1GRAMMaristella, Again
Old house on the cliff (outside, front door) · Day
IrisIs it even safe to go in? What if it falls apart on me?
IrisHi, Mom. I just got here.
LoredanaI’ve been worrying all day…
IrisI’m okay.
Merge Beach Story · Areas 1–4
Maristella:
The Comic
Iris, an illustrator who has put down her brush, arrives at the crumbling house on the cliff that her grandmother left behind. Meeting Ellie, who runs the cafe, and Sandro, her mother's childhood friend, she begins to learn about the wound the town shares — and the mystery of R.F.
- 4areas
- 11chapters
- 33panels
Speech bubbles are taken from the in-game dialogue. Name tags show who is speaking, cloud bubbles are thoughts, and ??? marks someone whose name we don't know yet.
Tap a panel to see it large with the full dialogue of that scene. Use ← → to move and Esc to close.
Area 1 · Panels 1–5
Cliff House
An old house on the cliff
A fresh start and traces of the past — Clearing out a crumbling house, a painter who put down her brush makes room to live again in an unfamiliar town
Traces of R.F
Old house on the cliff (inside) · Early evening
IrisA velvet pouch? Feels like there’s something inside…
IrisR.F? Who could that be? No one in the family has those initials…
IrisWhat is this, a riddle?
Iris…Can I really paint again? No. Not now.
IrisI’ll just leave the drawing notebook out.
Area 2 · Panels 6–11
Cafe
Coast Roast, a worn-out seaside cafe
A first friend and the town's scars — Through her first friend in town, Iris learns of the pain everyone shared — the Oasis affair — and sets out with her to meet the neighbors
A Quiet Town, an Old Cafe
Old seaside cafe (outside, entrance) · Day
???Looking for a cup of coffee?
IrisOh! I didn’t realize someone was there!
EllieI’m Ellie. I run the café.
IrisNice to meet you too, Ellie. I’m Iris.
What Happened to the Town
Inside the old cafe · Day
IrisMy mom inherited it, but she’s not in great health these days.
IrisSo… I offered to step in and help out for a while.
IrisIt was some kind of real estate fraud, right?
EllieAnd the center of it all… was right here.
Ellie…tourists stopped coming.
Ellie…I was already rooted here… so leaving wasn’t really an option.
First Steps Together
Inside the old cafe, by the window · Day
EllieMy friend lives there—really good guy, and he’s a fisherman.
Ellie…want to come with me?
Area 3 · Panels 12–17
Fisherman's House
Sandro's place by the pier
Roots, reunions, and a wound the town shares — Meeting her mother's childhood friend, Iris finds a family-like bond, and faces what the Oasis affair took — and what still remains: the sea and the people
Sandro, Mom's Childhood Friend
Sandro's house by the pier (entrance, inside) · Day
EllieThis is the real surprise.
SandroWow… I can’t believe that little kid is all grown up now.
SandroI still remember you chasing crabs down at the dock like it was yesterday.
Sandro…me, your mom, and Giovanni…
What Remains
Sandro's house by the pier (by the sea-view window) · Day
Ellie…if it weren’t for Sandro, I don’t think I could’ve stayed here.
SandroYou’re giving me too much credit.
Iris…what happened?
Ellie…folks started blaming everything on outsiders.
EllieBut Sandro stepped up.
SandroThat’s right. It’s an artificial island. Part of the Oasis project.
SandroThe leftover debris from construction’s scattered underwater.
SandroThe sea’s still here.
SandroAnd the people too… We argue sometimes, sure. But they’re like family to me.
IrisI wonder… Do I still have something like that in my life?
Area 4 · Panels 18–33
Monument
Traces of a little Montmartre
Memories of an artists' town, and a first confession — In a run-down memorial park, Iris hears about Maristella's artistic past, opens up about her slump for the first time, and grows closer to Ellie
A Big Stone in a Broken Park
Neglected memorial park (by the monument) · Day
IrisWhat’s this big stone?
EllieHi, Iris!
IrisArtist community? I didn’t know this town had that kind of history.
EllieThere used to be a lot of artists living here back in the day.
Little Montmartre and the Mystery Painter
Neglected memorial park (by the monument) · Day
EllieThen more came—from all over the world.
ElliePeople painted in the streets, sang by the sea…
EllieRents skyrocketed, and the artists started leaving.
EllieSometimes I still miss those days.
Ellie…an artist who did my portrait told me about it.
EllieThey said there was this unknown artist—no name, no gender…
Ellie…the same woman in the paintings.
Ellie…she might’ve been the artist’s lover.
EllieThen one day—poof. They just vanished.
EllieNo one really knows.
The Truth Is, I Ran Away
Neglected memorial park (by the bench) · Day
Iris…Actually, I… I’m a painter.
EllieReally? Then you’re an artist too! That’s amazing, Iris!
IrisI mostly did commercial illustration…
IrisNot really… I’ve kind of stopped.
IrisThe more I tried, the deeper I sank.
Iris…honestly… I just ran away from everything.
IrisI’m sorry. That probably got a little heavy.
EllieNo, it’s okay. I think I understand more than you know.
EllieIt was rough, but… it passed.
IrisI feel lighter already.
EllieMy café’s always open—drop by anytime…
IrisDeal. Starting tomorrow, I’m officially a regular.
The Park Comes Back to Life
Neglected memorial park (around the monument) · Day
Ellie…I think the comune’s kind of given up on it now.
IrisWhat if… we tried cleaning it up ourselves?
IrisLet’s kick off our first teamwork project, shall we?
EllieLet’s do it! Time to clean this place up!
EllieIt feels like this space is breathing again.
IrisI didn’t expect to meet someone I could share all this with here.
The story continues in the game
Uncover the town's secrets and who R.F really is in Merge Beach. Merge items to bring Maristella back to life and unlock the next chapter.
