Horror visual novels Psychological horror Horror Anime horror

ITYH: A Horror Otome

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She wanted the quiet new boy to notice her. Now she is chained in his basement.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Stores: itch.io
Price: Pay what you want
Rated: 4.9 out of 5 on itch.io (324 ratings)
Length: about 2.5 hours
Players: 1
Controls: Mouse or keyboard to advance text and pick choices
Made by: Amiralo
Released: 2021

What frightens Camille only wants the mysterious transfer student Osgoode to notice her. He does, and she wakes up chained in his basement. The maker calls it a horror otome about first love in the midst of gore and trauma, and the bloody hands holding a heart on the cover set the tone.
Content: gore, captivity, trauma, death.

ITYH: A Horror Otome is a free visual novel by Amiralo, made for the Otome Jam. Camille, a high school girl desperate for love, finally gets the attention of the mysterious transfer student Osgoode, and ends up in chains in his basement. It runs about 35,000 words, takes around two and a half hours, and has several endings.

About ITYH: A Horror Otome

ITYH: A Horror Otome is a visual novel written, drawn and coded by Amiralo for the Otome Jam, released in December 2021. Camille Dubois is a self-centred, delusional high school girl who craves love. Finding the one has always been her top priority, and she has spent most of her school years chasing boys she cannot have and losing interest just as fast.

Then comes Osgoode McCabe, an intimidating loner and transfer student who seems to have a lot on his mind, keeps almost everything about himself a mystery and would like it to stay that way. Camille cannot take a hint. All she wants is for him to notice her, and then he does, and she ends up in his basement in chains.

The maker describes it as a horror otome about first love in the midst of gore and trauma. You play by reading and choosing, over pale, fine-lined drawings of the two leads and photo backgrounds washed into soft colours. The script runs about 35,000 words, or around two and a half hours, and your choices lead to a number of endings; the maker refers to nine of them and ships a walkthrough file with the game for players hunting the last ones.

It is free to download, or pay what you want, from itch.io. VNDB lists it for Windows, macOS and Linux. It suits players who liked Rose-Colored Cover or Yoko no Hanashi, where the horror is being held by someone who says he wants you.

How to play ITYH: A Horror Otome

Download the zip from the itch.io page, paying what you like or nothing, and unzip it.
Start the game and read Camille's story, advancing the text with a click or a key.
Pick Camille's actions and answers when choices appear; they decide which ending you reach.
Use the walkthrough.txt file included with the game if you want to find every ending.

Screenshots

ITYH: A Horror Otome screenshot: Osgoode stands in a bedroom while Camille looks on from the corner of the screen

ITYH: A Horror Otome character card: Camille Dubois, a girl with wavy blonde hair who desperately craves love

ITYH: A Horror Otome character card: Osgoode McCabe, a white-haired loner in a skull shirt who keeps everything about himself a mystery

Tips

Save before each choice so you can return and try another path.
The maker mentions a walkthrough file in the game folder; open it once you have seen a few endings on your own.
Some endings take patience: the maker notes that one needs you to repeat an action several times before something changes.