In the summer of 1986 you get a letter informing you of your mother's death.
The first and only letter you get in ten years since you left your hometown.
You stand in the middle of the old, tiny room that you can barely afford to rent and read it over and over again until the buzz at the back of your head quiets down. Until your hands stop shaking.
You think of what it means for you.
I hope you arrive soon. You know Marrowbone will always have a place for you.
The words spin in your head and you think of Marrowbone then—a secret, lonely place, standing at the edge of everything, surrounded by forests and fields, barely acknowledged on the maps.
But it is home.
And whether you like it or not, you are coming back.
There are no people left is an 18+ horror inerractive fiction game for language, themes and potential explicit content
• romance one of the 5 ROs or choose a platonic route
• choose between 3 preset personalities for MC that will open different paths in the story and exclusive scenes
• reconnect with your old friends and make new connections
• explore your hometown
• remember why you left
DEMO: (09.03.25)
Olya - Aside from working the bar left to her care by her parents, she isn't up to much of anything, the days passing by her seamlessly. You watch her work - pale fingers gripping the glass she is cleaning a bit too tight, lips pressed into a frown - and think how much she has changed since you last saw her.
She looks older. More tired too, but more than anything angry. With life perhaps. With you - for sure. The tension hangs between you, threads through every conversation, follows with every touch.
A decade of silence will do that, you think, almost guilty. You wonder if there was ever a chance of putting the fragile pieces back into place.
You wonder if the only thing left for you is to mourn.
Timur - Head held low, he keeps to himself most of the time. You remember him a sickly thing - his parents never letting him out to play, hiding him away in fear for his poor health. You remember sneaking into his room - muted laughter and hushed whispers, when you kept him company.
The memories taste bitter now, after all those years.
He seems more shut off now, and as much as you expected him to forget you, you're even more surprised when he gives you the same smile that reminds you of a sweet little boy that used to be your neighbor.
In the midst of half-forgotten faces and unwelcome memories, he still feels the same as when you were kids.
You're not sure if it brings you comfort or not.
The Doctor - He does his work well, and that's what matters, the doctor says, not in the most friendly fashion.
His face is lined with age, gray temples vivid among the black, as he runs his fingers through his hair, looking at another report with pursed lips and tired eyes.
You don't remember seeing him before, a hard thing to achieve for one of the few doctors of Marrowbone - a surprise and a revelation at the same time.
You know he is local, and your mind burns with questions. You can't imagine anyone in their right mind coming back here if they ever managed to leave - not by choice anyway - but you hold your tongue. It's not your place to intrude.
And it's definitely not your place to judge.
The Gravekeeper - As frail as she appears to be, she manages to be just as cheerful.
The keeper's granddaughter spends her days taking care of the dead - keeping them company, she says - the hem of her dress brushing against gray stone, as she moves around, steps light.
She is all sweet smiles when she talks to you, dimples catching your eye. And though you never saw her before, there is Marrowbone etched into her in a way you can't explain - dark eyes and a knowing pull of her lips - there is no doubt she has always been a part of this town.
The Widow - There is a rumor about her, almost a tale, nurtured by years of boredom from the residents of small town - not much to do in Marrowbone aside from gossiping about your neighbors - about a woman on the hill, lonesome in her manor, a number of husbands lying dead in the small graveyard in front of her home. About a woman always wearing black, forever in mourning. Some believe her cursed, though a more cynical crowd would call her much meaner names - a gold-digger with an exceptional streak of luck.
A witch.
You see her there, standing at the top of the hill - her dress swaying in the wind, black veil covering her face. And though you can't make out a single detail behind it, somehow you know - her eyes are on you.
Sonya - Your mother. You don't know what happened to her.
Hi! Just wanted to say that I love what you've got so far! The characters seem really interesting, and watching the creeping horror build up is fascinating!
Also I would kill for the grave keeper I love cheerful characters with connections to death sm
weehhhh its so nice thank you 🫶🫶🫶 also so happy about the gravekeeper reception she is my specialgirl glad to see people like her!
Imagine if weird MC comes up to Widow, begging for her to each them magic.
Believing she was a real witch.
you watch her often, these days.
the way she glides through the halls of the manor, folds of her dress brushing the wooden flooring, a whisper of movement in the silence of its walls; the way the air stills around her, colder. her fingers brush the threads surrounding you - light and trembling, you feel it in your chest - and you think you can almost see it, if you just look hard enough.
you're getting used to it still - the buzz at the back of your head when she is around, not entirely unpleasant; the feel of black satin on your skin; the growing shadows tugging along after her, inseparable.
you watch and wonder what it feels like for her. if the ease with which she exists in the confides of this space, comes from the invisible bond she is not afraid to lay her hands upon.
you wonder if it feels as liberating as you fantasize it to be.
one of those days, when you are tired of watching, you grab her hand almost in fervor, squeeze it between yours, trembling ones.
you swallow thickly when her eyes meet yours. your voice a hesitant plea.
"can you show me?"
this exact scenario wouldn't happen for. reasons but ☝️ it inspired me to write a litlle something something
its really funny how much i struggled with this one because why is it none of my business lowkey. i think it depends on the relationship and their partner but if i were to speak in general terms (very convoluted and also might change)
olya - deeply repressed so thinks she has a low libido but it's actually pretty average. she just needs to figure some stuff out
timur - even more repressed but it's a conscious choice. very easy to rile up specifically for this reason if its the right person. pretty high libido
the doctor - high when he was younger now pretty average/low. can keep up with his partner if needs to but give him a break 💔
the gravekeeper - she would match her partner's needs in that case. don't think she has a natural inclination
the widow - horny but for the emotional aspect. the psychological stuff. horny for the intensity of mc's feelings towards her and the world. is this thing on
how expirienced are the ros in terms of relationships?
olya - had like a couple casual boyfriends in her early twenties more out of some sense of obligation rather than anything else so it wasn't good or satisfying in any way. came to the conclusion that she is just as unlovable as she is unable to love instead of reflecting on what might be the reason for that
timur - no experience at all romantic or sexual, and never particularly felt the urge to explore. he doesn't like most people anyway
the doctor - experienced. fucked around and found out a lot in his early to late twenties which mostly consisted of casual flings. had a couple semi serious relationships after that phase but never actually settled down. hasn't been with someone in a while
the gravekeeper - same as timur except she is a romantic at heart and does feel the urges, though more for human connection just in general
the widow - pretty experienced yes having an undetermined amount of husbands that is. outside of the marriages though..who knows 🚶♀️➡️
Most to least tolerant of a clingy MC pre and post relationship?
ngl im kind of writing mc as touch averse in the beginning so i don't think they'd be very clingy pre relationships and deep into friendship it's pretty much the same as post romance
most to least tolerant
olya = the gravekeeper -> timur -> the doctor -> the widow
olya - likes it a lot. gets either really smug or embarrassed (or a combination of both) about it depending on the type of mc
the gravekeeper - very clingy herself and loves it if mc returns the sentiment. born to be the couple who is always all over each other
timur - rarely initiates physical contact himself, but he does like it when mc does it and doesn't mind them being clingy, even if it makes him anxious sometimes
the doctor - doesn't mind usually it and finds it cute, but he does need his personal space from time to time
the widow - actually likes it if mc is clingy but rarely allows it. finds their need to touch her more satisfying than the contact itself so you will have to really work for it
olya - more jealous than she realises and doesn't want to admit it. it comes from being generally protective of mc but on romance route its definitely jealousy. if she sees someone flirting with mc doesn't say anything but will come up to them and touch mc on the waist or bring them closer while glaring at the person. gets embarrassed and frustrated with herself about it after especially if mc points it out or teases her.
timur - jealous in "insecure about himself" kind of way and scared that mc might leave him for someone better. if he sees someone flirting with them, doesn't act on it or say anything but gets moppy and looks at mc with wet sad eyes for the rest of the day. doesn't want to be reassured either because he feels shame about having those feelings in the first place, and scared of acknowledging them.
the doctor - his ass is too old and normal for jealousy i fear. he trusts mc completely in this regard. if they are purposefully trying to make him jealous will be amused more than anything and might play along in exasperated kind of way.
the gravekeeper - hmmm this one is kinda complicated. i do think she can be jealous but in a weird way. in a crushing stage it's more about missing out on the experience of being with mc. but at the same time she appreciates the opportunity to see mc in this context, observe their reaction, imagine herself in the place of the other person. it gets her in a certain mood, not sad or bitter but quiet and introspective. she doesn't fully understand the feeling herself. in established relationship though, i think she doesn't really get jealous.
the widow - she is not the jealous type, she would say.
full disclosure I'll probably won't be able to give the game my full attention until summer bc of my classes 😮💨
im still going to write when i have a chance! it'll just be a slow procces but i hope to have the rough draft of pt2 before summer and then start editing and coding when im finally free
also might add a small update to pt1 (just a couple scenes probs like 3k words) so it cuts off at a more organic point
still open to asks and scenarios and stuff just might take me a while to get to them!
anyway thanks for playing the demo and for waiting 👩🦲
i don't have the exact numbers for most of them just bc i forget and change it constantly but i had the general age range in the post with their physical description
the only ones who have established number is olya (27-28 same as mc) and timur (2 years younger than them so 25-26)
So 2/3 of the MCs are assholes?
Can we punch people? 🥺
ahaha they are more like. casual assholes like being rude or dissmising to someone for no reason (loner), disregarding other people's emotions (both) or manipulating them (charmer) but they are not actively hostile or even confrontational (not yet anyway. there's always room for improvement)
coincidentally you actually will be able to get into a fight with a certain someone if you meet the requirements for that
if mc is an established character can you share something more about their personality? some fun facts maybe?
awesome question thank you so much im gonna rant about it like fucking crazy 🤓
the concept of the 3 main personalities was based on the common "skills" in interactive fiction genre that you usually get to choose from
specifically
1. charisma (persuasion/deception)
2. intelligence (academic skills/perception)
3. a secret third thing (connection to the mystical)
but i didn’t want for those to just be skills. it's very important to me that mc feels like an actual well rounded character (even if it means sacrificing the player's agency a little in terms of controlling their reactions or dialouge sometimes) bc i want them to feel like a tangible part of the world they live in. thats why i take care for there to be a lot of flavor text depending on which one you chose even if it's just changing one word in a sentence that recontextualizes it from this specific mc's perspective
so i expanded on those 3 concepts, thought about what kind of person would have those skills in the first place, how it would affect their development and personality, the way they percieve others and the way others perceive them etc etc and ended up with three very different characters that can be argued to similair to each other when you strip them down to their core (so the main narrative of the story still works for all 3 of them)
anyway. the facts. just a couple bc i want people to experience it in game
charmer!m:
skilled at making good impressions on most people and finding a way to approach them
does have a natural charisma about them that makes others drawn to them
can control their emotions pretty well unless [unintelligible]
an asshole
loner!m:
actually intelligent but was lazy and disinterested in most subjects at school so put very little effort into it
very perceptive but whether they care about what they notice is a different story
percieved as chill or apathetic unless [unintelligible]
an asshole
weirdo!m:
spaces out a lot sometimes to the point of derealisation
aware of the world around them but not always the people
taught themself to not speak their tboughts much bc usually stuff they say unnerves people
weird and off putting vibes
fun fact for all three: might or might not be an unreliable narrator ❤️
I came across this in another IF blog, and it sent me down a thinking spiral. I just think it's so thought provoking. Feel free to ignore if too spoiler-y.
RO's reactions and choice to either save MC and sacrifice the world, or save the world and sacrifice MC.
ooh i love this one
olya: when faced with the hypothetical would love to think she'd choose the world but when it actually comes down to it it's mc. it's always mc.
timur: mc without hesitation. the world won't have much to offer without them in it
the doctor: the world. and it would devastate him. if he could choose to sacrifice himself he would
the gravekeeper: OOF this one is hard actually..she loves the world, living in it and expiriencing every part of it the good and the bad but she loves mc just as much. whatever she chooses it would kill a part of her
the widow: she thinks the choice is obvious even if it's a shame. it's unfortunate but one creature cannot compare to the woven tapestry of life itself, every thread of it, everything it offered to her. so when the time finally comes she is astound to find that she cannot let go of you
hi! im not sure if youre already aware but if u play on dark mode (on mobile, dont know abt pc), if you start tapping on the cycing options, they become the same of color of the bg and you have to switch to light mode to see the options. is that something you could fix? ty in advance!
tweaked the colors a bit so it should be more visible now!
