Horror visual novels Horror Short horror

Welcome, Dear Human

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Your sleep paralysis demon has been watching you. Now it wants to date.

Platforms: Browser, PC, Mac, Linux, Android
Stores: Steam, itch.io
Price: Pay what you want
Rated: 4.8 out of 5 on itch.io (1,298 ratings)
Length: 1 to 2 hours
Players: 1
Controls: Mouse and keyboard: click to read and choose
Made by: Ronkad and KikiCan

Play on itch.io Steam (expanded demo; full game in development)

What frightens A dark, shapeless creature with huge yellow eyes has been watching you from the corners of your new apartment, and now it reveals itself: your sleep paralysis demon wants a relationship. You decide whether to trust the thing that grabs you in the dark.

Welcome, Dear Human is a horror dating sim by Ronkad and KikiCan in which the monster in your new apartment, your sleep paralysis demon, reveals itself and wants a relationship. You learn to talk with it and build trust, or don't, across three endings. The free demo plays in the browser in one to two hours; the full game is in development.

About Welcome, Dear Human

Welcome, Dear Human is a visual novel by the two-person team Ronkad (programming and production) and KikiCan (art, animation, writing and music), made in Godot. The itch.io release is a free demo that grew through several updates; an expanded demo is on Steam, and the full game has been announced and is in development.

You have just moved into a new apartment, all warm tones and cosy furniture. But something has been watching you for a long time, and with the move it has decided to show itself: a dark, draped, shapeless creature with huge glowing yellow eyes. It is your sleep paralysis demon, and it would like to date you.

The game is a dating simulator turned on its head. You read the creature's words over fully animated, hand-drawn scenes, choose how to answer, learn to communicate with it and decide whether to build a relationship built on trust. Small minigames and secrets fill the apartment between conversations, and you can choose your room's design.

The unease comes from the creature itself, half seen in the dark corners of a familiar room, and from moments when it reaches for you and you must decide what to do. It has partial voice acting and an original soundtrack, three endings, and plays in English, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Turkish and Chinese. It suits players who liked monster-romance horror such as Sucker for Love and The Freak Circus.

How to play Welcome, Dear Human

Open the game's itch.io page and press Run Machine to play in the browser, or download it for Windows, macOS, Linux or Android.
Read the creature's lines and click to continue.
Choose your replies and actions; they decide how far it trusts you.
Explore your apartment between conversations, try the minigames and look for secrets.
Replay to reach the other endings and unlock the gallery.

Screenshots

Welcome, Dear Human cover: the shapeless dark creature with glowing yellow eyes beneath the green and white title

Welcome, Dear Human screenshot: the hunched creature crouches by a wardrobe in a dark bedroom and says it has observed you for a long time

Welcome, Dear Human screenshot: the creature sits in the dark by your bed while you choose what to say about it wearing your clothes

Welcome, Dear Human screenshot: a tall shadowy figure grabs you, with the choices Pull back, Try reaching out and Do nothing

Tips

The first ending takes one to two hours, so give it a full sitting.
Some Android players report a crash during the sheep-counting scene; the browser or desktop versions are an alternative.
The Steam expanded demo has an extra monster for players who finish this one.