A Weekend at Villa Apate

A Weekend at Villa Apate is a #pointnclick #adventure game, being developed for #AdvJam2021

The Story

Paco is a musician whose dream to start to gain money with his talent and passion seems to have a shot, thanks to his contribution to a thrilling videogame that he's done with Marco Giorgini.

The turning point could be ItAdvCon - the Italian Convention for Adventure Games - where they'll be able to showcase their work AND to meet an important publisher that may be willing to put real money on them.

If that was not enough, this year ItAdvCon will be held in a luxury location - Villa Apate, near San Luca, Bologna, usually a place for more exotic and prestigious events - and Marco was able somehow to book a room so they'll be able to finish to prepare their speech together and with every possible comfort.

Paco thinks that they really had a lucky hit.

But did they really have it?

Where are you when the game starts?

Well, you don't know that for sure. You don't remember *anything * but you think you may be in a hotel room. But you'll have to figure out something about your recent past - in a hurry - because it seems someone wants to kill you. And that won't be necessarily your main problem for long.

How to play

Left-click: look at / move to
Right-click: use / interact / talk to
To change area, click to move to the exit point, then once there, click again

Credits

Story, Graphics and Animations by Marco Giorgini (@marcogiorgini )
Original Soundtracks by Paco Diago (@PacoDiago )
Test&Proofing: Paco Diago
Game built with Defold engine (http://www.defold.com)

#adventure #pointnclick #retro #pixelart #scifi #comedy

Do you need hints to finish the game?

Even if the game is not long, it doesn't mean you can't be stuck somewhere - because of you or more probably because of me - because I couldn't make everything clear enough.
To help you finish the game - if you want to do that - I've written some notes - trying to be not too obvious, but helpful anyway.
I've used a question-answer approach - and I've put things in order. So you can read the questions, and see if it's related to something you care.

SPOILER ALERT

What's going on?

You wake up on Saturday morning. But something happened Friday evening/night and you can't (at the start) remember it. Whatever it is, someone now wants to kill you. So you have to figure out who are they, and why they decided you don't need to live anymore

How do things work in the game?

For some reason you don't understand, you can die, and then wake up again. But it seems that you can also go back in time, through your memories. If you can remember well enough something, you can potentially revive it - and change it. And by doing so you can change the present.

How can you understand who are your killers?

To have a clue you need to see one of them, then check events brochures to see if you can recognize him. That should trigger that main memory.

How can you avoid finishing on their killing list?

It's too late. For some reason, they know about you - or better - about someone who they think you are. So you have to stop them for good. No, not killing them (they're too much) but in the more permanent way that you can find

How can I stop them?

Well, you're lucky. If you can crash their party without being caught you'll find an unexpected partner. Or better, you can ask for help from someone else's partners.

But how can I crash their party?

Easy. You need to look like them. The best way is to use something they use too - maybe taken directly from one of their rooms.

But they keep on catching me!

You need a bit of disguise. A hat is fine. Someone can make one if you don't find any if you're kind enough

Ok, now I'm in, and they don't consider me. But I cannot find the person you told me about

You need to move the beverages guard. He's the child of your new favorite hat maker. He's not too nice, but you can direct him against another not-nice person if you ask around.

Ok, I've found the kidnapped guy and I've talked with his partners - but something's still missing - with R pills

Yes, it's better if you avoid the risk to be drugged again. Stealing them is not an option (and they'll see they're missing). But you may decide to replace them with something similar. Something used to kill, but not humans.

Yes! I did it. But now I'm in very odd trouble - a red-eyed one

Taking drinks from strangers is never a good idea - but it's surely a BAD idea if they're MAD Scientists. But if you don't drink it, you can't defeat the killers so you've got an impasse. Maybe there's a book with useful information - if you didn't already talk (after you've been injected) with the guy that suggested you as a test subject, to skip that for himself.

I know what to do, but not where or how

Well, if you want to enable or disable a hotel service, its office is the most probable place to go. They won't let you, of course, but you got a friend with you who doesn't scare easily when there are easy and not dangerous things to do.

I've seen something odd when I've enabled what was not enabled

Yes. And you'll pay for it

Oh. Now I've seen that. Another deadly danger for me

Yes. And you cannot avoid it, without not doing something that you need to do, to not die for another reason. Cool, isn't it? So now you've to go back but AFTER the moment you defeat the killers and avoid serum effects. Because you now need to solve the MAIN problem happing this weekend at Villa Apate - the Ancient One awakening. So, check the dead man with a hood, so to see what's on his hand. You know you need that, don't you?

Ok, now I know what I must have on my hand too - but how can I trace it in red paint?

You're dealing with wannabes. So similar is good. For that, proceed in two steps. First, draw it, the make it reddish somehow.

Now I'm inside the Cultist room, what I have to do?

You need to know what they have done, and where. And what they're going to do, and with what. If you know all those things you can try to outrun them, banning, instead of finalizing the summoning.

I've no idea about how to go from here

You saw a book, you need it, in a better edition. Books are where books are. Read it, check what other things the young cultists may have done and try to fix it

I've still no idea about how to go from here

You need some white substance - easily available everywhere with shops - but harder to find if you don't know where the kitchen is in a Hotel. But, wait, isn't this substance used also with drinks? Of course, it'll cost you a little more but it won't be a problem, will it?

I have NO money. And even if I had, I wouldn't have SUCH money!

Yes, you're right. It's criminal to ask so much. So... maybe you can use something owned by a criminal, before he ran (probably) to the bathroom, for a very long time.

Good. A now?

You'll need human blood. Virgin's blood. Or was it a translation error even that part? Ah, yes, it was. So maybe you can find some blood - female blood - outside of a female being. Is it gross? Yes. But gross is better than killing - at least for me.

Where I need to go?

You should have seen that. But you don't want to go alone, do you? Recover Marco from MADs and have a little trip

And now?

Summoning is like preparing a pie. Pour that, add that, follow the recipe and it's done. Or well it's DONE, considering you're trying to finalize to summon a GOD - even if for banishing him.

I don't have a phone!

Phones, nowadays, are more used as cameras than as a phone. And people are more willing to give their smartphone in your hand to watch a picture than to make a call. Think about it

They just killed him! He was my friend! And well I'm afraid they're going to kill me too

Oh, I get you're scared, but you have just one last thing to do. Do it and everything will be fine - won't it?

Thanks for playing!