Skeletal Hearts DEMO

Note: This is a demo version of Skeletal Hearts, featuring part of the common route. Some elements—such as side character sprites and polish—are still in development and will be updated in future versions. 

Skeletal Hearts is a narrative-driven BL visual novel that blends romance, light horror, and slice-of-life in a world where society has rebuilt itself atop the bones of the old one. Years after the end of a zombie outbreak, remnants still linger—in broken cities, in forgotten bunkers, and in the people who carry its scars.

And still, the seasons change.

It is the year 2040, 13 years after the outbreak ravished the world. You play as Caolan, a self-identified hermit living in the small society of the Sanctuary. As he navigates grief, mental health struggles, and a deep sense of disconnection, he may find solace in one of three men.

Characters:

A recluse by choice, a mess by accident. Still grieving, still hiding, still figuring it out. Probably needs a nap—and a hug he’ll pretend to hate.

Childhood friend. Sanctuary sweetheart. Professional big brother and part-time Caolan wrangler. Too kind for his own good.

A man of few words—literally. Loves animals and swimming to an unhealthy degree. Keeps more than just secrets in his basement.

Flirty, fast-talking, and impossible to pin down. Too much charm and too many secrets. Touchy, playful, but surprisingly gentle when no one’s looking.

Current Features:

• The common route 
• ~20k words (est. ~1-2 hours)
• Seasonal outfits
• Two CGs
• One (1) mentally ill, autistic man with a mean streak

Full Game Features:

• Three distinct romantic routes, each with unique themes and emotional arcs
• ~30k words (est. ~3 hours) per route
• Extreme domesticity and fluffy feelings
• More CGs!
• More side character sprites!
• More seasonal designs!
• 18+ content!

Trigger Warnings (Full Game):

(subject to updates)

Skeletal Hearts contains mature themes and is intended for an 18+ audience. Player discretion is advised. 

Visual: Blood, injury
Textual: Death, animal death, mental health (primarily depression & anxiety), suicide, implied child neglect, death of a parent, grief, strong language, gore, consensual sexual interactions, anxiety attacks

Endings:

Aside from the rare unfortunate death, each route only has one or two endings. Because of this, however, I'm dedicated to enriching the story through impactful choices with short- and long-term consequences. Choices may result in unique scenes, different dialogue, different characterizations, and a different way of viewing the relationship and characters.

Credits:

"Bittersweet" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Sound effects from Freesound.org (CC0).

Please note that I've only tested this game on Windows! If you run into any issues with the Linux and/or macOS versions, please let me know!!

💀 A Note from the Dev 💀

Hi! I'm loooneify, the solo dev behind this game. Your interest means the world to me—thank you for supporting my weird little post-apocalyptic gay visual novel. Please be kind to me, as I'm still learning. I'm very nervous about putting this out there, but I hope you enjoy it!