Escape from Wormwood

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Caught by a cult of mouse folk who plan to eat you. Find a way out.

Platforms: Browser, PC, Mac, Linux, Android
Stores: itch.io
Price: Free
Rated: Rated 4.8 out of 5 by 157 players on itch.io
Length: about half an hour
Players: 1
Controls: Mouse, keyboard or gamepad
Made by: NomnomNami

What frightens You wake as the captive of a cult of mouse folk who mean to cut you up and eat you; tied up in the dark, you are spoon-fed a meaty stew you have reason to fear, and a body lies on the floor beside you. The maker warns of blood, gore, a destructive cult and cannibalism, with no jump scares.
Content: blood, gore, cannibalism, cults.

A free horror visual novel by NomnomNami, set in the world of Lonely Wolf Treat. You are the prisoner of a cult of mouse folk who cut people up and eat them, and over about half an hour of reading and choices you try to survive and get out.

About Escape from Wormwood

Escape from Wormwood is a free horror visual novel by NomnomNami, the maker of gentler animal-folk games such as Lonely Wolf Treat and Night with Timber. It is set in the same world as Lonely Wolf Treat but stands on its own. It plays in the browser on itch.io, and there are downloads for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. It has been translated into eight languages, and the maker says no generative AI was used.

The maker sums it up plainly: it is a horror visual novel where you get cut up and eaten by mouse cultists. You are held in the dark by a cult in Wormwood. One cultist offers to feed you herself because she cannot untie you, and you have to decide whether to eat what is in the spoon. A body lies nearby, and in this world animal folk return to their animal form when they die.

You read the story in text over soft, grainy drawn scenes in deep reds and purples, and make choices at key moments. The maker warns of blood, gore, a destructive cult and cannibalism, says it is far darker than their usual work, and adds that there are no jump scares and, in the end, a happy ending.

It takes about half an hour. Players on itch.io rate it 4.8 out of 5; several found it sad as much as frightening. It suits players who like short, dark stories with gentle art, and fans of the maker's other games who want to see the darker side of their world.

How to play Escape from Wormwood

Open the game's itch.io page and play it in the browser, or download it free for Windows, Mac, Linux or Android.
Press Start and read the story, clicking or pressing a key to move on.
Choose what to do when the game offers options, such as eating or refusing.
Read on to the end to see how, and whether, you escape.

Screenshots

Escape from Wormwood screenshot: a hooded cultist holding a lantern offers a spoonful of dark stew, with the choices Eat and Refuse

Escape from Wormwood screenshot: text describing a corpse on the floor turned to fur, with the choices Panic and Remain calm

Escape from Wormwood: a dim chalk-drawn room with a barred door and a table

Tips

Read the content warning first; the game has a button on the title screen to show it.
There are no jump scares, so it is safe to play with the sound up.
Play Lonely Wolf Treat if you want to know more about its world, though you do not need to.
Change the language in the settings if you prefer another of its eight translations.