Amarantus (Demo)

Arik's been told two things all his life: the country's being ruled by a tyrant, and somebody needs to do something.

When an unexplained attack sends him fleeing home in the middle of the night, his family captured and his house torched—it's time to gather a party, hit the road, and take the Lord down.

Along the journey, this motley crew of old friends and new strangers will grow closer—or further apart—as Arik uncovers opportunities to win friends, make enemies, play matchmaker, and fall in love.

From art to dialogue to characters' messy affections and tensions, Amarantus is more alive than most visual novels we've played...it feels like it's doing something completely innovative, but in a pure-as-it-gets visual novel. - video games are good 

these people are a disaster waiting to happen and I want front row seats - Joy

Cultivate platonic, antagonistic, or romantic relationships—and more

Pursue different potential relationships with each member of the party—or leave them to make their own (invariably terrible) decisions. But be warned: not every relationship is a guaranteed success, and some romances might leave you feeling worse.

Every decision you make shapes who Arik is

Soft and gentle lad with a heart of gold, or angry and aggressive timebomb? Some party members will find themselves drawn to certain personalities, and others might be completely put off.

Struggle to keep everyone happy—or pick favourites and alienate others

Party members have distinct outlooks, wants, and needs. Keeping some of them happy might mean betraying others. And they won't suffer in silence...

Features

• An actual plot about war and tyranny and politics
• The potential for romantic, platonic, sexual, antagonistic, and polyamorous relationships with different party members
• A single playthrough takes 3-4 hours, multiple playthroughs required to uncover the truth
• Unlockable graphic inserts by award-winning comic artist Hien Pham
• Dynamic and immersive sound design underscored by original post-rock soundtrack

Cooler features

• Announce your brilliant plan...then glimpse a party member silently rolling their eyes in the corner of the screen
• Learn to correctly pronounce someone's name, permanently updating the UI
• Nickname your lover after the stupid thing they said that one time
• Screw everything up
• Learn how to make your friends laugh
• Have a poorly judged hookup really early on and then spend the rest of the playthrough awkwardly trying not to address it
• Uncover the political history of your country and a war spanning generations
• Experience the thrill of almost, but not quite, holding hands with somebody you love
• Make one bad decision and then try to redeem yourself while everyone makes snide comments
• Tell three characters in one day that they're the love of your life, then navigate the fallout
• And a lot more of that sort of thing

Amarantus will be launching in 2023. Download the free demo now for a preview of the opening!

Content warnings

Referenced: drug and alcohol use, addiction, mental illness, suicide.

Explored: violence (text descriptions), sex & sexuality, toxic relationships.

Contains some non-explicit but spicy depictions of nudity and sexual situations.