Hello Charlotte EP2: Requiem Aeternam Deo

About Hello Charlotte EP2: Requiem Aeternam Deo

Requiem Aeternam Deo is the second episode of Hello Charlotte, a series by etherane, released in 2016 and free on Steam and itch.io. The maker says each episode can be played as its own story, with different styles and themes but the same characters; the first episode is free on itch.io.

The game greets you as the new Puppeteer. Charlotte is the puppet you control, and around her are alien friends, a maggot cat and a certain Observer. You explore the House, go to School, socialise and make friends with gods, all until the Trial comes. The maker calls it a story lamenting the impossibility of universal happiness and the idolisation of people out of reach.

It plays as an RPG Maker adventure: you walk Charlotte through pixel-art rooms, talk to everyone, and get through a mix of exploration, puzzles and psychological and general knowledge tests. Inked, hand-drawn portraits and full illustrations break in at key moments, and the screen often glitches into static and colour.

The horror is not about chases. It is the way a cheerful, odd little world turns on its heroine: her mind unravels, ink flows and blood-red flowers bloom in a desolate field. The store warns of self-harm, suicide, graphic violence and death, and body horror, and the maker lists multiple endings.

It suits players who liked OFF, OMORI or Yume Nikki and want a strange, talky, free RPG Maker story that is willing to be both funny and very bleak.

How to play Hello Charlotte EP2: Requiem Aeternam Deo

1. Download it free from Steam or itch.io, then start a new game from the title screen.
2. Move Charlotte with the keyboard and press the action key to talk to people and examine things.
3. Explore the House and the School, and do what the people around you ask of you.
4. Answer the puzzles and the psychological and knowledge tests when they come up.
5. Save often from the menu, and replay to see the other endings.

Tips

• Talk to everyone you meet and check back with them after events; the story is told mostly through conversation.
• Play EP1 first if you can; it is free on itch.io and introduces the same characters.
• Keep separate saves before major events so you can go back for other endings.
• Take the tests seriously; the maker counts psychological and general knowledge questions among its puzzles.

Questions