Romancing Flesh

Really fun horror concept and original feeling gameplay. A little glitchy, but not enough to cause major issues.

Gonna be real, played this on stream, and it needed far more warnings than it presently has. TW: body horror, medical experimentation, McCarthyism, hints of psychological torture, harm to animals. I could guess at the first two, but the rest we didn't know until well into the story. Chat and I almost just quit reading.

Positive points: character animations in a VN feel rare, so that was nice to see. The soundtrack (though repetitive after the first 10 times) is good and does set the mood. The artwork is also both beautiful and terrible; there were definitely some "plants" I wanted to spend more time up-close on to take in their terrifying beauty.

Negative points: Lacking any real gameplay; at the outset the story seemed to imply we'd get to make at least one choice but the ending completely rips that away from the player. Call me a sensitive snowflake, but the story was pretty much a miss for me. I didn't really see the point in including gay characters in the story; didn't get the sense that they actually had much of a romance going on and largely felt the story would've been exactly the same with that aspect removed. The warden, I guess, was designed to be as offensive as possible -- perfectly fine -- but there was absolutely no one we felt sympathy towards. Other than maybe all the plants and animals they experimented on. Also, as a reader rather than a player, there was a lot more telling than showing. I felt hit over the head by exposition, rather than feeling like there was something to discover.

All that said, it wasn't terrible. The story could use some refinement, since it's basically all there is to the game. Otherwise, visually, this really showcased the artists work well and I'm curious to see what other artwork of theirs is out there.

This game is brilliant down to the finest detail. The slow burn fully pays off in a truly haunted, horrifying beautiful conclusion! I can't recommend this game enough. A completely original experience like no other. fantastic work!

This game captures the exact type of aesthetic that I love in horror games. The visuals grab the unsettling and morbid aspects of what is going on in the game. Not to mention that the audio is great. It sets the tension and off putting aura of the game. Also is it just me or did the two characters have some subtle romance? And what ever happened to Ulna and Jack?

Edit: After playing through a second time, they definitely did have a romance. I just missed all the flirting. 

I am a chinese,i think the story is pretty good ,but i can not understand some wrods can you Give me the Chinese version ?thank you !(i love this story!)

my heart aches for them. Thank you for creating something so beautiful. 

Cool creative game. Congratulations ! I am from Argentina and I wrote horror and terror stories. If I can help you, count on me

I knew Charles was gay from the first letter. Complicated relationship with a parent who is hyper-masculine? I think a lot of queer people can relate. I was pleasantly surprised to be proven right and then horrifically gutted by the ending. Also, vagina dentata anyone? That was my first thought - I am glad to see that it was likely intentional.

The story-telling is incredible. The prose is heart-wrenching. The warden's monologue, at the end: "a mama's boy sticking his meat in the dirt, hoping it'll grow" and Mr. Keating's physical transformation into the monster the authorities and, presumably, his family believes him to be. Taking back his humanity from his captors. The letter to Sergei at the end. The life they created together, but was denied to them by a fearful and violent antagonist. I tear up thinking about it. I have not stopped crying over this visual novel for hours now.

As a queer person, this hurt a lot - like flushing out a septic wound. The body horror was quickly subsumed by the social horror playing out, and became its own metaphor for dehumanization. The pain is palpable and beautifully displayed. Thank you for sharing.

oh, this is truly gorgeous. I mean- it was disgusting, and even the most innocuous animation hit that uncanny valley viscerally enough to make me cringe, but I'm also strangely attached to the story and actually found myself rooting (hah!) for the two characters. there's a depth to both those characters and the moral questions posed that makes the whole thing so deeply memorable. and the interplay between the nature (hah!!) of the body horror involved and the contextual realities of the forbidden love, especially with the ending, feels like something that's going to be living rent free in my mind for a while.

overall, repulsive horror, visceral storytelling, grotesque imagery, somehow still so heartwarming it made me want to cry. 

this game was truly beyond expectation, i didn't expect to get so attached to the people in it. without getting into spoilers, the ending almost brought me to tears

The double meaning to the Jack and Ulna experiment... needed a second read to catch that! I really loved the visuals of the creatures, wished we could see some animations of the flesh-flowers. 

 Will there ever be a sequel?

PS. I think the examination phase is a little buggy, some documents stay on the screen when navigating text and there's a bit of rewinding here and there when I press Enter to advance.

I did not play it myself but just watched a Youtuber play it. I liked it so much that I had to comment praises. The animation is really cool! A bit unnerving, and perfect for the aesthetics. A fun way to make the story more engaging as you play. I loved the style of the art--the eerie designs of the creations. The romance, the relationship, and what it was saying, that hit well. A bit subtle, but clear, what they were going through and how it related to the project. Then the ending, the unexpected parts. Creepy, yet also sweet? Leaves you feeling unsure of how to feel. Morally gray.  Very well done!

This game hit hard. How the initial monologue hit and how the story develops, body horror as a way to tell something more than shock value and be more visceral (pun some what intended). Amazing work and cant wait for more. 

Awesome game.

Horrifying. Well done!

Uncomfortable? Gross? Disgusting? I can't find the word to what experiment horror I just witnessed (literally because I'm not english speaker lmao). Love how it's also a gay allegory~

I really liked the quirky style this has! The chemistry between the characters was also great. The examination phase was sometimes a bit buggy (the recording dialogue showed on top of the next scene or didn't always show at all), but I liked it as a feature. I'd like to see more games in this style!

Made a video

Delightfully eerie!

MINOR SPOILERS

What!! What. That was really cool! All the characters acted very, very real. Despite the title I wasn't expecting to see any romance in this game but you know what, the awkward flirting was great and made total sense.

I loved all the photographs too, they were gruesome and beautiful at the same time. What happened with Ulna and Jack? I wish to know. I'm emotionally invested in their relationship.

What an unsettling story. I really enjoyed it!

Amazing. More people should play this. Great writing, great premise, GREAT visuals. I loved it.

Loved the story and the animations! Very creepy.