u/BeneficialContract16

Hey everyone,

I’m working on a psychological horror visual novel and recently got feedback that my game “doesn’t look scary enough.”

In my mind (and experience), people who suffer from paranormal experiences don’t encounter them constantly. They often happen more intensely at certain times of day (for e.g. after sunset, around midnight, or before dawn) while the rest of life can still feel “normal.”

My game focuses on healing from past memories and explores psychological themes like sibling preference, abandonment trauma, loneliness, and the desire to belong. At the same time, it features paranormal elements such as sleep paralysis and demon encounters.

My questions are:

With these themes and elements, is “psychological horror” the correct tag to use?

Does having colorful backgrounds and a slice-of-life atmosphere put you off from playing such horror visual novels? Doki Doki Literature Club is a good example of how this contrast can work in a horror VN.

How would you recommend I position the game?

Should I focus more on the story-rich, emotional aspect and downplay the horror tag, or keep leaning into the psychological horror label even with the lighter aesthetic?

I would love to hear your thoughts. The game is called "Saraab". I hope this is the right place to ask about this. Thank you

Hey everyone! This is the dev behind "Saraab: Beyond the Veil". I'm happy to announce the demo is live on Steam and itch!

"Saraab" is an emotional, slow-burn psychological horror visual novel about a young woman searching for her missing brother, only to find herself trapped in a shifting reality where the past isn't just memory, it's a haunting presence.

As her dormant "light" awakens, it draws dark entities closer and reveals a strength she never knew she had.

What to expect:

- Slow-burn psychological horror, no jump scares

- Fully hand-drawn art and original score inspired by 90s videogame music

- Choices that shape her fate, will she face the truth or escape into illusion? (More in the full game than the demo but it's coming!)

Curious if this kind of emotional, narrative-driven horror resonates with you. If you enjoy the demo please consider wishlisting. Thank you

Hey everyone! This is the dev behind "Saraab: Beyond the Veil".

"Saraab" is an emotional, slow-burn psychological horror visual novel about a young woman searching for her missing brother, only to find herself trapped in a shifting reality where the past isn't just memory, it's a haunting presence.

As her dormant "light" awakens, it draws dark entities closer and reveals a strength she never knew she had.

What to expect:

- Slow-burn psychological horror, no jump scares

- Fully hand-drawn art

- Original score inspired by 90's videogame music

- Choices that shape her fate, will she face the truth or escape into illusion? (More in the full game than the demo but it's coming!)

Curious if this kind of emotional, narrative-driven horror resonates with you. If you enjoy the demo please consider wishlisting. Thank you.

Hey everyone! This is the dev behind "Saraab: Beyond the Veil". After many months and lots of feedback (Thank you for helping me out!) I'm happy to announce the demo is live on Steam and itch!

"Saraab" is an emotional, slow-burn psychological horror visual novel about a young woman searching for her missing brother, only to find herself trapped in a shifting reality where the past isn't just memory, it's a haunting presence.

As her dormant "light" awakens, it draws dark entities closer and reveals a strength she never knew she had.

What to expect:

- Slow-burn psychological horror, no jump scares

- Fully hand-drawn art

- Original score

- Choices that shape her fate, will she face the truth or escape into illusion? (More in the full game than the demo but it's coming!)

Curious if this kind of emotional, narrative-driven horror resonates with you. If you enjoy the demo please consider wishlisting. Thank you

Hey devs,

I just released the demo for my psychological horror visual novel "Saraab" and wanted to share my experience getting here.

What it is:

A story-rich VN built in Ren'Py exploring memory, identity, and the things we choose to bury in the dark.

It was a long journey for someone who started with zero experience:

- Learned basic Python and DAW use.

- The Ren'Py community was incredibly welcoming and helpful (shoutout to PyTom for building such a solid engine).

- Listening to early feedback (without any sugarcoating) and actually implementing it (updated UI, adjusted backgrounds) made a huge difference.

What was harder than expected:

- Balancing horror fans' expectations with what the game actually is, it's not traditional horror. And that was a major feedback I recieved every step of the way.

- Marketing a niche starts with a disadvantage. But it's ok. It's the experience I wanted to create.

The demo is live on Steam and itch. I'm honestly just hoping it resonates with someone out there.

Ps. That sculpted hand I created years ago was dropped and broken without my knowledge! And yes that is school glue. The culprit still hasn't come forward.

Would love to hear from you what you think if you check it out! Thanks