Horror visual novels Sci-fi and space horror Horror

Märchen Line

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A space-army dating sim, until you look past the story you were told.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
Stores: itch.io
Price: Free
Rated: 4.9 out of 5 from 52 ratings on itch.io; 2nd place overall (judges' favourite) and Best Original Soundtrack in the Spooktober VN Jam 2024, nominated for Best Monster
Players: 1
Controls: Left click or Space to advance and choose; Left Ctrl to skip read text; Esc for the menu
Made by: Nth Circle (written and directed by Brian Mulholland)
Released: 2024

Get it on itch.io Spooktober VN Jam 2024 entry

What frightens It starts as a bright space-military dating sim: train your stats, bond with your assigned Valkyrie and your squad, serve the Armada. Push past the galactic narrative and it turns into what its makers call a surreal survival-horror suicide mission, with blood and gore, body horror, cannibalism, glitching screens and faceless alien hordes.
Content: blood and gore, body horror, cannibalism, death, glitching effects, underage drinking, strong language.

Märchen Line is a free sci-fi horror visual novel by Nth Circle, made for the Spooktober VN Jam 2024, where it won second place overall. You serve in humanity's Voyager Armada, raise your stats and grow close to your assigned Valkyrie, until the story turns into a surreal, gory survival-horror mission and shows you humanity's true place in the galaxy.

About Märchen Line

Märchen Line is a visual novel by Nth Circle Studios, written, directed and developed by Brian Mulholland with a team of artists, writers, designers and a composer. It was made in a month for the Spooktober Visual Novel Jam 2024, where the judges placed it second overall, gave it Best Original Soundtrack and nominated it for Best Monster. It is a free download for Windows, Mac and Linux on itch.io, updated to version 1.1.0 in 2025.

You are a Soldier in the First Among Father's Voyager Armada, the Bravest of the Brave, sent to liberate the Milky Way from the True Enemy. With the blessing of His Runes you will grow stronger, smarter, faster and braver in weeks, and each Soldier is assigned a Valkyrie to help manage their duties. You train your stats, build relationships with four characters you can romance, take part in text-based combat and wander a starship drawn in a retro anime style.

Its makers planned it in two acts: a stat-raising dating sim, then a surreal survival-horror suicide mission. Push past the galactic narrative and you learn humanity's true ranking in the galactic hierarchy. The content advisory lists blood and gore, death, body horror, cannibalism and glitching effects, and the aliens were designed to feel faceless and endless, drawing on the Xenomorph, Starship Troopers' Bugs, the Zerg and the Tyranids.

It runs to more than 50,000 words, with a dead end, a bad end and a true end. Players call it a perfectly contained story that feeds you its world bit by bit. It suits players who liked Doki Doki Literature Club's turn from cute to horrifying and want it in a military sci-fi setting.

How to play Märchen Line

Download Märchen Line 1.1.0 for Windows, Mac or Linux from its itch.io page.
Click or press Space to read on and make choices.
Train your stats and spend time with your squad and your Valkyrie between missions.
Fight in the text-based combat and pass the stat checks the story sets you.
Look for the dead end, the bad end and the true end.

Screenshots

A pixelated, blood-red creature beside a soldier in a mech suit who says 'Just makes everything less messy...'

The squad in green uniforms aboard the ship, a stern girl asking if the Runes made your eyesight worse

A map of the starship with rooms such as the library, cargo bay, training hall, sick bay and mess hall

A glitching screen of red text: 'For the first time in your life, you know exactly what to do.'

Tips

Save often; stat checks and choices can lead to a dead end.
Hold Left Ctrl to skip text you have already read on a replay.
Read the content advisory first if body horror or cannibalism are hard for you.
One player found the first half rushed to get to the point; the story opens up once it reaches its turn.