RPG Maker horror 2D horror Short horror Horror Horror puzzle

Symbiosis

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You are the witch, and there are intruders in your house.

Platforms: Browser, PC
Stores: itch.io
Price: Free
Rated: 4.8 out of 5 from 887 ratings on itch.io
Length: about 30 minutes to 1 hour
Players: 1
Controls: Arrow keys to move, Z or Space to act, X for the menu, Shift to dash, Page Down to fast-forward text
Made by: Spica (Puchi)

What frightens You are Magnolia, a witch whose house sits in a grove where branches claw at your neck and the air chokes; after a break-in, strangers are inside, and you set out to get them out of your house, knife in hand, while her notes on growing a homunculus from human tissue point to what she has been doing there.
Content: blood, violence, loud sounds, flashing lights.

Symbiosis is a free horror game made in RPG Maker by Spica, playable in the browser on itch.io. You play Magnolia, a witch who lives deep in a choking forest with her son, as she tries to get a group of intruders out of her house, uncovering a story of human experimentation and family drama along the way.

About Symbiosis

Symbiosis is a short horror game by Spica (Puchi), who led the project, drew it and wrote it, with music and co-writing by LGM and further writing by Wannabe Cat and Jenny Vi Pham. It is made in RPG Maker MV, plays free in the browser on itch.io, and also has a Windows download and the original game-jam version. The maker is still updating it, most recently with patched art, new music tracks and extra dialogue.

Deep in the forest is a grove where the branches grasp at your neck and the air is a thick, choking miasma, and at its centre stands the Witch's House. Magnolia lives there with her son, Mint. After a recent break-in there are people inside who should not be, and you play the witch trying to get these intruders out of her house. You walk her through the rooms in top-down pixel art, talk to the people you meet in portrait scenes, read what you find and work out codes and objects to move on.

The horror sits in a warm, orange-lit cottage: blood on the kitchen floor, a smiling witch with a dripping knife, and a book of notes on growing a homunculus from mandrake and human tissue. The maker warns of cartoon blood and violence, themes of human experimentation and complicated family drama, loud sounds and flashing images. Several players call it twisted but oddly heartwarming.

It lasts about half an hour to an hour and has two endings. It suits players who like RPG Maker horror in the vein of The Witch's House, told here from the other side of the door.

How to play Symbiosis

Open the game's itch.io page and press Run game to play in the browser, or download the Windows version.
Move Magnolia with the arrow keys and press Z or Space to look at things and talk to people.
Read the books and notes in the house; they hold the clues to codes and to the story.
Use what you find to get past locked doors and deal with the intruders.
Play again and act differently to look for the second ending; the maker has posted a walkthrough and FAQ on the devlog.

Screenshots

Magnolia smiles in close-up, holding a knife dripping with blood, against a red background

Magnolia stands in a top-down pixel-art kitchen with blood spattered across the floor and table

A book page of scientific notes on creating a homunculus from mandrake and human tissue, with Magnolia's portrait

Magnolia and Mint in the warm-lit pixel-art living room as Mint asks for new drawing supplies

Tips

Check every shelf and book; players say finding the first code takes some searching.
Hold Shift to dash through rooms you have already searched.
Page Down skips through text you have read before on a replay.
Turn the volume down a little; the maker warns of loud sounds and flashing images.