Persuasion RPG
A downloadable game for Windows
🕯️ PERSUASION
- ver 0.84 (06/27/26)
-- FULL GAME Now Available on Steam! --
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4438740/Persuasion_RPG/
🎉 Hey everyone! We are slated to appear at the Steam Next Fest so if you want to support further development of Persuasion head over to the Steam page and wishlist! You will be notified when the game is available for download, which should be in less than 2 weeks!
There is a BIG update coming! It will be visible both here on Itch and also on Steam, we have no intentions of leaving our Itch-base so keep circling back, and if you haven't tried the demo... go ahead, DO IT!
Persuasion RPG has already drawn almost 7000 players! And it’s already been added to almost 200 collections! (and a hefty number of followers...) YOU ALL ROCK!
The best part? You all made this happen on itch.io 🚀 As of June 2026:
- Still #1 new Victorian game!
- #2 new Lovecraftian Horror game!
- #2 new Strategy RPG!
- Top 10 new Mystery game!
- Top 20 new text based game!
- MAJOR UPDATES -
- Additional artifact features, particularly for map render enhancement.
- Additional sound effects and improved SFX reliability.
- Inventory and item usage menus streamlined; usable items highlighted.
- Chests have improved confirmation and rewards, up to 3 clues and 3 artifacts.
- Expanded artifact and potion effects, with clearer player feedback on use.
- Map rendering is enhanced by artifact features
- "Make accusation" option added to interrogation, with risk, trust/tolerance penalty, and chance of suspect transformation (v0.83).
- Failsafe logic ensures every mystery is solvable by guaranteeing clue placement or recovery
- Improved lie detection in suspect interrogation, with dynamic feedback based on player perception
- Motives now show in the murder board and deduction tree
- UI/UX is smoother with better error handling and minor interface tweaks.
-- ALSO ---
- New toolbar: A persistent stats and action toolbar now appears at the top of the action screen for improved UI/UX and player feedback.
- More detailed suspect dossier with several ASCII art displays.
- Additional ASCII art: More art files integrated for combat, suspect dossiers, and flavor events.
- Adjusted score logic and handlers for combat, bossfight, and player deduction failures.
- Added extra songs and expanded the soundtrack, including new tracks for combat, menu events and ambience.
- Improved music/ambience/mute toggle: ALL sound modes can now be cycled with a single keybind for seamless audio control to handle all those new music files.
- Lightly revamped deduction tree: Improved deduction logic and visual presentation for suspect motive.
READ THE INCLUDED SIMULATION MD FILES for some sample playthroughs to get an idea. DEMO NOW AVAILABLE! Note that the game uses advanced Unicode and color output. You must use the new Windows Terminal for full color and emoji/icon support. The classic Command Prompt (cmd.exe) may not display colors or icons correctly. Chances are the game will behave normally under Windows 11 by default. See below for details!
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📜 A Text-Driven Victorian Roguelike Mystery
Step into the fog-drenched world of Persuasion, a haunting retro-inspired RPG where choices are dynamic, every shadow hides a secret and every whispered lie could be your last clue.
There's a LOT going on behind the curtain with this game.
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🎩 Victorian Gothic Atmosphere
Set in the eerie halls of a decaying Victorian estate, Persuasion draws you into a labyrinth of candlelit corridors, locked attics and crumbling cellars—each filled with cryptic objects, ritualistic clues and unspeakable horrors. Lovecraftian madness blends with British restraint in this masterclass of moody mystery.
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💀 Murder. Mystery. Madness.
Unravel a chilling murder plot by:
- 🔍 Investigating over 40 uniquely described rooms, from the Parlor to the Torture Chamber.
- 🧠 Interrogating up to 8 suspects, each with their own alibis, motives and behavioral traits.
- 📓 Tracking clues and suspicions through your interactive investigation journal.
- 🎭 Evaluating suspect credibility using a dynamic truth-detection system based on your perception, sanity and recursive deduction tools from your journal.
- 🩸 Engaging in deadly confrontations if the murderer strikes—or if you do.
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🕹️ Retro Mechanics, Modern Depth
With its nostalgic ASCII-style map, fully text-driven interface and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure pacing, Persuasion pays tribute to the golden era of narrative games. But beneath the classic surface lies a modern engine featuring:
- 🗺️ Procedurally generated mansions—each run is different.
- 👁️ Fog-of-war navigation, blocked passages and hidden paths.
- 📦 Inventory, stat-based character creation and clue discovery.
- 🧍♂️ Dynamic NPC movement: suspects roam the mansion as you do, raising tension and uncertainty.
- 💬 Hybrid interrogation-combat system—ask the wrong questions and you might bleed for it.
- ⏳ Turn-based progression ensures that your choices shape the story… and the map.
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🧠 Replayable, Deep and Immersive
No two playthroughs are alike (well... the odds are 10 ⁷⁰ to 1). With over 120 potential room nodes, branching paths, stat-based combat and randomized clue/alibi/motive & suspect combinations, Persuasion invites repeat investigations. A full session can last 2–5 hours, or stretch longer for completionists and careful sleuths.
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👁️🗨️ Low Magic. High Dread.
The world of Persuasion features subtle supernatural elements, rooted in psychological horror and spiritual dread. Sanity is your most fragile asset. As your mind fractures, room descriptions distort, text clarity declines and even the map can lie.
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📎
NEWEST FEATURES
Version 0.83:
- Chests give up to 3 clues and 3 artifacts, with improved confirmation.
- Inventory and item usage menus streamlined; usable items highlighted.
- More sound effects and improved SFX reliability.
- Artifact features expanded, especially for map rendering
- Artifacts/potions now always stored as "dicts"; expanded effects and feedback.
- Minor UI/UX tweaks and improved error handling.
- "Make accusation" option added to interrogation (with risk, trust/tolerance penalty, and chance of suspect transformation).
- Score calculation fix.
- More consistent alibi/time/location referencing.
- Failsafe for clue placement (every mystery is solvable).
- Additional audio.
Version 0.82:
- Improved lie detection in suspect interrogation (more accurate, immersive feedback).
- Dynamic lie detection for knowledge/witnesses (lie warning only if perception ≥ 12).
- Motives now show in the murder board and deduction tree.
Version 0.78 brought new features:
1. Fixed a bug that introduced a false positive during interrogation. Suspects now reliably divulge information during interrogation if trust is high enough. Culprit assignments always have means, motive, and if an alibi or clue is taken into account by the validation logic.
2. Flavor explanation helpers improved. Currently featuring new interrogation responses and improved sanity effects and along with it- PERMADEATH!
3. Personalized journal entries! Also, some squashing of bugs that made solving cases feel more like luck than skill-evidence, now reliably checks the actual culprit, rewarding your careful detective work and with it a revamped interrogation menu that is MUCH more intuitive.
Version 0.76 brought these new features and improvements:
1. The interrogation interface has been completely revamped with a cleaner, more intuitive menu structure that organizes your questioning tactics into clear categories.
2. A powerful new personal journal system lets you jot down your own theories and observations right alongside the game's automatic entries, which you can edit or delete as your investigation evolves.
3. Evidence placement has been refined so clues now reliably appear at crime scenes and connect meaningfully to suspects' motives, while the trust system is now fully transparent, showing how your actions affect suspects' willingness to cooperate, with no hidden penalties.
Version 0.73 adds ambient sounds throughout the mystery adventure and remastered the title sequence.
Version 0.72 brought these new features and improvements:
Introducing a new hide mechanic, where players can evade monsters in certain rooms after being chases. The monstrosity can also now devour suspects it encounters, and if the true culprit is eaten, the game ends in failure.
Version 0.67 brought these new features and improvements:
1. Trust Meter System
Each suspect now has a trust score (0–100), visually represented with color-coded trust states (🟥 Hostile, 🟧 Distrustful, 🟨 Neutral, 🟩 Trusting, 🟦 Loyal).
Trust affects how much information suspects reveal and their willingness to cooperate, even offering clues that are otherwise unobtainable. It can be increased or decreased by your choices, questioning style and evidence presented and fluctuates depending on the sequence in which questions are delivered during interrogation. A truly dynamic system.
2. Leverage: Blackmail & Favors
Blackmail: If you discover a suspect’s secret (via clues), you can extort them for confessions or cooperation (🔒 icon).
Favors: Return a suspect’s personal item or help them to earn a favor (🤝 icon), which can be called in for trust or clues.
Leverage status is shown on the murder board and in the journal.
3. Background Music System
Introducing title music that plays automatically at game start menu, with an option for the player to toggle sound during gameplay.
4. Deduction Puzzle Artifacts
Bishop’s Signet Ring: When used, displays a grid of all suspects’ alibis, highlighting contradictions (multiple suspects in the same place/time).
Scrying Lens: Reveals the true layout of the manor and the locations of all NPCs on the map. This was always a toggle-feature at game start, but serves as a powerful and immersive map-revealing tool, permanently lifting the fog of war and showing all NPCs, making exploration and deduction much easier after it’s found and used.
Book of Eibon: Dynamic description and special use logic when all manuscript pages are collected for this sacred text.
5. Enhanced Journal & Murder Board
Personal Journal: now categorizes entries (clues, artifacts, testimonies, other events) and shows trust/leverage status for each suspect.
Murder Board: Timeline grid shows suspects’ whereabouts, overlaps and contradictions. In easy mode, also displays alibis, trust and a handy legend.
Suspect Patterns Table: Shows corroborated, contradicted and alone statuses for each suspect’s alibi.
6. Improved Interrogation & Persuasion
Question sequence logic: Following the ideal sequence of questions builds trust; breaking it reduces trust.
Tolerance system: Suspects become hostile if questioned too aggressively, but high trust can reset their patience.
Persuasion attempts can reset a suspect’s tolerance for questioning if successful.
7. Puzzle & Artifact Enhancements
Artifacts and potions have clearer effects, side effects and one-use/permanent logic.
Artifacts can now be used in combat (e.g., Webley revolver, Abraxas Amulet, etc...)
Puzzle artifacts (like the Signet Ring) add journal entries when used.
8. Color and Icon Enhancements
Color-coded output for trust, clues, artifacts and important events. The PC must adopt Windows Terminal Preview for full color and emoji/icon support.
Also hints and achievements are more visible and informative. In addition, improved error handling and some refactoring for missing files and module imports, leading to cleaner startup and menu flow.
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CORE FEATURES
Unlock the power of words with your Persuasion skill!
The Persuasion skill lets you break through a suspect’s defenses, uncover hidden truths and even hypnotize your way to secret backstories, clues, or powerful buffs. Use your insight, charm and timing in a unique minigame—success can calm the most dangerous minds, reveal vital evidence, or grant you a crucial edge. Master the art of persuasion and shape the fate of your investigation!
Unravel the Mystery with Dynamic Deduction!
Every playthrough of Persuasion features a fully interactive deduction chart, letting you track suspects’ motives, means, alibis, relationships and more. No two investigations are ever the same—each time you play, the culprit is randomly assigned new motives, secrets and opportunities. Piece together clues, interrogate suspects and watch your deduction tree grow as you uncover the tangled web of lies and hidden truths. With every motive, means and alibi shuffled for each case, your path to justice is always fresh, challenging and deeply rewarding.
Can you solve the mystery before the shadows claim you? The answer is always different!
- ✔️ Track solved mysteries, testamonies, clues and artifacts in your journal
- ✔️ 100% keyboard-controlled interface
- ✔️ ASCII map with location initials and movement trail
- ✔️ Stat-based skill checks for interrogation, combat and clue discovery
- ✔️ Inventory, quest log and journal systems
- ✔️ Clue/evidence credibility ranking
- ✔️ A complete scoring and achievement system
- ✔️ Single save system
- ✔️ Procedural map generation and mansion layouts
- ✔️ Persuasion skill: Use your innate ability to influence suspects
- ✔️ Combat and persuasion systems expanded with new transformation mechanics and chase minigame
- ✔️ Dynamic NPC movement: suspects roam the mansion, can chase or halt when colliding with player
- ✔️ Turn-based progression and optional fog-of-war navigation
- ✔️ Supernatural events, sanity effects and stat-based text distortion
- ✔️ Multiple difficulty modes (Easy/Hard) affecting clues, suspect tolerance and chase speed
- ✔️ Unique artifacts, potions and clues scattered throughout the manor
- ✔️ Deduction tree and suspicion hints (toggleable in journal)
- ✔️ Stylish retro aesthetic and 8-bit inspired art (coming soon as DLC!)
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🎮 A Game of Logic, Faith and Perception
You're not just fighting monsters. You're fighting lies, misdirection and your own unraveling mind. Persuasion challenges players to think like detectives, act like survivors and persevere like heroes.
Can you see through the veil of fear, or will you be the next body found in the parlor?
- DOWNLOAD and INSTALL INTO A DEDICATED DIRECTORY! -
Disclaimer: Persuasion is a Victorian Roguelike Investigation RPG Game. Some mythos elements inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft (public domain). Some die rolling mechanics inspired by the FUDGE RPG system by Steffan O'Sullivan and Grey Ghost Press. No FUDGE SRD text or proprietary content is included. This game uses pygame, which is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) v2.1.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $3.99 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Download demo
Development log
- Update 0.84 out now10 days ago
- Persuasion RPG — Available this Friday on Steam at discount and on sale today...24 days ago
- Persuasion — Next Phase & Upcoming Release37 days ago
- Update 0.83 out nowMar 05, 2026
- Update 0.82 out nowFeb 28, 2026
- Major Update for 0.81 out nowFeb 26, 2026
- Demo updated to 0.78Feb 22, 2026
Comments
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Hello, Just wanted to know.
what is difference between this and steam version and would you prefer if I purchased it on steam?
A good question. The short answer is that both versions are identical, so it comes down to personal preference. If you are asking me if it affects my bottom line it does not, so whichever you prefer having in whichever library- it's up to you! And thanks for the endorsement!
hello for the steam version who bought the game here will be granted access or we have to buy it again? thanks!
In preparation for Steam Next Fest I made a demo while waiting for credentials to be finished, which means my itch followers can give it a try NOW!
DEMO LIMITATIONS:
• 30 turn limit (full version: unlimited)
• Easy Mode only (full version: includes Hard Mode & Permadeath)
• Save/Load disabled (full version: save anytime)
The demo gives you a taste of the interrogation mechanics, clue gathering, and supernatural atmosphere. The full version unlocks unlimited investigations, higher difficulty challenges, and the complete Victorian horror mystery experience.
Scroll up a bit for the link and enjoy! And thank you for purchasing when you see what's in store for you 🤩
Hi! Bought your game yesterday and I think you have a really solid framework here. I love the map feature and seeing the evidence, testimonies, and deductions stack up is very satisfying. I've finished the game on easy and hard mode and have some feedback:
Feedback:
In both playthroughs there ended up being no evidence pointing to the culprit at the point where I solved the mystery, after searching every room of the manor and interrogating all of the suspects until they were about to get hostile, which made getting the right culprit feel more like luck than about my detective skills. This could be the result of randomization or not properly interfacing with the persuasion mechanic, but in both cases none of the suspects contradicted anyone's alibi and on the solve screen it also said that no evidence pointed directly to the culprit.
I didn't encounter any monsters on either playthrough? Probably not a bug but it felt confusing to see mention of a monster mechanic in the update notes and never have it come up. If there was some "monster status" information available to the player I would have been less confused about what happened, but I appreciate wanting to keep the suspense high by not giving the player that information.
Using potions doesn't change their descriptors in the inventory, so at the end of my game I ended up having three empty potions taking up inventory space still saying what they originally were. Not a gameplay issue but it's easier for comprehension if they were removed from the inventory or were replaced with "empty bottle" for example.
I would have liked some flavour text for the torn page from a bestiary item, in line with the envelope from the commissioner and the dreaming note.
The game music is very intense, which doesn't always fit the vibe of a relaxed and careful playthrough. The first command I ran every time I restarted the game was to switch the music to ambient noises. Maybe a persistent setting or toggle for music?
Right now the executable doesn't come packaged with an icon. I made one for my use by cropping the lovely splash art, and having an icon to immediately identify the game is a very small touch that makes the game stand out among the others on my device.
Bugs:
Some interactions have the "press space to continue" prompt happen multiple times, notably stuff that interacts with the inventory like using certain items or searching through rooms and acquiring items (see screenshot where I open a chest).
In my current saved playthrough I deliberately solved the case before finding the pages of the book of eibon because of the above feedback, I wanted to see what the solving the mystery text said. I have now found the pages but can't get the book to assemble or trigger the prompt to read it and am currently stuck. Not sure what I'm doing wrong, I tried to go back to the room where I accused the culprit and restarting the game but nothing has happened.
I got several really enjoyable hours out of the experience and will definitely be following the updates as they come. Looking forward to a steam release!
Thank you very much for the thorough review! I must say you may well have been the luck of the draw, meaning not encountering any monsters. Which means you may have played the game very well, and not just as an average player. I'm curious what would happen if you increase the difficulty level?
Flavor text is easy and I encourage whenever possible so I'll probably make some adjustments on that. As far as the potions, I need to look in a little bit further. I did not experience any anomalies with inventory items during my playthroughs.
discovered this game and bought instantly! i will go and try it now!
I bought the game but when I try to install it, it says no compatible downloads were found...
Just tested the download on my system, it works so file integrity is not the problem. Can you provide what OS you are using? It sounds like a Windows 10/11 UAC control issue. If you see a splash screen that says "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?" just accept the "risk" and you should be fine. Windows treats Itch games in this manner because MS wants to see a digital certificate for every install, but that is prohibitive to most independent developers.
Hide, trust, and save/load bugs were fixed, and the trust/kindness system now works as intended.
Made a new video! Check it out!
I've been working with the sound capabilities of the code and have included ambient effects throughout the game! I think it really opens up the experience, try it! This can be toggled on/off at the title screen and later in the adventure as a global command ("sound").
I am considering including additional chiptuney music as well (boss fights, standard combat sequences and sound effects).
At the sign post up ahead: new features and enhancements!
Still the #1 new & popular Lovecraftian Horror Roguelike on Itch.io!
If you like PLEASE rate and comment!
When searching/looking around a room maybe cut out the extra repeated line of the rooms description or make it point out some extra detail. Nothing game breaking but could be a nice touch. Been enjoying my playthrough so far!
I already did that very thing when it comes to the clues. If you confront a suspect with a clue, in selecting one the description gets truncated so it shouldn't be difficult to pose a suggestion like this. There is already a "wandering insanity" to somewhat address the extra room details you mention.
Well, Persuasion has been on the Itch digital storefront for less than ten (10) days and already it is the #1 New and Popular Victorian game! It has also reached the top 5 in horror roguelikes, top 10 RPG roguelikes and (can't remember where exactly) but it was doing pretty well on the horror RPG front as well. Thank you everyone for being a part of it all!
Want to stoke the success? RATE THE GAME! Haha! This is the one metric that seems stuck given the number of downloads. I'm happy with the traction the game is getting but could use more input from you folks, so that I can improve upon it.
If you haven't downloaded the game yet, do so now! See what the fuss is about. And FOLLOW! Updates are frequent!
And I provided an update (should not break any saved games) which, depending on public interest, incorporates some optimization and scaffolding for future GUI integration, along with sound and graphics. It's a longer haul but something I've been considering for a little while. It will depend largely on feedback from y'all. Hence the need for ratings and comments.
Love to hear if anyone has reached the endgame but remember... no spoilers!
Update 0.62 posted. Check the Devlog for details!
Update 0.61 posted. Check the Devlog for details!
The "Begin New Investigation" option in the game is incomplete and redundant.
(1) After failing a round/saving the game, I return to the title screen and use "Begin New Investigation" to start a new round. The names of multiple characters in the game are different from the previous round, but the character attributes, journal content, and fog of war progress from the previous round are not reset but retained in this round; the two attribute points added when selecting a profession can exceed the 18-point limit.
(2) In my opinion, this should be an issue that needs to be addressed. The option "Start a new game" performs its function well, but a game does not need two "Start a new game" options and two "Load game" options. Therefore, after entering the game, go directly to the title screen and replace "Begin New Investigation" with "Start a new game". In this way, I don't need to manually restart the game to start a new game.
If I have any misunderstandings, please point them out.
Thanks for the feedback. With the last update I revamped the menu system, inducing the redundancy bit. I fixed the game so it now purges the previous content including FOW. I cannot recreate the surplus of attribute points past the 18 mark, but I introduced a condition that should prevent this from happening.
UPDATE 0.60: Added total turns and gametime tracking to the score screen, more robust logic for persuasion skill checks and hypnotic minigame benefits and fixed some duplicative syntax and better global command handling.
Got some requests to upload some more screenshots, I am happy to oblige!
I found the premise interesting, but Windows tagged it as a Trojan, and I couldn't really try it (even after moving it to the suggested folder).
That's odd, I have not heard of this. My only guess is a Windows update is needed, it is somehow being falsely identified on your machine. And you can always whitelist it through Defender. Be sure it's in a dedicated directory, like C:\games\Persuasion
A promising beginning, especially with the strong download count and visibility in such a short time. If you’re enjoying the game, please consider rating it and sharing your feedback here. I'm actively working on expanding its scope.
Uploaded ver 0.59 today. Made some title screen improvements and start instructions, some additional backdrop and a pretty logo (see screenshot 😉)
Enjoy! You may need to download this to a dedicated directory (not the Download, My Programs or My Documents directory)