this month, but that announcement will be coming next week. Until then...Read full article on Community Announcements (Ace Detective)AnnouncementsOfficial
20% Off Episode 1! Celebrating Episode 2 Store Page Launch
I'll keep it short! Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee ~ Episode 1 ~ Waltz is on sale for 20% off until Sunday, May 10 to celebrate the launch of....The Episode 2 ~ Reharm Store PageEpisode 2 ~ Reharm on Steam—wishlist now!You can also check out the Amadeus: A Riddle for Thee Franchise page as a hub for all future episode releases.Thank you for your interest!Read full article on Community Announcements (Ace Detective)Patch NotesOfficial
Episode 2 ~ Reharm Status Update
The bulk of development progress that occurred since the last post can be summed up in this screenshot:Solea has in-game legs now!Episode 2 has its first fleshed-out background image!And... that pretty much covers it.I do have 2 big announcements to make soon (one of which may be exciting for California convention-goers...), so stay tuned for those. As far as what's concretely been accomplished: see above.If you're interested in a significantly longer version of this update, you can read it on itch.io. That, and everything Amadeus-related, can also be accessed at linktr.ee/amadeusgame.Thank you for playing Episode 1 ~ Waltz! I hope you like Episode 2 ~ Reharm when it's ready.Read full article on Community Announcements (Ace Detective)






