Horror visual novels Psychological horror

MY BROTHER; THE PARASITE

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Your dead brother came back to say goodbye. He is still in charge.

Platforms: Browser
Stores: itch.io
Price: Free
Rated: Rated 4.9 out of 5 by 81 players on itch.io; shortlisted for two 2024 New Media Writing Prizes (the Chris Meade Memorial Main Prize and Interactive Narrative for Social Good)
Players: 1
Controls: Mouse: click the highlighted words to move on
Made by: qrowscant
Released: 2023

What frightens Your brother has died and come back for a little while, as some of the dead do, and even as his body rots and his mind comes apart he still controls you as he did when you were children; told in prose over harsh yellow and black pictures, with described body horror and abuse, and links that drag you back over words you have already read.
Content: descriptions of body horror, descriptions of physical and emotional abuse, implied alcohol abuse, implied assault, flashing images, eye strain.

A free piece of horror interactive fiction by qrowscant, played in the browser. Your brother has come back from the dead for a short while, and as his body rots and his mind unravels he still has the hold over you he had when you were children.

About MY BROTHER; THE PARASITE

MY BROTHER; THE PARASITE is a free horror story made in Twine and played in the browser on itch.io. It was written, coded and illustrated by qrowscant, and the maker says no generative AI was used. It was shortlisted for the 2024 New Media Writing Prize, in both the main prize and the Interactive Narrative for Social Good award.

If you are lucky, the maker writes, when somebody dies they come back just long enough to say goodbye. Your brother is one of those. But even as his body rots and his mind unravels, he still controls you, just as he did when you were kids. It is a story about a corpse, a complicated sibling relationship and the things we forget.

You read prose set over stark, grainy pictures in black, yellow and green: a street map, a church with lit windows, faces in shadow. You move on by clicking words, and players note that many links send you a few words back, so you go over old ground again as the narrator does. The pictures flash and shift, and the maker warns of eye strain and flashing.

The horror is slow and bodily: described body horror and decay, physical and emotional abuse, implied alcohol abuse and implied assault. Players call it haunting, chilling and creepy at times, and several found it moving as well. It suits readers who like literary horror and can take its subject matter.

How to play MY BROTHER; THE PARASITE

Open the game's itch.io page in a browser and press Run game.
Read the content warnings from the title screen if you want them, then press Start.
Read each passage and click the highlighted words to move on.
Follow the story to its end; some links take you back over what you have read, on purpose.

Screenshots

MY BROTHER; THE PARASITE cover: a shadowed face in yellow and dark blue with the title in black on yellow bars

MY BROTHER; THE PARASITE screenshot: two portraits in lit church windows above glowing yellow arches, with lines of dialogue between them

MY BROTHER; THE PARASITE screenshot: a dark street map in olive green with the words I would go

Tips

Read the content warnings first; it deals with abuse and body horror.
Take your time: the links that loop back are part of the story, not a bug.
If flashing images bother you, take care; the maker warns of flashing and eye strain.
Play in a dark, quiet room to get the most from its pictures and prose.

Questions

Is MY BROTHER; THE PARASITE free?

Yes. It is free to play in the browser on itch.io.

What kind of game is MY BROTHER; THE PARASITE?

A piece of interactive fiction made in Twine: you read and click words to move on, over the maker's own pictures.

Is MY BROTHER; THE PARASITE scary?

It is slow, unsettling horror rather than jump scares, about a dead brother who comes back and still controls you, with described body horror and abuse.

Did MY BROTHER; THE PARASITE win any awards?

It was shortlisted for two 2024 New Media Writing Prizes.