Kamilia found on Steam for Windows and Mac

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Demo also available for retro-RPG-styled, early-twentieth-century mystery adventure 

When you think of the most likely profession for an amateur detective, "painter" probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But perhaps its should be, because it's an artist who takes the lead role in the seemingly unsolvable case of Kamilia, the newly released mystery adventure from indie developer RQ play.

In 1909, the town of Roga was rocked by a series of incidents, including the murder of the governor and the kidnapping of a young dressmaker named Kamilia, leaving her talented painter husband Wilf devastated. Despite the best efforts of the police, including a senior detective named Robin and his junior partner Carl, Kamilia was never found. Now eight years later, Wilf takes it upon himself to pursue the cold case, hoping to "clear the unsettling shadows of death that took over Roga." But though his motivations may be personal, Wilf soon discovers that the stakes are much higher than he imagined. As he begins to pull back new layers of the mystery, it becomes clear that more than one dark secret has been concealed all these years – secrets that some in town don't want exposed even now. 

Rather than a traditional point-and-click adventure, Kamilia is a top-down, retro-RPG-styled pixel art game controlled by either keyboard or gamepad. There are many clues to be uncovered but no identifying hotspots offering assistance, so you'll need to be diligent in your examination of each scene. There are "moderate puzzle elements" to solve, and even a bit of painting to do, but the main focus here is on the "story-driven, choices-matter detective mystery" at the game's core. The narrative bounces around, not only between different timelines but between various playable characters as well, from the gruesome aftermath of cold-blooded murder to the sweet romance of young Kamilia and Wilf, made all the more heartbreaking by knowing the fate that awaits them. Or do you? Players do have some control over story progression, as your decisions will have "important" consequences that not only "shape the outcome of the story" but determine which of the multiple different endings you receive.

Armchair sleuths can start investigating right away, as Kamilia is now available on Steam for Windows and Mac. If you'd rather try it out first, a playable demo offers a pair of "mid-section" scenes, one set after and then another before the young eponymous woman's abduction. 

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