About This Game

Step into the shoes of the suave secret agent Franklin Benjamin in this single-player spy thriller interactive novel. In this high-octane, two-hour satire of James Bond and Mission: Impossible, you'll drive fast cars, seduce beautiful women, take on false identities, and do whatever is necessary to save the world

But as a secret agent, your best weapon isn't your firearm - it's your quick thinking and your quick wit. Because there's always a madman, and you're the best agent we've got!

Your Mission

In short, your mission is to save the day, same as always. This time, there's a madman threatening the world with weaponized satellite technology that can strike anywhere at any time, including wiping out other satellites. So it's up to you to ferret out his identity and bring him to justice - or take him out entirely. You're the only one who can stop him, so we're counting on you to accept this mission

Assisting you in this endeavor is the usual team - your experienced partner in the field, Virginia, and our resident tech whiz, Hatcher. But the success or failure of this mission rests on your shoulders and yours alone. This is a single-player game, after all

There's Always a Madman: Fight or Flight can be played with just a mouse. Gameplay consists of selecting the action or dialog you wish to take given the situation you’re facing. Although the life of a secret agent is complicated, playing There's Always a Madman: Fight or Flight is simple

Uncover the Identity of the Madman du jour

Our intel for this mission unfortunately doesn't give us a precise identity for this particular madman, but if he gains control of the airspace above the Earth, then he effectively controls the world. So flush him out and foil his scheme

Think Before You Shoot

As a secret agent, it's not about who has the fastest trigger finger. Put your mind to good use and make intelligent in-the-moment decisions on how best to handle your current predicament. Only by out-thinking your opponents can you survive to tell the tale

Save the World in Style

Make use of any and all gadgets in your arsenal to get the job done. And then after you best your foes, rub it in their faces with a well-chosen pun, of course

Sounds Like a Winner

Although the game is text-based like a novel, an emphasis is placed on visuals and music to set the appropriate mood for each scene, changing based on whether you're in a safe location or you're exposed to danger

Short and Not-So-Sweet

There's Always A Madman: Fight or Flight aims to be about the length of a movie for a single playthrough (roughly two hours). During that time, you may very well have to do some not-so-nice things to succeed. You know, like engaging in shootouts, fistfights, and high speed chases. But that's okay - as they say, nice guys finish last. And we need you to come out on top

For reference, here are some similar games to help you get a further sense for what There's Always A Madman is like: GoldenEye 007 (and other James Bond games like Everything or Nothing), Mission: Impossible, Alpha Protocol, Hitman games, Splinter Cell games, Henchman Story, Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise, Framed, I Expect You To Die, Batman Telltale Series, The Wolf Among Us, Agent 64: Spies Never Die

Q: Why make this game text-based? Why not use visuals?

A: James Bond, Jason Bourne, Jack Reacher, and Jack Ryan all started off in text format with novels. I believe this is the right move for the project - as they say, the book is always better, so I think a more book-like experience works here. The game's text will of course be supplemented with music to set the appropriate mood, such as whether you're in danger or in a safe spot

We're all counting on you to save the day. After all - if you don't save the world, then there can't be a sequel

Each game in the There's Always a Madman series is designed as a standalone adventure, but if you wish to play the games in order, this is the order of release (and the recommended order to play):

1. There's Always a Madman: Fight or Flight

2. There's Always a Madman: Do Your Worst

And don't forget to check out my previous game, the cozy RPG A Weekend in Puzzleburg. There's Always a Madman is technically a spin-off of A Weekend in Puzzleburg since this new game is based on the Franklin Benjamin character first seen on a channel from the Puzzleburg hotel room TV

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

"There's Always a Madman: Fight or Flight" is a spy thriller, so it does contain some references to violence and sexual innuendo in keeping with genre norms. However, such instances are equivalent to what would be found in a PG-13 rated film such as James Bond or Mission Impossible. These depictions of violence and sexual innuendo in "There's Always a Madman: Fight or Flight" - though in line with similar spy thrillers - are presented in a tongue-in-cheek manner and are not meant to glorify them.