What to Expect Romance plot with one and only ML (male lead). A defined female character with her own personality and backstory. Murder mystery in a Dark Academia setting. Choices that matter —decide how our heroine interacts with the world and how the story ends. No fail states or bad endings —all routes and endings are canonical and satisfying. Gorgeous 2.5D indoor and outdoor environments. Mature content: suggestive romantic illustrations and descriptions of sexual foreplay known as "closed-door" spice for romance readers (no visual nudity or explicit artwork). Depictions of food (such as cupcakes and pancakes) that can make you crave sweets, strong coffee, and men who can cook. About a week after the funeral, Magister Ignas Rottenheart is nowhere near getting over the tragic death of his coworker. With the murderer still at large, an accusation pinned on him by authorities, and no way to investigate on his own… he turns to forbidden arts and summons a creature from The Ashes. Which happens to be you. The man names you Blanca Silverurn, makes you pretend to be human, and act as his assistant. In reality, you are his eyes and ears at the University, searching for clues and suspects. With the ability to talk in your head, Ignas shares his perception of the world with you. Ordering you around, he's testing your patience and self-control. Relying on each other will be hard for both sides, especially when you find out your goals may be clashing. Will you become his salvation, his doom… or both? Exploring the city of Grimstrand and its university campus, you will meet 12 unique and complex characters with their own little secrets and goings-on. Whether you choose to meddle with them or focus on dealing with your own problems will affect their fates. As lovely as our cast may seem, remember that there's a killer among them! It's going to be your call to point out the perpetrator. You will encounter them while sightseeing over 10 atmospheric locations—the outdoor ones being in their full autumnal glory—so be sure to pay attention to all the details. Magic manifests in the form of ever-present, glittering fog and causes a strange illness in its users, who call themselves Incante. They can look into the past and research the secrets of the supernatural using gemstones. For scholars who prefer to keep away from The Ashes, there are other paths to pursue—the Domain of Solution (alchemists) and the Domain of Divine (a religious group trying to predict the future). There's a lot more to discover for seasoned lore hunters, but a healthy amount of open-mindedness is advised.* * "Strix and Scholar" is set in a fictional world. Its architecture is inspired by old European cities (Kraków, Prague, Paris, Cambridge—to name a few). Culturally, it's an almost modern (with a pinch of a liberal take on 20th-century Europe) society. All places, people, fashion, items, and language used by the characters are not supposed to be historically accurate. In 2025, a creative married couple decided to take the artistic pseudonym TJ Hoarfrost and formed a game studio under the same name. Combining their passions and skills—hers being storytelling and his being visual arts and programming—they were bent on cooking a game straight from the depths of their hearts. Turns out it's "Strix and Scholar"—an interactive narrative experience unapologetically catered to groups such as: Romantasy/Mystery Romance/Urban Fantasy/Dark Academia book readers who are also gamers. "Choose your own adventure" lovers looking for new, exciting hooks and settings. RPG fans who play for the story, characters, vibes, and the "role-playing" part rather than combat. Dating-sim players who may be tired of the "quantity over quality" approach to romance and would appreciate having one deep, well-developed relationship arc to follow and influence.
