Is there any connection between A Weekend in Puzzleburg and There's Always a Madman?
·Yes! The There's Always a Madman series is technically a spin-off from A Weekend in Puzzleburg.
The character of Franklin Benjamin was first introduced in A Weekend in Puzzleburg. You can come across the fictional character of Franklin Benjamin in the world of Puzzleburg (similar to how Radioactive Man, Itchy & Scratchy, and McBain are fictional TV/film characters in the world of The Simpsons) in the following ways:
- By watching channel 10 on the hotel room TV, featuring scenes from the film "Always Say Always" starring Puzzleburg native Deke Wellington as secret agent Franklin Benjamin
- By reading the actor's biography, which details how Puzzleburg native Deke Wellington became world-famous by playing the secret agent Franklin Benjamin
- By acquiring a copy of the "Always Say Always" video game as an in-game item as part of the "Always Say Always" quest
- By visiting the Puzzleburg History Museum where props from the film "Always Say Never" (a sequel to "Always Say Always") were donated by the lead actor, Puzzleburg native Deke Wellington
- By checking the poster behind the Prudence, the head of the Puzzleburg tourism board. This poster is from the film "Always Say Always" and is autographed by the lead actor, Puzzleburg native Deke Wellington
I hope that all makes sense. In terms of gameplay and target audiences, the cozy RPG A Weekend in Puzzleburg and the spy thriller interactive novel series There's Always a Madman certainly have their differences, but I like to think that There's Always a Madman is representative of how the "Always Say Always" video game item in A Weekend in Puzzleburg would play.
So if you go back to play A Weekend in Puzzleburg after playing There's Always a Madman, all of the above items should feel like Easter eggs. And if you're interested in seeing Franklin Benjamin's first appearance, then that would be in A Weekend in Puzzleburg rather than in There's Always a Madman.
Plus, if you enjoyed the books and/or TV channels in A Weekend in Puzzleburg, then I encourage you to check out There's Always a Madman.
You can find both video game series on the Steam developer page for Sunny Demeanor Games. Please wishlist and/or purchase them there.
There's Always a Madman: Fight or Flight has a Kickstarter campaign starting Monday October 9th at 1pm US Eastern time and running for 30 days. You can sign up here to be notified when the campaign launches (and you can access the campaign via that link once the campaign is live). For a sneak preview of what will be in each rewards tier, please check out this previous blog post What rewards will be available in the "There's Always a Madman" Kickstarter launching Oct 9, 2023?.