Where the Visual Novel
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android
"Where” is a surreal horror visual novel with point-and-click elements. You awaken alongside a strange man in an endless, impossible space beyond time and understanding.
What is this place? Who is the man? Who are you? Does it even matter?
Something is terribly wrong ...
Will you accept the truth, or be consumed by it?
This game contains instances of:
- Death
- Violence
- Self-Harm
- Gore
- Physical & Mental Abuse
- Some Flashing Images
- Sudden, Loud Sounds
- Disturbing Visuals & Audio
- +90 Minutes of gameplay
- +6K Words of dialogue
- 10 +1 Endings based on player choices
- Mystery and investigation elements
- Distrurbing story revelations and plot twists
- Original artwork
This was a passion project of a solo developer.
My first ever game. In 2024, an idea was born and sparked the dream of creating my own visual novel. With no prior knowledge and help other than the internet, a handful of stubbornness, and plenty of time, the journey started, the game started taking shape, and became what it is today. It is definitely not perfect; there are plenty of plot holes and unexpected bugs. I am still working on my storytelling, and without AI, I could have never figured out parts of the coding. It was an experiment in various fields: coding, digital art, problem-solving, pushing the boundaries of burnout and motivation, and it tested my commitment to one project. I don't mind the imperfections. I came to love it as it is; I made many mistakes, but they all taught me valuable lessons that I will carry on to my next projects. I never thought I would finish it. This is proof to myself and many others that you can actually do anything you put your mind to.
The story is challenging to piece together, but once you feel like you've figured something out, have questions or interesting theories to share, feel free to let me know in the comments!
I hope you will enjoy it.
I love point and click escape rooms, puzzle games, and I was greatly inspired by Dead Plate and Elevator Hitch by Rachelldrawsthis, studio investigrave.
I am a traditional artist, meaning I hand-drew every character, scene, and background, and had to learn how to digitize them. It took a lot of time and effort, but I believe it was worth it. If you like my art and would like to know more about the creative process and behind-the-scenes bloopers, check out my TikTok page: @yeswhat24
I am planning a sequel to the story centered more around the mysterious exchange student and the backstory of the character you play as.
Special Thanks:
- Fanni - for being my biggest fan, for playtesting, and all the encouragement, it meant a lot! You kept the faith in me by keeping the project in mind, eagerly waiting for it, and reminding me about it. Thank you.
- Emma - for the amazing brainstorming sessions and playtesting, ps: "It was the government all along."
- Zsófia - for correcting my spelling and playtesting.
- Saracska - for playtesting and helping me regain motivation when development came to a halt.
- DimensionalPigeon - for patiently answering my increasingly concerning 'theoretical' questions about crime scenarios in perfect detail - without ever questioning me (not suspicious at all)
- Cheesercakes - for supporting me in the early stages, when the game was just an idea, and for helping with sprite color choices.
- Tinyangrygremlin- for the goofy sound acting and encouragement.
- Sis - you were my cutest guinea pig (tester)
- Parents- for the encouragement and support
I am very thankful to everyone who has encouraged me and made this possible:D
Official Endings Guide:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRpA7jjuxjvKbMdhDtNj2YXHAYWot543y4Nx...
Download
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Comments
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Awesome VN and loved the first ending i got. I am a french translator/localizer, so now I really want to do the french translation (if nobody is already working on it)! Could we talk about it on discord?
I was shocked with every ending. It's amazing and pretty nice, thank you for this! I love it, it's the best horror game I played in my hole life.
Exelent game! All your games will be amazing
Hey I am having a problem where if I press Z it does nothing on the second timed reaction after the pool, PC btw.
Hi, that’s actually a tricky part, it is actually inevitable on purpose. You can get through that part by staying calm in the previous option. :D Thank you for playing!
This game was so cool and genuinely one of the best VN i ever played! This game deserves more recognition and is so underrated i loved everything about this game i also love how when you get multiple endings that the game tells you to stop playing which is honestly super cool and i also love how your choices can affect the endings! I wish i could donate but im broke </3 Either way the whole VN was top tier i love it and the fact that everything was made only by you shows how much passion was put into this VN! i recommend this VN for everyone else (^^)!
This was amazing, the fact the game knew everything you did the last cycle was scary but so brilliant!! I love this, NEVER STOP MAKING GAMES!!!!
Who was Ethan and why is his room there? Why is there an old man from 1847? I feel like I got the story down but not entirely. This was amazing
Thank you so much for playing, I’m really glad you enjoyed it!!
I won’t fully spoil it, but you’re on the right track thinking about them more in terms of what happened to them and how they ended up there rather than who they are individually. For example, Ethan’s room isn’t really about him directly, there’s a hidden letter under the bed that hints more at his parents and their mental state. And the old man… he’s from a much earlier time, which says something about how long this place has been around.
There’s kind of a shared theme between them, but I’m really curious, what was your interpretation of their stories?
I thought Ethan was secretly Jay and that the old man probably cursed that place. Starting character was the newest victim, we are the monster not the starting character. Its hard to explain but it makes a bit of sense
That’s a really interesting interpretation, I like how you connected those ideas, it actually fits the tone in a lot of ways.
Just to clarify a bit: the key idea is that the place is a kind of liminal space, and people end up there when they’re in a transitional period of their lives.
Ethan himself isn’t directly part of the main story, his parents are. If you found the letter hidden under the bed, it gives some insight into what happened to them and their mental state. That room (and the pictures) are more about foreshadowing why people end up there. The family is unrelated to our main characters.
The old man from 1847 is there to show that the place has existed for a very long time, across different time periods. He’s stuck in that same kind of in-between state, which is something all the rooms share, people caught between acceptance and denial.
There are also small hints in places like the office, in the research papers. In that room, the door is open because that character, even though they were in denial about losing their job, had gathered enough information, before arriving there, to escape.
But I really like your theory too, especially the idea about the player’s role, it’s a really cool way to interpret it.
huh wait, so u mean that the person related to the office had worked on the papers and the topics before, so when she ended up in that space, since she knew the info, she was able to escape? or is it that she knew it would happen so she preped herself for if it ever did?
Jay dating sim when?
Jokes aside, this game was super fun to play, thank you for creating it!! The art and writing were especially delightful.
Thank you so much for playing. I’m really glad you enjoyed it!
The next game will have a slightly different focus, but I plan to include the option to spend more time with the characters.:D
How much Ai did you use?
I used AI for parts of my coding and for rephrasing text. Since I was learning coding from scratch, there were features I wanted to include but didn’t yet know how to implement. AI helped with certain technical elements, specifically the minimap and track-cursor features (such as the panic/stay calm button and the eye in the main menu that follows the cursor).
However, I didn’t just copy and paste AI-generated code. I spent a lot of time figuring out how it worked, adjusting it to fit my project, and often redoing parts when they didn’t work properly. It took a lot of trial and error and time to get everything working the way I wanted.
Beyond that, I only used AI for minor content support, mainly refining the wording of in-game letters (such as those in the Bedroom, Old Hut, and Office). In these cases, I already had a clear draft of the content and used AI simply to help shape the phrasing.
I did not use AI for any artwork, or for creating or developing the storyline, character backstories, or any core narrative elements.
my friend and i had an absolute blast playing this together. the amount of tears we shed for ray is criminal, and the looping aspect of this game left our mouths agape. not to mention it's remarkable that this is the first game you ever made. i'm so glad my friend and i experienced this together & we're definitely looking forward for more.
I’m so happy you both enjoyed it so much and that it could become such a memorable experience for you! Thank you so much for playing and for the support; it truly means a lot. Stay tuned for more!
No logró pasar la escena de la piscina cuando entra el cuarto dice Pulse z pero la pulso y nada igual muero 😭
Thanks for pointing that out! I’ve updated it so it should also work if you press Space. You’ll need to download the new files for the fix to apply.
Sorry for the frustration this caused, and thank you so much for playing. I really appreciate it!
It's still broken for me, idk how to fix.
The ninth ending I got was 'Exposed'. After getting it, I start the game over, and it takes me back to that ending, meaning that I cannot get the final ending, the True Ending.
Hi! Thank you so much for your feedback and for taking the time to play the game. I really appreciate it. I’m sorry for any trouble you’ve run into.
Have you had a chance to try loading save files from the last few choices? The game should create automatic quicksaves, which you can find under “Load” (look for the “Q” saves). I’m not entirely sure which endings might be missing in your case, but replaying from those saves instead of starting from the main menu may help you reach the remaining ones.
If you’re still having trouble, the Endings Guide might also be useful for finding the trickier paths. Thanks again for playing, and please let me know if you have any other issues!
I'm so dumb. I had to click 'continue' instead of 'stay in a room'. I think it was 'Unwavered.' On an unrelated note, will there ever be any romance between Ray and the mc in a future update/game?
No worries, glad you figured it out! The focus of the next game will be a bit different, but I do plan to include opportunities to spend more time with the characters and get to know them better. There could even be some romance, though I can’t promise anything just yet.
I'm glad at a chance to even talk to Ray more. He reminds me of Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul.
girl if this was normal a romance for mc would be ok, but dont u think it wont be poss since she injured him and also kills him?
It could be a parallel universe, where the mc never did that. I really like Ray, and if there has to be a version of the game where they both get out safely, with no connection to previous events, I'll take it.
Just got a glitch where I was trying to find Ray after he "abandoned" me and looped around and walked back to the same room I got out of, and it played the cut scene again where I cough up blood and Ray puts me in that room again
Thank you so much for pointing that out! I really appreciate you taking the time to report it! That’s a pretty crucial issue, and it completely slipped my mind. I’ll make sure to fix it as soon as possible. Thanks again for your help!
Belleza de juego, 10/10, me hubiese encantado que uno de los finales haya sido feliz para Ray
Thank you so much, I’m really glad you enjoyed the game! I get what you mean about wanting a happier ending for Ray. I tried to keep it subtle, but there are a few hints in one ending that suggest he might have actually survived :D Stay tuned for the next game to find out more!
WHAT?🥹🥹he actually survived?!
Concuerdo contigo ¡Es increíble! Y me sentí tan mal por Ray cuando avanzaba la historia, aun así fue asombroso.
I love the artstyle and the story is extremly fascinating!
I’m really glad you enjoyed both the art style and the story. It means a lot to hear that it caught your interest!
Excellent game! Got all the endings that did count 10/10, but there was one I couldn't get no matter what I did even though the count finished haha. Proud of you for finishing your own game. I'll be following you for more
Thank you for playing and for the amazing playthrough! Not getting that last ending wasn’t your fault; others have reported similar issues and pointed it out as well. I realized the guide was unclear and didn’t specify things properly, but I’ve corrected it now. Thank you for the feedback; it really helped. It definitely was confusing. Sorry for the trouble. I hope it didn’t take too much away from the experience!
Thank you again for the kind words and the follow, I hope you’ll enjoy what’s coming next :D!
It did not take from the experience at all. I had fun hunting for the endings fr. Your next game is gunna be even better I'm sure.
You can’t tell me this isn’t one of the best horror games on itch. Plus it’s (secretly, kinda,) about one of my favourite topics. I love it when the plot goes round and round. I did take a couple dollars off of my donation because of the AI, though (I say this as a person who hacks AI for my job, and as someone who’s made a VN before as a private project, like… a decade ago. I kinda understand why you used it, but I really hope you don’t feel the need to next time </soapbox>), and there are a few typos that I noticed, but nothing game stopping. For a first game, (I was shocked to read that btw) this is really good! I also found myself with 10/10 and then saw Distrust and thought ‘oh man, I was wondering about that’ so that was really cool!
I hope you write more, either in VN form or if you just want to write some stories, and I would play more games of yours for sure.
Hi! Thank you so much for the kind words! I am very glad you enjoyed it! I understand the concerns behind the AI usage, but in parts, I just couldn't have figured things out on my own without experience. I will take your advice and try to use it less in my next projects. Now, I feel more confident in my skills and understand coding better, so hopefully it will work out:)
I'm so happy you think that last ending was worth it! I think my writing skills are lacking a lot of practice. I have never tried writing before, but now I kinda have the spirit to start writing short stories just to experiment. I already have plans for my next game; hopefully, it won't take as long to make as this one. I would love it if you played it as well! Thank you again for all the encouragement, donations, insights, and advice! This truly made my day.
Let him be for this, he used ai for things he didnt understand which shld be ok for minor things, u cant expect a person to do everything by rules, they are free to do what they want at least upto a limit when needed.
I did! I literally gave him money and I said I understood it because I’ve also made VNs. :)
I LOVED THE GAME however there are some bugs, i got the last ending without getting one of the basic endings BUT THE IDEA IS SO PEAK
So glad you loved the game, thank you!! Could you tell me which ending you didn’t get before the last? That would really help me track down the issue.
Following your guide, I think it was Unwavered. Basically I got the end-end where we get the gun and then had 10/10 endings, just to realise I missed that one. But it was a peak experience anyway! The concept is really cool. Great job and keep going <3
Thank you for letting me know, and for your quick reply!
You were actually doing the right order; the issue was on my side. The ending counter didn’t register correctly due to a bug, which, thanks to you, I’ve now fixed. There are 10+1 endings in total; the "Distrust" one is a secret/twist ending, which is why it’s listed separately.
Really glad to hear it was still a great experience overall, and thank you so much for the kind words and support! <3
omg TS IS SO GOOD, I AM LIT BAFFLED (spoilers) I hope we can save ray BRO JS WANTED TO GO HOME, HE DID NOT DESERVE ALL THAT. I enjoy the Mcs character so much plus the plot twist and the mc killing ray not once BUT TWICE IS CRAZY. the gun manifesting outta nowhere was funny though and shooting monster mc was satisfying. YOU DID SUCH A GOOD JOB AND THE ART IS GREAT, I LOVE MC AND RAY, cant wait for an update <33
Thank you so much for the kind words! It really means a lot to hear that you enjoyed the story, characters, and twists. I’m especially glad Ray and MC resonated with you. I won’t say too much, but that final moment may not be quite as final as it seems:) I truly appreciate your support and enthusiasm for the project! Stay tuned!
Sorry for the inconvenience, but I am trying to play this on an emulator on mobile, and I keep pressing 'z', but can't get past the timed reaction in the pool. If you can't make an android version of the game, can you please add a skip option for mini games? I literally can't continue.
Thanks for the feedback, and sorry for the frustration you ran into with that section.
Since a few people asked about mobile support, I actually uploaded an Android version today as well; it should now be available. Hopefully, it works now and makes it easier to play without issues like this.
Thank you for your interest in the game, and I hope you enjoy the rest of it!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for playing, that was an amazing playthrough to watch!
About the map sections, you can use the back button to turn around and navigate back to your route, but using the load files like that was honestly a very clever move.
I’m sorry for the inconvenience with the distrust ending. I can see how that could take away from the experience. I think it happened because all progress was reset instead of just starting from the main menu -that’s on me, I didn’t explain that clearly. You’re definitely right that it would be easier to get that ending earlier in the guide, but I made that choice deliberately since those final scenes with Ray were meant to land as a bigger twist later on. I’m sorry it caused frustration. I really appreciate you pointing this out, it was definitely confusing, and your feedback helps me improve it going forward.
Thanks again for the playthrough, it was a great video, and I’m really glad you enjoyed the story, atmosphere, and art (and yeah… we don’t talk about the legs (ᵕ—ᴗ—) ).
I really enjoyed this game one of my new favorite visual novels! Getting all the endings was such a rewarding time especially with all the 4th wall breaks! Loved the atmosphere and vibes and Ray was such a good character to have around through the journey. 11/10
Thank you so much! I’m really glad you enjoyed all the endings and the 4th wall moments; they were a lot of fun to create. And I’m happy Ray stuck with you, too. Appreciate the rating!
Played this at 2am last night, can't stop thinking about it. Great job for a first time!
To be honest, if I was wealthy, influential and skilled enough, I'd do a Markiplier and Iron Lung this into a movie (which I know sounds strange considering the narrative structure and that one thing said narrative keeps telling you, but I'd have ideas on how to make it work ;) )
Gud stuf!
Thank you so much for playing! I’m really glad it stuck with you like that.
That’s honestly a really interesting idea, I’d love to hear how you’d approach it, even just as a concept. If you’d be up for sharing your thoughts or chatting, feel free to reach out! You can message me on TikTok: Yeswhat
Vai ter disponível em Android? Queria muito jogar.
Hi! Just to update, I’ve actually just uploaded an Android version today, so it is now available and should work on mobile devices as well. Hope you enjoy!
Muito obrigada! 😭❤️ Vou jogar e ver qual destino me espera! ... Aliás, se não for incomodo pergunta, vai ter alguma tradução para o português?
Thank you so much! I’m really happy you’re going to play it.
About the Portuguese translation, unfortunately I don’t have a translator, and I don’t speak the language myself, so I wouldn’t be able to make a proper translation right now. I’d love to include one in the future if I get the chance, though!
(SPOILERS ahead so dont read) Yo, I played it, got all 11/10 endings, gotta say i was also confused lol, but very much loved it, the game i think the true ending is basically that we who intervened in the time at which the incident was occuring, the game only ends when we also kill ourselves, is that it? and also we are the reason the game keeps on looping? but then, i wanted to ask that we getting into the facility at first and playing the game, and also seeing how everything plans out, does that mean someone is controlling everything or is this not to be taken into account? anyways, dope game. ps; a very nice channel has also reviewed you, it is biggaming64 :), btw i wanted to ask u wrote this ryt, for the amazing brainstorming sessions and playtesting, ps: "It was the government all along.", so u mean it is the goverment responsible for eveyrthing? i will also soon pay some amt to u, u deserve it, thanks :))
Great job getting all endings! I understand the confusion, yeah, the game only truly “ends” when the player character kills themselves, and otherwise it keeps looping with each new playthrough. There’s no real escape from the loop, except not starting the game at all.
Partially, there is a presence/force that communicates with you during the game and gives you the gun, which has some ability to interfere with the situation, but it does not fully control the player/events; it’s more there to guide/warn them or keep them on track. (There might be more to it in the next game.)
Thanks for mentioning the video. I know about it, Biggaming64 actually reached out to me about it, and I really enjoyed their take on the game.
About the line in the special thanks, it’s actually just an inside joke with a friend :)
And thank you so much for playing and for the support/donations! It really means a lot to see people so engaged with it.
thanks for the reply! had fun
Amazing game, I absolutely loved it! I'm very excited to learn more about the exchange student, she gave me big Tomie vibes. Keep up the great work!
Thank you! Glad you liked it and great catch on the Tomie vibes, she is going to play a pretty interesting role, so I hope you’ll enjoy what’s coming next.
Curious so wanted to ask, is there any possible time u could say or year when u will release the sequel? :)
That’s a great question. I’m really happy you’re curious about it!
I do have a rough idea of where I want the sequel to go, but right now, I still need to develop the actual story, figure out some plot holes, build up some skills, and learn a new game engine before I can properly start it.
Since this game already took around 2 years to make, I’d say the sequel will likely take at least a year. I might be able to speed things up with help from friends, though, so hopefully it comes together faster.
Also, I’m still in school, so it is a bit more difficult to work consistently. But since summer break is slowly coming up, there’s a good chance I’ll have more time to brainstorm and make progress then. :D
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hi bro, i downloaded started playing even was loving it so far, and btw i am on windows, but when i came across the panic or calm option, i m not able to land my mouse pointer no matter how much i move on calm, it just keeps shaking, i m not able to see the further gameplay since i cant move on right, could u pls look into it? i would appreciate it, because i want to complete this game. i was so excited for this wah
Hi! Thank you for letting me know, I really appreciate it. I’ve tried something new in the update, so it might look a bit glitchy at first, but it should work now. Could you please download the latest game files again and let me know if it works for you?
Heya! I downloaded and rn its working just fine, thank you smm for resolving this! have a good day!
Yay, glad it worked! Thanks so much for checking again and letting me know.
gonna play rn <33
Really interested in playing this game, but everytime I try to run it through itch, avg keeps flagging it as being infected with IDP.Generic. I was wondering if anyone else experienced that, before I make an exception with it and play.
Hey! Thanks for the heads up, AVG sometimes flags indie games with “IDP.Generic” when they’re new or not widely downloaded yet.
The game doesn’t contain malware, but I understand the concern. You can double-check it on VirusTotal for peace of mind. I’ll also look into it and see if I can prevent this in future builds. Appreciate you reporting it!
That was sooooo cool i love the writing of the game and it's theme the fact that there is no loose end is really REALLY cool especially impressive for a first game
Another thing that i loe is how you push renpy past just the visual novel programming with the point and click and some of the scene the art is also gorgeous it disturbing and disgusting in all the right way very excited to see more story coming from you
Sending kudos your way!
Thank you so much!! I’m really happy you enjoyed it :D
The map and some point and click elements were actually pretty challenging to figure out, so I really appreciate you mentioning that.
Thank you for the support!
My friend recommended this, haven't played it yet but it looks neat so I donated five bucks and I'm gonna play it later for myself and my friend to watch on my youtube channel later <3 (Will make a reply after I play the game to share my thoughts!)
Oh wow, thank you so much for the support, I really appreciate it! I hope you and your friend have fun playing it. I’d love to hear your thoughts after you try it!
This was amazing. I absolutely loved the eerie feeling that goes on from the start of the game. The main character's story, Ray's story, the rooms, the damn time loops. I love it. I AM going to be nerding out to my friends about it. 100%
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it, that means a lot to me!
Brilliant game. Any chance we'll see an endings guide of some sort? I'm stuck on two in particular.
well, seems there's one linked in the game's description now!
Cheers!
this was a really fun game, i loved it :D
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!
Is WHERE coming to Steam?