Interactive spy novel There’s Always a Madman: Do Your Worst to release on November 8, 2024; release date trailer out now; free demo in October Steam Next Fest

Sunny Demeanor Games :

Developer Sunny Demeanor Games is pleased to announce a release date trailer for There’s Always a Madman: Do Your Worst revealing the game will launch on November 8, 2024.  Just ahead of release, the game’s free demo will participate in Steam Next Festival October 14, 2024 - October 21, 2024.

To celebrate participating in Steam Next Fest in the run up to the release of There’s Always a Madman: Do Your Worst, the soundtracks for There’s Always a Madman: Do Your Worst and for the previous game in the series There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight will each be available for purchase on Amazon and Apple starting October 14, 2024.

There’s Always a Madman: Do Your Worst release date trailer “I Will Have My Revenge”: https://youtu.be/rn0_UccyXNw

Players can wishlist There’s Always a Madman: Do Your Worst on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2960890/Theres_Always_a_Madman_Do_Your_Worst

And they can follow the There’s Always a Madman franchise on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/franchise/TheresAlwaysAMadman

About There’s Always a Madman: Do Your Worst

There's Always a Madman: Do Your Worst is a single-player spy thriller interactive novel where players take on the role of a female secret agent named Virginia West who’s tasked with stopping a silver-loving madman from destroying the Golden Gate Bridge!

A madman known as The Silver Fox has killed our top agent, and now it's up to you to surveil your enemy, get revenge for your partner's demise, and maybe - just maybe - save the world while you're at it. Sometimes it's best ... to do your worst!

The full game releases November 8, 2024, but you players can wishlist the game on Steam here.

There's Always a Madman: Do Your Worst can be played with just a mouse. Gameplay consists of selecting the action or dialog you wish to take given the situation you’re facing. Although the life of a secret agent is complicated, playing There's Always a Madman: Do Your Worst is simple.

Also, the game is text-based. This is because James Bond, Jason Bourne, Jack Reacher, and Jack Ryan all started off in text format with novels. And as they say, the book is always better, so I think a more book-like experience works for this game.  That said, although the game is text-based like a novel, an emphasis is placed on visuals and music to set the appropriate mood for each scene, changing based on whether you're in a safe location or you're exposed to danger. And of course, YOU get to decide exactly how to handle each situation, unlike a book or film with a set path that you observe passively.  Here, the success or failure of the mission is up to you and you alone.

Standalone or Sequel

There's Always a Madman: Do Your Worst is the second game in the There's Always a Madman series, but each game in the franchise is designed as a standalone experience, so players are free to jump in with whichever game premise speaks to them the most.  However, the first game in the series, There's Always a Madman: Fight or Flight (on Steam here), is designed as the best entry point, so it’s recommended to start with that one. It's also fully released, so players can experience that whole game right now!

Why Make This Game

After releasing There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight about the male superspy Franklin Benjamin, I wanted to turn my attention to the female superspy Virginia West (only ever referred to as Virginia, no last name, in the first game).  For too long, I have consumed stories about capable female spies who go overlooked because her male counterpart steals the limelight, whether that’s all the way back in Get Smart for Agent 99 or more recently in Marvel’s Secret Wars with Maria Hill.

Now, in the second game, There’s Always a Madman: Do Your Worst, I want to flip things on their head by doing the unthinkable - I am killing off Franklin Benjamin (the main character of the first game) as the inciting incident. From there, we focus on Virginia West and how she handles being the star of the show.  This is not the story of a male main character where the female sidekick gets “fridged” as motivation for the main character.  No, this is the opposite - the male main character is the one who gets “fridged” so that the female sidekick can become the main character.  The way I see it, in a world full of spies, turnabout is fair play.

I should mention that there are plenty of great spy stories where a female agent takes center stage, such as Alias, Spy, Salt, and Atomic Blonde.  And in the video game world, there are already female-led spy games like Perfect Dark, The Operative: No One Lives Forever, and Neon Struct.  So I definitely see a place where I can switch from a male spy at the heart of the story in the first game to a female spy as the main character in the second game.

For further information about There’s Always a Madman: Do Your Worst as well as assets for use in articles or other publications, please see the game’s press kit.  As a solo developer, I also publish a company blog about my games (and whenever I post a new blog, I send out a tweet on the company Twitter account @SunnyVideoGames).  More details about the game can be found in the press kit, such as will the game be “verified” for the Steam Deck, will the game be available in languages besides English, will the game be available in storefronts other than Steam (such as consoles), etc.

You can contact the solo developer Adam through [email protected] for any press inquiries.

Please wishlist There’s Always a Madman: Do Your Worst on Steam today ahead of its releaseNovember 8, 2024.  And remember, agent - sometimes it’s best … to do your worst!

About Sunny Demeanor Games

Sunny Demeanor Games is a one-person studio focusing on uplifting games containing puzzles, narrative, and a dose of humor.  There’s Always a Madman 2: Do Your Worst is the studio’s third game following the cozy RPG A Weekend in Puzzleburg and the spy thriller interactive novel There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight.

Have a sunny day!

Quick Hits

Game: There’s Always a Madman: Do Your Worst (Steam page here)

Developer and Publisher: Sunny Demeanor Games (Steam developer page here)

Release Date: November 8, 2024

Platform: PC (Steam)

Price: $9.99

Genre: Spy Thriller Interactive Novel

Similar Games: Perfect Dark (and James Bond games like GoldenEye), Mission: Impossible N64, The Operative: No One Lives Forever, Alpha Protocol, Framed, Henchman Story, Batman Telltale Series, Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise, Vera Blanc, and the Choice Of games (e.g. Undercover Agent)