#HikeBack Visual Novel

[tinygameroom]

I will try to make a more in depth post about this when I have the brains to do so but for people enjoying Slay The Princess who haven't played these before and/or are looking for more visual novels I highly highly recommend We Know The Devil and HIKEBACK.

These are both much shorter experiences than Slay The Princess but they're both also very important to me. WKTD is about three kids at an uncanny Christian summer camp where the Devil quite literally comes to mess with the attendants and someone has to sit watch with a radio to keep the Devil out. You play as all three characters, sometimes splitting off into groups of two. It's about religious trauma and queerness and self-discovery and trauma and coming of age and it can get very heavy but so very very beautiful. And weird.

HIKEBACK is the Scorpion and the Frog as a driver and a hitchhiker. With time loops.

WKTD is by worstgirlsgames and you can play it on itchio and steam, and HIKEBACK is by CLOWN and you can play it on itchio.

[k20spock]

Gecko’s list of free video games you should play right now

Hi I’m gecko I like video games and I like not paying 60 dollars for them so here’s a list of some free games I’ve unearthed and liked. Enjoy

(most of these are small, more obscure games made by a few people or even just one person, so support the creators if you can!! Some of these do have a pay what you want model)

Hikeback (Itch.io) 

You see a hitchhiker flagging you down during a long, lonely drive through the countryside. No matter how you choose to handle the situation, you end up back on that road. And then again. And again. And again, until you find a way to escape a loop of violence and self-sabotage. Hikeback is a visual novel inspired by the fable of the frog and the scorpion, and it takes about an hour to reach the ending. It’s available on Windows, Mac, Linux, and browser, and there’s a detailed list of content warnings on the game’s itch.io page. One of my strongest recommendations, Hikeback is an incredible experience, and it was made in only ten days!!

Purrgatory (Itch.io) (Steam)

Find ways to pass the time in an inexplicably cat-themed but otherwise pretty dull afterlife, and befriend its other inhabitants. Purrgatory can hit hard when it wants to, but it’s mostly a relaxed point and click game that takes about a few hours if you want the true ending (which you do). And also I really don’t like recommending things going “it’s rep!!” and not elaborating on what the thing is actually about, but Purrgatory does have a mostly explicitly LGBT+ cast and Korean characters by a Korean artist. It’s been a few years since I played Purrgatory, but I remember it was an incredible experience, and since then, even more people can play it because it’s been fully translated into Spanish and Simplified Chinese! It’s available on Windows and browser.

How Fish is Made (Itch.io) (Steam)

How Fish is Made includes incredible retro-style graphics, a sardine flopping around in a machine with a choice to make, a singing, cane-wielding, tophat-wearing, tongue-eating parasitic isopod, and a free expansion/trailer for the studio’s next game that’s like if Katamari Damacy was evil and also had fish in it. That’s the best I can do for a summary. How Fish is Made is available on Windows and takes about 30-45 minutes, but will itch your brain for much longer.

Stop Burying Me Alive, Beautiful (Itch.io)

A visual novel in which you are stuck between trying to convince your girlfriend you are not dead and she should stop burying you alive, and playing rat-themed card games with a woman you find living underground. The game doesn’t always do a great job walking the line between comedy and horror, but there’s some strong writing depicting a failing relationship and very strong artwork that makes this an easy recommendation. Stop Burying Me Alive, Beautiful is on Windows, Mac, Linux, and browser, and takes about half an hour. 

Caper in the Castro (Internet Archive)

Ok this one is pretty different, but fuck it, it was originally released for free in 1989 (with a recommendation to make a donation to charity instead) and is still free so I’m including it. Not enough people are aware that you can play the first known video game by and about gay people on your computer right now for free and it has that classic adventure game bullshit sometimes but it’s extremely playable and also funny as shit. Like it’s not just cool history it’s actually fun (sorry Gayblade). You play as a lesbian private detective named Tracker McDyke looking for your missing drag queen friend and you can get most of the doors in the game open by shooting them. People have made full walkthroughs for this game and how to get it working if you have trouble so there’s no excuse. Play Caper in the Castro.

Under a Star Called Sun (Itch.io) (Liminal Magazine)

A browser game made in Bitsy that’s extremely simple and only a few minutes long, but that’s all it needs to create a succinct, gut-wrenching depiction of grief. 

Hotel Infinity (Itch.io)

If you need more short Bitsy games you can play in your browser that are about death, you’re out of luck after this because I’ve only got the two. Hotel Infinity is more lighthearted, tasking you with checking in on your ghostly hotel guests, and helping one check out. It’s simple, but sweet and affecting. 

Water Womb World (Itch.io)

Back to marine life-themed horror. Water Womb World is about a man’s obsessive search for the Garden of Eden leading him to the bottom of the ocean. There’s a few brief moments of annoyance in the gameplay, but the atmosphere and visuals are fantastic. Fantastic enough I bought the shirt, because I like cool shirts. It's available for Mac and Windows, and takes about 15 minutes. 

Hyperhell (Itch.io) (Steam)

A rogue-like bullet hell with a hyperpop soundtrack. It’s a mess, but in a good way. A run can (allegedly, I am not very good at bullet hells and I wasn’t able to get all the way to the end) be under ten minutes, but the game is very replayable with its different characters, weapons, bosses, and DDR and fishing minigames. You might have heard of this one already because maia has a cameo in it, but it really is a fun, if slightly painful for your eyes, time. It’s available on Windows.

Magicafe HD (Itch.io)

Under a technicality, I haven’t played this one yet, but that’s because I played the original text-based version of this game and I didn’t know the dev had converted it to a full visual novel until right now when I went to recommend the original. I’m certain this version is even better! It’s a cute, simple visual novel about a girl trying to get to her job at a magical girl themed cafe, while dealing with the struggles of secretly also being an actual magical girl. Available on Windows, and lasts about half an hour. The original is available on browser here if you’re interested. 

Dedz0ne (Itch.io)

Ok, wrapping up on a weird one since this isn’t really a universal recommendation. Dedz0ne is a Yume Nikki/Splatoon fangame inspired by Dedf1sh’s backstory and the atmosphere of Octo Expansion in general. It came out before Side Order so it’s not accurate to it, but it’s a really neat game with great visuals and atmosphere. It’s available on Windows

And that’s it for now. There will probably be a sequel someday because I am unable to stop digging through free games. Or maybe a collection of not free but extremely cheap games (like under five bucks) I like. Who knows! I hope you found something that catches your eye here!

[handsome-john]

Anyway my growing list of things that really fundamentally shaped me as a person and I never hear discussed

I am in Eskew (podcast)

Dispatches from Elsewhere (tv show)

Hikeback (Visual Novel)

More to be added as I remember more

[eughty]

I saw your Scorpion and the Frog Wikipedia poem and I really enjoyed it! If you have any interest in visual novels on itch.io, I have a feeling you'd like Hikeback by Clowndream. It's a story meditating on the Scorpion and the Frog fable, I can't recommend it enough

thank you, im glad u enjoyed it!! this is my first time hearing of hikeback, but it seems really cool so ill be playing it later :) ill probably make a post with my thoughts after i finish it

[thestormynobody]

HikeBack

Neat little timeloop visual novel that made me cry oooof

Lain PSX

I cheated a little using the easy read web version to experience the story but still interesting

The Immortal Soul Salvage Yard by Beth May

pain (pos)

2024 Media List

List of media I've consumed/completed this year. Most these are ported over from my twitter as I am abandoning that hell site. I'll be putting my thoughts on entries moving forward but wanted an at least somewhat comprehensive list for myself

Shin Kamen Rider

Ride the Cyclone

Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Umineko Chapters 1-7

Metropolis (2001)

The Fly

Dungeons and Daddies S2

Dark city (1998)

ISAT

Psychopomp

Rental

Serre

Bad End Theater

The Prince and the Dressmaker

Start Again Start Again Start Again a Prolouge

Every Thing Everywhere at Once

Facade (Go read Hershel's comics)

[maddymoreau]

HikeBack is a short Horror Visual Novel

You play as a man driving to go visit a friend when on the way you notice a hitchhiker in rough shape. Your decisions will determine their fate.

This game features time loops and is designed to be replayed. Will you find the ending you seek? 

If you like time loops then you’ll LOVE this game!! If you’re like me and not a big fan of the time loop genre then YOU’LL ALSO LOVE THIS GAME BECAUSE HOLY COW!!!! 

This game does such an incredible job at keeping your eyes glued to the screen!! Speechless and completely unprepared for what’s going to happen next!!! While also tugging at your heart strings.

Link: https://clowndream.itch.io/hikeback

[chemical-bunz]

“maybe next time?”

“Yeah, maybe next time.”

[rpgmakerwhorrorgame]

Visual Novel horror - Hikeback liveblogging thoughts

Thoughts: If the driver really is a serial killer then I’m not a fan of that. If it’s like, every loop corrupts his past (he truly was going this way to meet an internet friend which after enough loops turned into him being a catfishing serial killer) then I’ll like it. 

I just find it infinitely more interesting if it’s a case of Selflessness Vs. Self Sabotage, with the Driver being a good person who seeks to help others, while the Hiker isn’t a bad person - but they keep acting on impulses that hurt both themself and others. 

It’d also better parallel the story of the Frog and the Scorpion. In the story the Scorpion is technically at the Frog’s mercy in the sense it could throw it off and make it drown*, or take it to another location. The Frog is at the Scorpion’s mercy, it’s act of kindness could result in being murdered.  Just like the Scorpion stinging the Frog results in their mutual destruction, the Hiker killing the Driver dooms them both. An impulse that doesn’t make them a bad person, but hurts themself and another person.

I also feel like it’d give more weight to Ending 0. The Driver telling the Hiker that breaking a cycle is hard, it can feel impossibly hard, but you have to keep trying - even if it means accepting the help of others. 

[kithuu]

Fanart of HIKEBACK by @clowndream , probably my favorite visual novel style game I've ever played.

[tinygameroom]

Interactive Fiction to Look Out For On Itch.io

itch.io is a trove of interactive fiction games, visual novels, and kinetic novels of all types, and I’ve run into a good handful that I think are worth highlighting (and playing again myself!)

Many of these I haven’t finished yet due to the sheer amount of content or because I went for the ending I wanted straight away, but I’d love to finish them thoroughly and perhaps review some of them in the future. 

A couple notes! First, it’s been a while since I’ve played some of these games, and some of them I haven’t seen all of the paths. I try to give warnings where needed, but my warnings might not be complete as I don’t know absolutely everything in each game. Please check the games’ pages and look after yourself!

Secondly, many of these are available free, and some are for sale at a low minimum price, but I encourage you to supporter the writers, artists, composers and developers in any way you can, whether that’s giving them a follow, donating, or just leaving a nice comment. Supporting indie creators is a huge part of what this blog is about so give back to those who create things you love! Now let’s get into the list!

Visual Novels:

Hikeback is a horror visual novel about hitchhiking, time loops, and murder. It gives a lot of incentive to keep playing and replaying, as the story advances almost every time you start again, with new choices and details being revealed as it all unravels. This game is incredibly engaging and beautifully written, and lives up to the promise of time loops and meta game mechanics. I recommend this for anyone who wants a good spooky, existential story. Be warned of loud noises, jumpscares, glitch effects, blood and violence, abuse, and themes of self harm, suicide, and depression. The itch.io pge has a list of content warnings as well as a full spoilery breakdown of warnings if you need them. You can find Hikeback on itch.io here!

Nothing to Say is a Visual Novel dating sim where you go on a date with Zoe, a girl you really like. The only problem is you’re very, very nervous. In this smart little game, you’ll be limited in how many letters you can use to express yourself, and you’ll have to unlock further dialogue options by getting to know Zoe, being honest with her, and being cute together. You’ll only earn letters from dialogue options once, encouraging you to explore more dialogue each playthrough until you get all the options to fully tell Zoe how you feel. Nothing to Say is playable here on itch.io!

Text-Interactive:

The Three-Body Problem is a queer romance interactive fiction about celestial witches living in a dark, magical wood when they encounter a young stranger. It features a nonbinary character, a potential polyamorous relationship, and healthy dom/sub dynamics. I found this story sweet and charming, with likable characters and pretty, easy to follow story writing. The Three-Body Problem deals with themes of abuse in a compassionate manner, and is in large part about healing and finding people with whom you are safe. I recommend it for anyone wanting a nice queer romance read with fantasy elements. Watch out for themes of abuse and sexual themes. You can purchase The Three-Body Problem on itch.io here for $5 or play a free mobile version from Wattpad!

Raik is a deeply Scottish fantasy melded with reality. You play as a young woman dealing with anxiety and stress trying to make it through her day, while a fantasy world unravels around her. This story has layers, and all of it is beautiful. The portrayal of anxiety is poignant and real, and the writing is gorgeous. I don’t want to say anything else to spoil it, but this game is fantastic. I recommend for anyone who likes to daydream. Please be warned of themes of anxiety, stress, and panic attacks as well as some fantasy violence. You can buy Raik here on itch.io for 3 GDP (or more! Please support the author!)

Space Frog! (I saw a lunar eclipse) is a story of a frog in space. He’s a frog and he’s in space! This is a cute, short interactive fiction with low stakes, no worries, just cute adventures of a frog in space. You can direct frog as he travels and learn more about him. It has adorable illustrations and clickable text that reveals extra flavor information. I recommend to anybody looking for a smile. You can play Space Frog here on itch.io and also download a zine of the game for $2 or more!

Floor is a text-interactive game about lying on the floor. You can lie on the floor, and you can get off the floor. What you do next is up to you! This is a short game with no real stakes, just real life boredom and activities. It may evoke feelings of loneliness or disappointment, but you can also just have some hummus. Floor can be played here on itch.io!

Apple Spice Pancakes is another short game about making pancakes with your sweetie! It’s entirely wholesome and adorable. The game text is all dialogue - the dialogue you read is from your partner, and your choices are your real-time responses to them. You can help them design your perfect breakfast while being disgustingly cute. Apple Spice Pancakes is available here on itch.io!

A Witch’s Word is a romantic text game where you have made a deal with a witch, offering her your firstborn. The only problem is you don’t have a child. Or a partner. The witch is here to help. Explore three potential relationships as your witch continues to introduce you to new sweethearts, trying to find someone who you are willing to love and who is willing to give up your child. And if you don’t want any of these people the witch offers you... maybe play the game anyway. See what can happen. A Witch’s Word is available here on itch.io!

Other:

Novena is an interactive poem! It’s a pixel art game that you navigate around, interacting with parts of the environment to read through the poem, which is about the ocean, and wishes, and expectations. And compassion. It has absolutely stunning visuals and music, and the poem makes me cry each time. Be warned of some really heavy feelings, but it will do its best to comfort you. The poem takes about five minutes to read and is here on itch.io waiting for you.

I hope a few of these games are of interest to you and that I’ve inspired you to support these great indie developers! If you wanna support me and see more articles and reviews on indie games, or encourage me as I learn to make my own, you can follow me here and on itch.io and support me with donations on ko-fi! Please reblog if you like this article, since tumblr will make it very hard to find with all these links. Have a great day and play some good games!

[k20spock]

I’m not the first person to make this connection but slay the princess fans if you want more visual novels with time loops and the scorpion and the frog fable you should play Hikeback I played it earlier it’s super good and completely free!!!

[oyasuminto]

If you're taking any VN recommendations, I recommend Hikeback. It's a fairly short (like two hours?) visual novel with heavy psychological themes and also some sci-fi (which is used to just make the psychological stuff literal for the most part though). Made me cry several times. Also opened my third eye. Apparently it was made in two weeks, which is insane because it's great.

OOOH

[plasterbrain]

HIKEBACK

HIKEBACK is a short and sweet meta visual novel loosely based on that Aesop fable, "The Scorpion and the Frog." It's a snackable SCREAMORTALITY jam entry with a fully custom GUI and a rad-as-fuck music track. I'd recommend it if you're into games like The Room Syndrome that deal with multiple playthroughs as a plot point.

The dev has written a walkthrough for the endings as well as an extremely thorough content warning list, in case you're someone who seeks out horror games while dancing around specific horror-related triggers. Live your best life.

Some other notes:

There's no rollback for most of the game because it's story mechanic. When you can roll back, it's triggered by pressing the rollback text on screen -- not the scroll wheel!

As of 4/18/21, an error screen shows up the first time you try to use the skip function (tab key), but you can press ignore and it’ll work just fine!

(You can check out all my mini freeware reviews on my tumblr with #underthebed.)

[malhare-archive]

Oh yeah pal, the wolf monologue basically made the film for me. Like before I was just like "This is an interesting weird movie I guess" but after that I was like "Oh god. Oh fuck." Like personally I'm more of a scorpion person, I've been obsessed with them since a young age and also playing HIKEBACK, a psychological horror / sci-fi short visual novel about abuse and change (or the ability to), did something to me that no other story will ever be able to do, and that game used Aesop's scorpion and the frog as character themes (it can even be seen in the designs now that I think about it) and metaphors. And also I'm like weirdly obsessed with that pop culture retelling of the fable, where the scorpion doesn't sting the frog and says that it can't choose its nature but it can control its actions or something like that? I also have a love/hate relationship with the original fable because on one hand I'm like "REAL SHIT 👀👀👀???" and on the other I am like "When I die I will take a book of these fables with me and I will hit Aesop really hard with it every afternoon for the rest of eternity because this fable is wrong and goes against all my convictions and ideals and it is imperative to my wellbeing that Aesop is aware of that."

But anyway wolves are cool too, it's just that, I don't know, I just hate relating to wolves because if I say it, people will surely think that I'm one of those weird guys who are like "Oh I'm a total wolf I'm a Super Mega Alpha Male haha lol". Or they'll think that I'm saying that they're like cool and badass and majestic and I'm too. But what I am in fact saying is "I was born with; or perhaps was made to grow; metaphorical claws and teeth so sharp they bite when they should kiss and cut when they should pet. My love is caustic and smells of burning plastic, it bites and takes and tears your throat out until there's nothing left of you to give to me, to nurture my empty body with. My hair raises at the tiniest sound and my heart is always racing to run or fight. I'm a wild animal, a pack animal, but I'm rabid." you know?

Anyway the wolf songs. Well the most obvious ones are:

I Know I'm A Wolf by Young Heretics

Little Red Riding Hood by Amanda Seyfried

Wolf Like Me by TV On The Radio (or this cover)

Then there's WOLF by Siam��s, which is from the POV of the wolf and uses it as a metaphor for addiction

Then The Wolf Song by OMNIA, which actually may be rather literal because OMNIA is a bit out there

Then Be Nice To Me by The Front Bottoms uses the wolf metaphor once but it isn't the focus

Songs that are focused on their metaphor but use a slightly different animal are:

Lion by Hollywood Undead

and Dog Teeth by Nicole Dollanganger (actually I'm mildly sure this one is supposed to be about sexual assault but I can't really be sure sure about it and personally I don't treat it as that kind of song but as a general thing. Mostly because I can relate to "You're cold on the inside, there's a dog in your heart, and it tells you to tear everything apart." and actually a lot of the lyrics in general.)

Some other miscellaneous songs are:

Wounded Wolf by Giles Corey, which is named that but never actually mentions a wolf???

Bitten by Patrick Wolf (lol), which yeah talks about being bitten and stuff but isn't really focused on that. Honestly I just like the song.

Silt by Half Waif, which uses a few lyrics of a lion metaphor but otherwise talks more generally about loving with venom

Tongues and Teeth by The Crane Wives, which is also pretty vague in terms of metaphors but it fits the general concept.

I'm actually somewhat sure I knew more very specific wolf songs, but I can't find them at all right now?? Idk might get back to you with more if I ever remember the titles lol.

YOOOOO, sorry this took me a while to get around to I just [inhale] have a lot of thoughts and wanted to be able to give a thoughtful response! Thank you so much for the reccs, I LOVE getting music reccs and I LOVE wolf metaphors/imagery so I put all these songs on a playlist to listen to at work!

I've already heard a few of these - Funnily enough, "Wolf Like Me" is my favorite TV on the Radio song! I also love "I Know Im a Wolf" and "Dog Teeth"!! Im excited to listen to the rest <3

I really like the Scorpion and the Frog fable too! That "nature vs self determination" debate is really close to my own heart.

I also definitely feel you on relating to wolves in that way, especially the bit about “having claws and teeth” that accidentally hurt others. My connection to wolves isn't some macho lone-wolf deal, it's about trauma, overcoming your own nature and life obstacles, and inner strength though I'm now starting to get more into my relationship with my patron deity, Fenrir.

[gigglingauspice]

I am normal about indie horror visual novel Hikeback

[chemical-bunz]

Happy birthday to my favorite escaped labrat, who I personally believe is spending it in a motel room with their kinda-boyfriend, eating cupcakes from Walmart