First details crack open the door to Riddlewood Manor on PC

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Spooky but whimsical first-person cartoon puzzler unveiled from the creators of the Retropolis series

For their first two games, indie developer Peanut Button took players to the futuristic sci-fi robot world of Retropolis to solve crimes in virtual reality. Their next title leaves VR behind and promises to be quite different and a whole lot closer to home, in the form of a first-person haunted house puzzler called Riddlewood Manor. 

As its title suggests, the game takes place within the conundrum-packed walls of the grand manor once belonging to the Riddlewoods. It's your task to uncover the dark family secrets concealed here, but to do that you'll need to purify the house by purging the "malevolent spirits" that still linger here. Along the way, you'll need to explore the many rooms of the haunted mansion, solve a variety of puzzles, and interact with a diverse cast of fantastical characters, from an eccentric dragon to a hungry chicken. But beware the "demonic doll" that follows your every step, as "death awaits with just one misstep" if you're not careful. 

Riddlewood Manor promises a "spooky" atmosphere both "mysterious and macabre," with plenty of jump scares throughout. However, it's a ghost story with a light touch, as its gothic setting "oozes dark charm, balancing moments of terror with the absurd." Presented in a cartoony art style, the game blends "horror and whimsy, providing an experience nostalgic of amusement park rides and Saturday morning cartoons." Using a simple point-and-click slideshow-style control scheme, players must "venture through the shadowy corridors of the manor" in search of secrets and a generous supply of puzzles ranging from "crafting a breakfast with unappetizing pig parts to assembling a séance board with hidden clues." The more puzzles you solve, the closer you'll get to finally unraveling the tragic history of this place – assuming you're able to escape alive.

There is no firm target release date, but Riddlewood Manor is already available for wishlisting on Steam for Windows, Mac and Linux, with an official website where you can follow its progress in the meantime.