Horror visual novels Psychological horror Short horror

MAMA

Rate it

One day, you'll thank me. After all, mother knows best.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Stores: itch.io
Price: Free
Rated: Rated 4.8 out of 5 by 27 players on itch.io; ranked 7th overall and 5th for music in the Spooktober Visual Novel Jam 2024
Length: about 30 minutes
Players: 1
Controls: Mouse and keyboard: click to read and interact, type the words the game asks for, and use the right arrow key when prompted
Made by: Red Bean Taiyaki (writing by Bobbu, art by kindergarten incinerator, programming by Ziny, music by Nite)
Released: 2024

What frightens On the first day of a yuri convention a text drags you back into your childhood home, where something is wrong and you have to escape a mother who is always watching you. The makers warn of homophobia, anxiety, mental and physical abuse, violence, blood and gore, mentions of animal abuse and flashing imagery.
Content: abuse, homophobia, blood, gore, violence, mentions of animal abuse, flashing lights.

A free horror visual novel made in a month for the Spooktober Visual Novel Jam 2024, where it ranked 7th. A text at a yuri convention sends you back into your childhood home, and you have to escape a mother who is always watching. Five acts, about 30 minutes.

About MAMA

MAMA is a horror visual novel by the team Red Bean Taiyaki: writing by Bobbu, art by kindergarten incinerator, programming by Ziny and music by Nite, with a Chinese translation by Ziyu. It was made in one month for the sixth Spooktober Visual Novel Jam, where it ranked 7th overall and 5th for music. It is a free download for Windows, Mac and Linux on itch.io, in English and in a separate Chinese version.

It opens at HimeCon, a yuri convention you are attending with your girlfriend, who has a table in the artist alley. Then a text arrives that changes everything, and you find yourself back in the home you grew up in. Something is wrong there, and you have to get out, while she is always watching you. The menu is a phone screen, and behind it a red-eyed face peers around a door.

It plays in five acts, told in text over boldly coloured painted scenes, with interactive moments in between: rooms to click through, words you have to type, and a prompt to push to breathe. The makers warn that it depicts homophobia, anxiety, mental and physical abuse and violence, with blood and gore, mentions of animal abuse and vomiting, and flashing imagery that may affect players with photosensitive epilepsy.

Players on itch.io rate it 4.8 out of 5; one says it brought them to tears, another that it felt real enough to be triggering. It suits players who want horror about a family that will not let go, told in half an hour.

How to play MAMA

Download MAMA from its itch.io page for Windows, Mac or Linux (or the Chinese version), unzip it and run it.
Click to read through each act.
Click on things in the rooms when the game lets you explore.
When asked to type a word, type it in lower case with an English keyboard layout.
When the game tells you to breathe, press the right arrow key.

Screenshots

MAMA title menu on a phone screen, with a red-eyed face in glasses peering around a door behind it

MAMA screenshot: a smiling man in a cap and glasses painted in clashing colours, with the line Now.

MAMA screenshot: a child's bedroom in harsh neon colours, a teddy bear on the bed and papers strewn across the floor

MAMA screenshot: a brightly painted fox nuzzling against you on a wooden floor

MAMA act select screen: polaroids pinned to a page, the first labelled Act 1 Depression and the rest still hidden

Tips

Read the content warnings on the itch.io page before you start; they are long for a reason.
If a typed word is not accepted, check that caps lock is off and your input method is English, as the makers advise.
At the breathing prompt use the right arrow key, not the space bar.
You can replay any act you have reached from Select Act on the menu.

Questions

Is MAMA free?

Yes. It is a free download on itch.io.

How long is MAMA?

About 30 minutes for its five acts, according to its makers.

Can I play MAMA in the browser?

No. It is a download for Windows, Mac and Linux.

What should I know before playing MAMA?

The makers warn of homophobia, anxiety, mental and physical abuse, violence, blood and gore, mentions of animal abuse and vomiting, and flashing imagery.