Moves Of The Diamond Hand

Chapter 3 is out now: Welcome to Building 18

The first major update since launch adds hours of new story and gameplay in a dilapidated, liminal apartment building full of the forgotten, plus the new Moves system, which turns dice duels into multi-round showdowns where every round breaks the rules. Existing saves carry over.

Everyone wants a piece of Circus X. A clone of a century-old mayor is running for office. Someone called the Diamond Hand is playing every side. And you’re new in town, ready to take it all on.

Moves Of The Diamond Hand is a first-person narrative RPG set in a surreal, jazz-drenched dystopian city, from Cosmo D, the developer of IGF Seumas McNally Grand Prize winner Betrayal At Club Low. Its dice-driven gameplay is deeper, the plot richer, and the scope grander than ever.

A new day dawns in Off-Peak City. The legendary Circus X, an actual circus and artist crew of the highest caliber, is somehow back in town. And they’re ready to put on the show of a lifetime. You’ve arrived on the scene, ready to become a part of it and mint your destiny. But Circus X isn’t hiring, and there are plenty of people who want a piece of the Circus X magic (and money). To become part of this elite crew, you’ll need to figure out a way in. Sure, you have some leads, but you also have trouble.

This trouble arrives during the strangest mayoral election in the city’s history. One of the candidates isn’t even a real person, he’s the clone of a Mayor from a hundred years ago! The company that created him is betting on his success, but two rival candidates plan to stop him at all costs. To add to all this, someone called The Diamond Hand is playing all the sides against one another. No one knows who this Diamond Hand is or why they're causing trouble. But somehow you become enmeshed in this drama. Are you a potential collaborator, or a pawn in the Diamond Hand's game? Sure, you may be new to the neighborhood, but the Diamond Hand underestimates you. They all do.

Moves Of The Diamond Hand evokes the feel of a multi-session tabletop RPG experience. Your stats are all represented as dice. These dice offer opportunities for drama and strategy. Items are dice. Conditions are dice. Disguises are dice. These dice are all customizable in a myriad of different ways. Still, players have control over which dice to use, how to upgrade them and which ones they want to roll or keep close.

Chapter 3 introduces Moves: duels are now fought over multiple rounds, and each round comes with a rule-breaking twist. Roll between one and four, land a five or six, or beat your opponent by at least two. Choose four moves to bring into a duel, spend your health and nerve to use them, and plan around stacking conditions. Every round is still the dice drama you know, now with the pace and push-pull of turn-based combat.

The story unfolds over five chapters of dubby jazz noir mystery. And you, along with your dice, will determine how it all plays out, right up to the very end.

Three very different mayoral candidates offer stark points of view and personality. But their race for The Key to the City is as close as it gets. You will help determine the outcome of their contest. Your choices will shape your own destiny in the neighborhood, too. The game lets you decide who to side with, who to help and who to hinder.

This game’s setting immerses players in a surreal lived-in neighborhood. It's full of odd characters, each with their own agendas, perspectives, and secrets. Many of them have connections to previous Cosmo D games, but knowledge of those games is not required.

Cosmo D games put a premium on head-nodding music and thick atmosphere. This game continues to elevate the approach.

Moves Of The Diamond Hand is releasing chapter by chapter in Early Access. Chapters 1 through 3 are playable now, with Chapters 4 and 5 to follow. Everyone who buys in Early Access gets every released chapter as soon as it’s ready, and you can opt into test branches to try new content ahead of schedule. Chapter 1 is available as a free demo.

We aim to keep the development process transparent and open to player feedback. All players will have access to a bug reporting and feedback menu in-game. Bug fixes, balance adjustments and quality-of-life improvements will be continuous. Your patience and trust in our process will help get this game finished on schedule and as good as it can be.