No Money, No Problem: Masques & Murder

Title: Masques and Murder!
Developer: James Patton
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Price: Pay-What-You-Want
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A Renaissance vengeance simulator

Like a pebble in the midst of a stream, danger and deceit flows around you. Your father and brother have been murdered, struck down by the devious Prince and his sons. You will be forcibly married in a month's time, so your inheritance, your family's vast wealth and land, will be owned by the conspirators. But in Masques and Murder, you will not accept your fate idly.

Masques and Murder is an engaging mix of visual novel and RPG; playing as Justitia, you must prepare your plot for revenge while avoiding suspicion. An array of skills can be trained, from swordplay and firearms to dance and music. Each son has different likes, and you must careful befriend and seduce them while simultaneously not arousing suspicion by appearing too successful at certain events and tasks.

With each passing day, you carefully manage your skills, your mood,  different events, the suspicion and respect of your enemies, until Justitia can finally strike and exact her vengeance. The Renaissance-era plotting occurs against a backdrop of art from the period and is brought to life through well-written flavor text.

Masques and Murder has been in development for over a year, and the polish shows in its layered gameplay and extensive descriptions. You can download the game here.