The updated demo is now available. And the Joker has opinions of his own.

A new demo of Alonitaire is now available.

Same game, same deck, same Joker. What's gone is the friction. During Next Fest I watched people lose to the interface instead of losing to him. So this update is about the things that were getting in the way.

He insisted on having his say about each one.

1. Sigils are activated by holding them down.

The OK and Cancel buttons are gone. Press a Sigil and hold: a ring fills around the icon, the ticking speeds up, and it fires. Let go early and nothing happens.

"It was far better before. It gave them time to hesitate, and I did so enjoy watching them squirm. Now... what a pity. What a pity."

2. Sigils that need a target don't ask you twice either.

Burglar, Transfer, Recharge and Deleter no longer wait to be confirmed. The board darkens, everything you can't choose goes dark along with it, and the Sigils you can choose are the only things left lit. One click and it's done. To back out: right-click, or click away from the cards.

"And how I laughed whenever they got it wrong and hadn't the faintest idea how to carry on. There is no respect left in this house."

3. Round means always on. Square means whenever you say so.

Sigils with a round frame work permanently, all on their own. Sigils with a square frame are waiting for you to use them. The frames are brighter now as well, so you can tell them apart without pressing your face to the screen.

"Shapes. He is teaching them shapes. Next it will be colours, and then a little song to help them remember."

4. Every icon you can press says so.

Interactive icons light up under the cursor and answer with a sound. The ones that do nothing stay quiet.

"He has labelled the traps. How very generous. Nothing spoils a trap quite like a label. Honestly."

5. The clock lets you know when you've got it right.

Setting the clock to the correct hour used to be guesswork. Now it reacts the moment you land on it: the hands turn red, it shudders, and it gives a sharp clack.

"He could have left the clock at six from the very start and spared us all the ceremony. Since we're being so helpful."

Thanks to ExplodinBeef, AllyReggie, Loko D'Atar, Black_Stark2 and Andariel: their playthroughs of the old demo are the reason the Sigils were the first thing I rebuilt.

The demo is free and it's right here on this page.

Play the demo · Add Alonitaire to your Wishlist

"Go on. He's terribly proud of that little ring that fills up."
— The Joker