MADELEINE

Released in 1987, this title was the very first original game distributed via the "TAKERU" software vending machine kiosks. It stands out as an ambitious release that utilized a sophisticated text-parser command system, a rarity for adventure games of that era. Players step into the role of an antique dealer investigating the truth behind Princess Madeleine, a historical figure long maligned as a villainess. Renowned for its logical puzzles—a signature of developer Thinking Rabbit—and its lyrical atmosphere inspired by Ravel's famous composition, this title is a landmark in retro PC gaming history that pioneered new methods of software distribution.

In 1979, an antique dealer in a small Eastern European town is told of a tragedy surrounding Princess Madeleine of Moravia by an elderly stranger. Although history remembers her as a wicked woman who plotted to assassinate her own father, the portrait in the stranger's possession reveals a woman of grace and kindness. Suspecting that the historical record may be flawed, the protagonist sets out on a journey following the old man's memories to uncover the truth behind the princess's life 400 years ago.