History VideoGame / TheCabinetsOfDoctorArcana

** All of the characters in Vargo's paintings are given names. One of the pictures in the gallery is labeled [[Literature/TalesFromTheDarkTower "Rianna."]] One of the two in the entrance hall is labeled "[[Series/{{Bewitched}} Endora]]."

* TrainingTheGiftOfMagic: Possibly. The Arcanum Amulet is an AncestralWeapon that had been passed down through the protagonist's family, potentially implying that the protagonist has innate magical abilities that must be trained. [[spoiler:The later reveal about the loss of the Arcanum suggests that the protagonist is probably descended from one of Doctor Arcana's former colleagues.]]

!!This game provides examples of:

** The door leading to the DeathTrap puzzle works this way. The final Cabinet gives you the solution to open it, but two other sets of four symbols found elsewhere in the mansion will open [[spoiler: the solutions to several Cabinets]] and [[spoiler: another map function]]. These count as "Secrets" on your final score. It's difficult to find these two clues, since the protagonist does not remark on them or write them in the journal; their obscurity eventually led the devs to make reference to them on Twitter. [[spoiler: They are located in the Gallery to the left of the Cabinet (where you found the red jewel), and on the ''Carnival of Lost Souls'' poster in the secret passageway.]]

* MagiciansAreWizards: Doctor Arcana was a real wizard who performed as a successful stage illusionist until he mysteriously disappeared at the height of his career. The other Arcanum wizards are implied to be this, too, as they all performed for each other in the Mysterium.
* MagicalLibrary: Arcana's library, which the player accesses at the end of the first level.

** All of the characters in Vargo's paintings are given names. One of the pictures in the gallery is labeled [[Literature/TalesFromTheDarkTower "Rianna."]] One of the two in the entrance hall is labeled "Endora."

%%* TheXOfY

* SigilSpam: The Arcanum Amulet[[spoiler:, which marks one as a member of the Arcanum and grants entry to it,]] is ''everywhere.'' It adorns shelves and tables and the backs of chairs, it appears in paintings, it is the "occult ritual circle" in the crypt, it is also [[spoiler: the final swapping-tile puzzle on the Sarcophagus]]... It is absolutely everywhere. The protagonist usually remarks "this looks familiar" when it shows up, since it's identical to the amulet they brought with them. Arcana's "A" insignia is everywhere as well.

* Myth/ClassicalMythology: Not as much as the AncientEgypt motif, but references to Greek mythological figures are found throughout the manor, such as Thanatos and Pandora.

* ButThouMust: Averted, sort of. After you enter the house, the golden mask of Doctor Arcana appears before you as an apparition and explains the situation. He concludes his monologue by offering you a choice; if you decline the challenge, he will relieve you of your amulet and send you on your way, never to return. Selecting this option returns you to the main menu. Since this obviously ends the game after only two puzzles, it doesn't truly avert the trope, but it does give the player a sense of having some agency in the situation.

* BigFancyHouse: Arcana Manor

* TheXOfY

* {{Klotski}}: The Cabinet in the Gallery with the Classical aesthetic is a very simplified version of this.

** If all else fails, the game actually contains a walkthrough accessible from the Options button on the main menu. It's called, humorously, the ''Cheater's Compendium'' and it's brimming with snark.

''Mortal minds will be confused, but a clever few may be amused.''

More than twenty years ago, Doctor Arcana was a renowned magician, illusionist, and mystic. One day, he vanished, and no one knows what happened to him. His home at Arcana Manor has been locked since, and though there have been reports of strange things happening inside, no one has ever investigated. On Halloween night, you suddenly find yourself at the gates of the impressive manor, with no memory of how you got there. The only clue is a heavy metal amulet, passed down through your family. Within the house are many rooms full of puzzles, clues, and mysteries, and you must navigate the house and find the thirteen keys which will allow you to leave. Otherwise, you will be trapped there forever.

More than twenty years ago, Doctor Arcana was a renowned magician, illusionist, and mystic. One day, he vanished, and no one knows what happened to him. His home at Arcana Manor has been locked since, and though there have been reports of strange things happening inside, no one has ever investigated. On Halloween night, you suddenly find yourself at the gates of the impressive manor, with no memory of how you got there. The only clue is your family amulet. Within the house are many rooms full of puzzles, clues, and mysteries, and you must navigate the house and find the thirteen keys which will allow you to leave. Otherwise, you will be trapped there forever.

----

* DifficultySpike: The puzzles on the second floor are much trickier than the ones on the first floor, including the process of unlocking the various rooms. The East and West Towers are even moreso; they each have ''two'' locked doors, the first of which require a completely different method of unlocking, and you must find the clues which will allow you to attempt to unlock them.

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: Sometimes, when the protagonist completes a puzzle, Arcana's voice will incredulously exclaim, [[Film/ThePrincessBride "Inconceivable!"]].

* InterdisciplinaryScientist: Or in this case, Interdisciplinary Magician. Although Arcana seems to be a necromancer, as noted elsewhere on this page, the various rooms also indicate that he's an Egyptologist, astronomer, astrologer, and alchemist, along with being a puzzle master, art collector, and bibliophile.

* {{Feelies}}: Although the game is available for download on Website/{{Steam}} and Big Fish Games, a physical copy can also be purchased. The "Prestige Collection" includes a DVD copy of the game, the official soundtrack CD, and a collectible brass coin engraved like the Arcanum Amulet.

* Antepiece: The first two puzzles, which allow you to get past first the locked gate and then the locked front door, serve as this for the rest of the game. They're designed to give the player a taste of the headscratchers which await them inside the manor.

* AllThereInTheManual: The game ties into ''Theater of Illusion,'' and both the game and the album contain additional information about the world.

** The door leading to the DeathTrap puzzle works this way. The final Cabinet gives you the solution to open it, but two other sets of four symbols found elsewhere in the mansion will open [[spoiler: the solutions to several Cabinets]] and [[spoiler: another map function]]. These count as "Secrets" on your final score. It's difficult to find these two clues, since the protagonist does not remark on them or write them in the journal. [[spoiler: They are located in the Gallery to the left of the Cabinet (where you found the red jewel), and on the ''Carnival of Lost Souls'' poster in the secret passageway.]]

* {{Feelies}}: Although the game is available for download on Website/Steam and Big Fish Games, a physical copy can also be purchased. The "Prestige Collection" includes a DVD copy of the game, the official soundtrack CD, and a collectible brass coin engraved like the Arcanum Amulet.
* FunctionalMagic: Magic definitely exists in this universe, even if it isn't entirely clear how it works.

* LockAndKeyPuzzle: All of the sigil doors have to first be unlocked by inserting the correct colored jewel into the door, and then swapping tiles to create the correct sigil and inputting the name found somewhere else in the world. Many other gates and passageways open by inserting a certain talisman or the Arcanum Amulet.

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: Sometimes, when the protagonist completes a puzzle, Arcana's voice will incredulously exclaim, [[Film/ThePrincessBride "Inconcievable!"]].

-->''Mortal minds will be confused, but a clever few may be amused.''

-->"Mortal minds will be confused, but a clever few may be amused."

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: Sometimes, when the protagonist completes a puzzle, Arcana's voice will incredulously exclaim, [[Film/ThePrincessBride "Inconcievable!"]].

''The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana'' is a [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click]] PuzzleGame produced by [[Music/NoxArcana Joseph Vargo]]. It is an [[RoomEscapeGame escape room]]-esque game about a nameless protagonist who approaches a sinister, abandoned mansion on Halloween night, and is challenged to solve an entire house's worth of puzzles by the enigmatic Doctor Arcana.

Released in October 2018, this is the first video game that Vargo has published. He intended to create a SpiritualSuccessor to classic puzzle games like [[VideoGame/TheSeventhGuest The 7th Guest]]. The game's title is a ShoutOut to [[Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]]. The game's concept was based on a puzzle segment from Vargo's ''Dark Realms'' magazine, and the puzzles that appear hidden in every Music/NoxArcana album. The story of the game ties into Nox Arcana's album ''Theater of Illusion,'' about a secret society of wizards. It features a spooky atmosphere, a beautiful gothic setting, Nox Arcana's music, and much of Vargo's artwork.

* AnAstralProjectionNotAGhost: Doctor Arcana seems to be a ghost haunting his abandoned manor, [[spoiler: but he's actually alive and hibernating in a tomb underneath it]].
* AncestralWeapon: Not a weapon, but the Arcanum Amulet the protagonist carries was passed down through their family.

* AncientEvil: The Arcanum was wiped out by some ancient evil, but it's never explained exactly what this is.

** The map feature in the library allows the player to teleport to any room, although the map is fixed in place.

* ArcSymbol: The amulet that the protagonist carries appears everywhere in Arcana's mansion.

* BadPowersGoodPeople: The magic that Arcana and the other wizards practice seems to be BlackMagic (the poster advertising their Mysterium show even describes them as masters of "The Dark Arts"). However, the Arcanum is not evil, and they are threatened by [[AncientEvil something that is]].

* BookcasePassage: A secret passage in the Museum opens with a talisman inserted into the wall.

* CrypticConversation: Arcana's disembodied voice rarely provides any useful information. He doesn't say much, and when he does, it's usually to deride the player or express disbelief at their success.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Arcana's whole mansion is dark and spooky, covered in creepy artwork, and steeped in the occult, but Arcana himself is not evil.
* DoomyDoomsOfDoom:
** Doctor Arcana renamed the Sarcophagus of Dreams the "Sarcophagus of Doom" for his escape trick.
** The solution to the BoobyTrap puzzle. [[spoiler: "Tread wisely as you cross this room. One wrong step spells certain doom."]]

** Arcana ''constantly'' sneers at the player's abilities, even going as far as to remark "What took you so long?" after ThatOnePuzzle.

* DramaticThunder: A quiet thunderstorm surrounds the manor house as the protagonist enters it.
* EnclosedSpace: If the player chooses to accept Arcana's challenge, the protagonist is locked inside the manor house until they complete it.

** The magic circle in the West Tower is the design on the ''Theater of Illusion'' disk.

* NothingButSkulls: A ritual setup in the Crypt includes a pile of skulls.

* PortalNetwork: The entire house is implied to be this, as the doorways to each room are all glowing portals. The protagonist finds a book that mentions portals that bring wizards to other places and times.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: It's implied that Arcana is centuries old. The Arcanum was formed "in the twilight mists of the Dark Ages," and it isn't clear if he's a decendant of its founder or if he really has lived since then. [[spoiler: Although his face is never seen, his hands are long, pallid, and almost skeletal-looking. This could just be from being old and hibernating in a sarcophagus, but he might be TheUndead.]]

* ScarabPower: The Cabinet in the Attic consists of a magical, golden scarab beetle pushing golden balls into a hole. After completing it, [[ThatOnePuzzle you may never want to look at another scarab again.]]

* SecretCircleOfSecrets: The Arcanum was a secret society of wizards that practiced BlackMagic, though they weren't exactly evil. Their leader, Doctor Arcana, wears a red robe and a very elaborate [[CoolMask mask]].

** The title of the game is one to Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari.

* SigilSpam: The Arcanum Amulet[[spoiler:, which marks one as a member of the Arcanum and grants entry to it,]] is ''everywhere.'' It adorns shelves and tables and the backs of chairs, it appears in paintings, it is the "occult ritual circle" in the crypt, it is also [[spoiler: the final swapping-tile puzzle on the Sarcophagus]]... It is absolutely everywhere. The protagonist usually remarks "this looks familiar" when it shows up. Arcana's "A" insignia is everywhere as well.

* SpellBook: There's one in the Library. You have to solve a puzzle to open it, and then use the clue inside to solve another puzzle.

* ThatOnePuzzle: The scarab beetle puzzle in the Attic is the most unforgiving in the entire game. Making a single mistake often results in needing to reset the entire thing. It can take literally hours to complete.
* TrainingTheGiftOfMagic: Possibly. The Arcanum Amulet is an AncestralWeapon that had been passed down through the protagonist's family, potentially implying that the protagonist has innate magical abilities that must be trained.
* TricksterMentor: Arcana expresses doubt in the player's abilities throughout the entire game, and often outright insults or mocks them, but [[spoiler: his real intention is to train them to become a wizard.]]

* {{Walkthrough}}: The in-game walkthrough is called The Cheater's Compendium, narrated by Arcana himself. His comments towards the reader are even more scathing.

* BadassBaritone: Arcana, naturally, being voiced by Vargo. However, Arcana's voice is actually ''not'' as deep as Vargo's normal narration voice (which narrates the opening cutscene).

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: It's implied that Arcana is centuries old. The Arcanum was formed "in the twilight mists of the Dark Ages," and it isn't clear if he's a decendant of its founder or if he really has lived since then. [[Although his face is never seen, his hands are long, pallid, and almost skeletal-looking. This could just be from being old and hibernating in a sarcophagus, but he might be TheUndead.]]

* SigilSpam: The Arcanum Amulet[[spoiler:, which marks one as a member of the Arcanum and grants entry to it]] is ''everywhere.'' It adorns shelves and tables and the backs of chairs, it appears in paintings, it is the "occult ritual circle" in the crypt, it is also [[spoiler: the final swapping-tile puzzle on the Sarcophagus]]... It is absolutely everywhere. The protagonist usually remarks "this looks familiar" when it shows up. Arcana's "A" insignia is everywhere as well.

* Teleportation: It's implied that the protagonist is teleporting every time they enter a room, since the doorways are all portals. A more obvious example is using the map feature.

* SigilSpam: The Arcanum Amulet[[spoiler:, which marks one as a member of the Arcanum and grants entry to it]] is ''everywhere.'' It adorns the back of chairs, it appears in paintings, it is the "occult ritual circle" in the crypt, [[spoiler: the final swapping-tile puzzle on the Sarcophagus is recreating it]]... It is absolutely everywhere. The protagonist usually remarks "this looks familiar" when it shows up. Arcana's "A" insignia is everywhere as well.

* [[spoiler: AnAstralProjectionNotAGhost]]: Doctor Arcana seems to be a ghost haunting his abandoned manor, [[spoiler: but he's actually alive and hibernating in a tomb underneath it]].

** The album cover artwork for ''Blood of the Dragon'', ''Theater of Illusion'', ''Transylvania,'' ''Grimm Tales'', and ''Darklore Manor'' all appear in-game. The protagonist mentions that Darklore is a "legendary haunted mansion."

* Klotski: The puzzle in the Gallery with the Classical aesthetic is a very simplified version of this.