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Amanda the Adventurer

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Amanda the Adventurer
Genre(s)Horror
Developer(s)MANGLEDmaw Games
Publisher(s)DreadXP
Platform(s)PC
Steam
PS4
Switch
First release2022
Latest release2024

Amanda the Adventurer is a horror themed video game series developed by MANGLEDmaw Games and published by DreadXP, the video game publishing arm of Dread Central. The series started as an entry into a game jam and was developed into a full game after it was acquired by DreadXP.

The series centers upon the protagonist Riley, who has become involved with the mystery surrounding the children's show Amanda the Adventurer.

Game play

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During the game players must solve puzzles and locate VHS tapes containing episodes from the children's series Amanda the Adventurer.[1] While screening the tapes players can interact with Amanda and her companion Wooly, which can in turn impact the player's environment and game endings.[2] The player assumes control of Riley, a non-gender specific character who is tasked with investigating the mystery surrounding the show and the sinister company Hamelin Entertainment.[3]

Synopsis

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Players control Riley Park, who has moved to Kensdale, Ohio after receiving a goodbye letter from their Aunt Kate. In the letter Kate leaves her home to Riley and makes vague statements about running out of time. After arriving Riley discovers that Kate was researching the children's series Amanda the Adventurer, which had started off as a live-action show and became a 3D cartoon after it was acquired by Hameln Entertainment. During its run parents became concerned about some of the show's plots and messages. Several children also went missing while watching the show, causing Kate to investigate the show and suspect that supernatural forces may be at play.

Riley discovers a VHS tape in Kate's attic and plays the tape, during which they are able to interact with Amanda and her companion Wooly. As they finish a tape and the associated puzzles, Riley discovers more tapes and learns that Kate was correct in assuming that the show had ties to the supernatural. Depending on their choices Riley can discover additional, secret tapes that give out more information about the series, the people who created it, and the child who was the original Amanda, Rebecca Colton. Players can also trigger an ending where Riley is killed by a monstrous version of Amanda. If they achieve the true ending, Riley is left alive and Amanda tells Riley that she is out there somewhere. Riley is forced to destroy the TV they used to play the VHS tapes just as a masked figure enters the attic.

In the second game the masked figure reveals herself to be Johanna, a friend and associate of Kate's, who was helping in the investigation of the show after the disappearance of Johanna's little brother Jordan. She takes Riley to Kate's former workplace, the Kensdale Public Library, where Riley is again tasked with finding various VHS tapes and uncovering more secrets about the show, Hamelin Entertainment, and the forces that may be at work. As with the previous entry, the game's ending will depend on whether or not Riley has discovered all of the VHS tapes and responded to prompts correctly. There are multiple points where the player can die depending on their actions, such as giving the Amanda monster the wrong toy or telling Amanda the wrong story.

If Riley has found all of the secret tapes and successfully warded off a new, disruptive possum character, the game will end with Johanna getting attacked and killed by the Amanda monster after destroying one of the tapes. Riley is given a VHS tape and urged to flee through an escape tunnel that Kate had installed in the library. If Riley chose not to ward off the possum in the final tape, the possum will call out for "JOH" when it hears Johanna speak. Riley is still send away with a VHS tape, however Johanna is attacked by a different monster that resembles Wooly.

Characters

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  • Riley: Riley is a character of unspecified age and gender. They are related to their aunt Kate, who had an untimely death prior to the first game, and have been tasked with uncovering the mystery surrounding the show Amanda and the Adventurer.
  • Amanda: In the 3D cartoon series Amanda is portrayed as an adventurous, friendly child who is eager to see new things. When Riley interacts with the character, Amanda is shown to have a darker streak and is capable of expressing a wider range of emotions not typically shown in a children's cartoon aimed at young children.
  • Kate: The character is shown to have died prior to the events of the first game. Before her death Kate was a public librarian who ran the local library in Kensdale. In the games Kate is shown to have promoted Amanda the Adventurer when it was a live-action show and was friends with Rebecca Colton, the girl who portrayed Amanda.

Games

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The first Amanda the Adventurer game was released in 2022 as part of DreadXP's Found Footage Jam on Itch.io. The game, which has been referred to as Amanda the Adventurer: Pilot Episode, was developed by MANGLEDmaw Games, Arcadim, and SinsterCid.[4] In October 2022 DreadXP made an announcement that they had acquired the title for Amanda the Adventurer and would work with MANGLEDmaw to create a full game.[5] A demo of the full game was premiered at PAX East in early 2023.[6]

The first full Amanda the Adventurer game was released on April 25, 2023 via Steam and featured localized subtitles for multiple languages.[7][8] The game was given a release on the Nintendo Switch in September of the same year and in 2024, Amanda the Adventurer released to the PlayStation and Xbox.[9][10]

A sequel entitled Amanda the Adventurer 2 was released to Steam on October 22, 2024.[11]

Reception

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After its release the first Amanda the Adventurer game became popular with online gaming streamers and per PCGamesN, videos relating to the game received approximately 1.5 billion views on YouTube.[12] Vice.com praised the game for its aesthetics and puzzles, as well as the choice to make the game start off "disarmingly sweet and wholesome."[13]

GamesRadar+ reviewed the first game, warning readers that some of the game's visuals could be disturbing and that it did not end with any definitive answers while also noting that "Otherwise, Amanda the Adventurer is a startlingly effective horror game deceptively wrapped in the aesthetics of an old analog horror game and retro children's TV shows."[14] Prima Games was also critical of the game ending with too many unanswered questions; they also praised the game's writing, world building, and puzzles.[15] TouchArcade reviewed the first game's port to the Nintendo Switch, stating that it was an overall good port but that "I feel like the change to how you interact with preset options rather than inputting on a keyboard like in the PC version holds this back from its true potential."[16]

Hardcore Gamer reviewed the second game, stating that it was "a fun adventure title that delivers solid puzzles, great performances and a nice mixture of dread and humor, but a few sloppy decisions and a lack of anything substantial in either the gameplay or story areas hold it back."[17]

Reflist

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  1. ^ McMullen, Chris (2023-05-06). "Is Amanda the Adventurer Scary?". The Escapist. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  2. ^ Holthe, Emmy (2023-06-16). "Every Ending in Amanda the Adventurer (& How to Unlock Them)". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  3. ^ Sheehan, Gavin (2024-10-09). "Amanda the Adventurer 2 To Be Released In Two Weeks". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  4. ^ "Pilot Episode and Brand New Demo! - Amanda the Adventurer". Itch.io.
  5. ^ Korngut, Josh (2022-10-27). "DreadXP Now Aquire Horror Games 'Amanda the Adventurer' and '[I] doesn't exist'". Dread Central. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  6. ^ Wilson, Mike (2023-03-27). "DreadXP Confirms Found Footage Horror Game 'Amanda the Adventurer' Release Date With New Trailer [Watch]". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  7. ^ Korngut, Josh (2023-04-25). "'Amanda the Adventurer': DreadXP Unleashes 90s-Nostalgia Nightmare Onto Windows PC". Dread Central. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  8. ^ Sheehan, Gavin (2023-03-27). "New Horror Title Amanda The Adventurer Slated For April Release". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  9. ^ Wilson, Mike (2024-10-04). "Edutainment Horror Title 'Amanda the Adventurer' Comes to PlayStation, Xbox on October 10 [Trailer]". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  10. ^ Wilson, Mike (2023-09-12). "Edutainment Horror Game 'Amanda the Adventurer' Heads to the Nintendo Switch September 19th". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  11. ^ Wilson, Mike (2024-10-10). "'Amanda the Adventurer 2' Launches on Steam on October 22 [Trailer]". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  12. ^ "Viral horror game boasting 1.5 billion views gets surprise sequel". PCGamesN. 2024-05-10. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  13. ^ Jenkins, Dwayne (2024-10-21). "Hey, Sequel to Horror Classic 'Amanda the Adventurer' Is Coming out Tomorrow". VICE. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  14. ^ Gerblick, Jordan (2023-05-19). "I played viral horror game Amanda the Adventurer and I want my full nights of sleep back". gamesradar. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  15. ^ Fama, Daphne (2023-05-05). "Amanda the Adventurer Review | Childhood Nostalgia meets Demonic Mystery". Prima Games. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  16. ^ Musgrave, Shaun (2023-10-03). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'The Legend of Nayuta', Plus 'Disgaea 7' and Other Releases and Sales – TouchArcade". TouchArcade. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  17. ^ LeClair, Kyle (2024-10-25). "Review: Amanda the Adventurer 2". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
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