Kill or Love
A downloadable visual novel for Windows, macOS, and Linux
A story about obsession, loneliness, and, based on your choices, varying amounts of murder.
Jack, a man with no memory of his childhood, is stuck in a hospital following a near-fatal injury. His girlfriend, meanwhile, is being held captive.
To make matters worse, Jack's nurse is Anna, the woman who kidnapped his girlfriend and who put Jack in the hospital in the first place. Anna is obsessed with him to an unhealthy degree, and the answer to why lies somewhere in the past.
This short visual novel follows Jack as he makes desperate plans to save the girl dearest to him, and as he remembers how Anna tore through his life.
Features:
- 28k words (a little over 2 hours)
- 2 choices at the end that branch the story into 4 different endings
- 1920x1080 resolution
- gorgeous sprites drawn by tan
Due to depictions of violence, not suitable for those under 15 years of age.
Now available for Android here.
Follow the author on twitter to find out more about this and future projects.
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Upcoming Steam release!Jan 20, 2020
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Does anyone know what happened to Andy Church?
i know this game has already been out for a few years now, but i truly loved this game, its a shame that this creator doesnt seem to have any more projects going on, from what i know atlest, this game was really good, and i wish i could of played more
Literally, I've just finished this VN and checked for any more info from the author and it seems like their socials have been wiped... T_T Andy Church if you are reading this comment, please know that I really enjoyed this and would love to see more from you but even if I never do that will never diminish the experience I had with this VN.
same
I think Jack killed himself in the end. The guilt he feels for turning Anna into a monster and getting Grace in trouble is too much to bare. He wakes up in a field, both of the people he loves are there. It's not too long after what happened, probably within a few months since Jack's leg is still messed up from the incident. The two girls have sort of put the whole thing in their past, and have absolutely no scars to show of the incident. Grace even has her teeth back. This is exactly what heaven would be like for Jack, alone, sitting peacefully underneath a tree in a field with the two girls he loves the most. And do you really think Anna would have magically stopped being a psycho because Jack reveals that he never had a plan? That the most important thing to ever happen in her life wasn't planned, that it just happened for no reason? No, not after all that trauma. She had to bury the trauma of her parents death with the sheep and wolf story to begin with, the only thing that kept her going was believing that Jack was a hero, that he was a wolf. She wouldn't have been fine, she would have done something drastic. Not to mention Grace Anna kidnapped her and pulled her fucking teeth out. Anyway, that's my theory. Would love to hear what you guys have to say!
It's possible Grace got fake teeth to replace the ones pulled. That doesn't take away from your theory, it's just another possibility.
It's a beautiful story and it has the right balance of romance/horror.
Really good. I think one character was more developed and more sympathizeable to me than the others.
unexpected
but interesting
I hope you're doing good for yourself Andy because this game being completely free is a crime. I found myself most invested in chapters 4 to 6 which is great because the middle point is usually when visual novels tend to lose me. I'd rather not spoil the twists and turns so if you're more interested in watching (listening) than playing, check out my experience in the video above. It's a long play with all endings included!
Thanks for making games!
Really enjoying the game so far I'll update my opinion later on as I strive through. So far I think that the writing is very well written, I enjoy the story and the backgrounds. The characters look really good!
If you're interested in indie horror games, or video games in general. Please check out my blind playthrough of Kill or Love below! I encourage those who watch my videos to leave reviews and play the games themselves and I hope to complete all 4 endings in these videos.
I must say it was a really good. Normally I get bored with Visual Novels because of how slow they are however It had be engaged the whole time. Somehow I guessed the "twist" it just clicked with me . The music is real good too. played all the endings loved the happy one . This game really is more like a life lesson . wish to see more games from you.
I loved this VN but I just had a question about the happy ending. Is it in the future or are they all dead?
I loved it! I played all 4 endings and every of them was interersting in its own way
I loved the artstyle but there wasn't any music and I had to add it myself.
I really love the artstyle of the game! Really compelling story too! Everything is just beautiful!
*even if this is ytp, I really do like everything in this game!
I usually never comment on the games I play, but this one struck me differently than those games so I feel like you deserve one.
I really love this game. It's heavier on the characterization, which I like. I truly felt like I got attached to Jack, Grace, and Anna. It's nice that we actually learn about the characters before making the choices at the end. And about the choices, they're actually easy to make instead of the usual visual novel where you just kind of guess which choice works in your favor, though it also fits with the game on how you learn more about them before actually choosing which person to end up with.
Now I'm going to talk about my choice of ending and more about the plot, so spoiler warning:
Grace just wasn't the type of character I could imagine Jack living with, so I went to the ending where I killed her off and stayed with Anna. Kind of an asshole choice from me, to be honest, but I did read the wolf and sheep story wrong at first and thought Jack killed Anna's family (which ended up being right), and I liked Anna over Grace (and Anna, by the way, is an amazing yandere that reminded me of that one Stephen King novel, Misery, so good work on building her up that way), so that ended in the most logical conclusion I could think of. As for why I saw it as Jack killing Anna's family, I'm not sure. The thing that struck me hard was the fact that he didn't actually see his memories, rather taking the book at face value and mistaking the wolf for Anna. And again, I read it wrong at first, so when the plot twist came, I wasn't too surprised. Oops.However, overall I was impressed with the game and I hope I can see more games from you in the future.
Hey there, this is the one and only VN that I deeply curious about. I've only play for 1 hour or so but there are so many questions going on in my head. Can someone spoil it out for me? About Jack, Anna and Grace past? I like how you develope the character emotions, especially Jack. The atmosphere in this game always gives me a chill. I love it, kudos for you Andy!
Did you ever finish it?
Loved it. After playing One Thousand Lies (another short, sweet VN ported to Android) I was craving for something of the sorts. Good balance between a super engaging story and pace. Normaly VNs tend to be slow-paced, sometimes way too much to my liking, and this hit the sweetspot, and for that I'm grateful. I don't know if this is your first shot at writing and putting it out there. If so, kudos to you. Massively surprised. I've only watched 2 out of the 4 endings (that I would consider to be the good and good+ endings, perhaps) but I'm glad about their conclusions. :)
Only thing bothering me is... what was Grace's backstory? I feel like it was "there" but I wouldn't mind somebody clarifying it for me.
i think (im not sure) maybe her family was killed when she was a little girl?
I liked this VN. It was short but emotionally resonating. Especially the part about friendships.
as a fellow game developer, I will give this a 10/10.. the art style was cool, music design was great. But there's one thing I didn't understand (or am I just dumb), I know there's a lot of clues regarding grace's past but I can't piece it together,
Can someone clarify these to meSPOILER ALERT!
and also, when grace broke up with jack, she live with don right? so does that mean they did it so that grace would survive? i really want to know.for the developer, if you're doing a game again, we can do a collab. I'm proficient in C# and C++ (unity and unreal engine). hit me up if you wanna work together (doing this for free since this is my passion)
I would really like to know the answer to that as well. Anna implied a few things but we never got any confirmation
I think for you question about Grace living with Don she was lying about that because remember at the part where jack and Anna burn grace’s belongings in the field when they are leaving jack looks back at the stuff and says he sees someone in a window of an abandoned building which we later find out is indeed grace since Anna claims they burned the items in front of her so I think that after grace left jack and quit her job she ended up living in that abandoned building but didn’t wanna reveal that
in the end where you don't kill either, what happens to jack ?, is he dead or is he still alive ?, I really don't understand what happened
Alive. They mend their ways and promise to "try" to let go of the past.
I loved it, really good.
This was a nice experinece. A really creepy love triangle. It is just a good game.
Love the psychology of the characters in this game, as well as the tense atmosphere and engaging twists.
I do feel a lot of the endings were rushed, the "Anna/Jack" ending being the one exception (and I did see you comment that it came out the most naturally?). I also feel it would have been interesting to see events from Grace's POV, especially since we already see from the other two main characters.
Overall, an engaging visual novel. Definitely one of my favorite video games of all time.
Ohh my goddd....this game...no words...Magnificent work done by the creator..I completed this within 2hrs and i truly wish to make a vol 2 for it..
No seuquel? Man, these story is awesome! truly inspirings, its a shame it ended her. but.. wow.. I spend 4 hours of my life playng these, reading it, at the end I was like, Oh ARe You Serious?! when I have to decide to kill or not kill Grace and Anna.. when you dont kill anyone, those words at the end,, they where truly insipiring, Thanks man
Question?, why is the game style similar to Doki Doki Literature Club? Are you working with team salvato?
Definitely not. Doki Doki is more Horror than Sad/Romantic. 'Cuz this game has a balanced Horror and Sad/Romance. Truly beautiful
ok that makes more sense thank you
Both games are made using the Ren'py Visual Novel Engine.
To the people who disliked the game. They're just some boring a*s guys who were expecting to see a murderer running off and killing people! Awful! This story isn't about CRIMINAL ACT! It's about a man who's loneliness killed until Grace shows up and changes his life. --Spoiler ahead-- in the end, choose to not kill Grace nor Anna and you'll see when Jack says "You need as much people in your life, if you had only one, and if that one left you, you would crumble. It's like a home with only one wall" MASTERPIECE. This game reminds us that friendships and relationships are the meaning of life!!!!! This was not a game, this was a life-time advise. It was like watching a 10.0 rated movie. Man this made me cry hard.
To Andy.... man... thank you, you gave us a life-time advise which I will never forget. You're the best man I've ever encountered even though your behind that screen. Love you and your game, and I surely want more visual novels like this to come ahead!
i hope there is a 2 i wonder who that other friend of Jack is?
There is not a sequel planned, sorry
The sense of dread I got from the very second I started this game up hinted to me that I was in for quite a ride with this one.
Of course, the first thing that sprung to mind when I saw horror and visual novel was the infamous Doki Doki Literature Club, which traumatised me a couple of Christmases ago when I first played it.
The thing is though, despite the foreboding, despite all of my senses telling me to not do it, I still downloaded this, and am still currently working my way through it.
What I've experience so far has been amazingly well put-together. The story is gripping, and I still have no idea which way it's going to go. The character design and music are outstanding too, and when it comes to this kind of game those elements are what can make or break you.
I'm sure I'll have more to say when I get through to some kind of ending, but for now I just wanted to say that this game has me on the edge of my seat every time I load it up... and I love/loathe every second of that in equal measure!
Keep up the awesome work Andy, this is a mini-masterpiece! =)
When I first read the title I thought it was gonna be a weird game where you meet girls and choose whether you would kill or love them. I didn't not realize the beauty of a game that I was about to step my foot in. This VN felt like I was addicted to an anime and I couldn't stop going through it till I reached the end (which totally took me longer than it should have). I'll be honest, the little happy ending you added in the end felt kind of off. I definitely wouldn't forgive someone for taking my mans, tying me up, and then pulling out my teeth lol. Anyways, I'm excited to see what else you make with your amazing writing skills!
ok
I love the story even though I wish there were more options but, it's fun to speculate what is really going on so far. I this is going to be a 4 video series on my channel. Can't wait to play more!!
Who killed the dog?
I wish I knew
good question
Just started this game a few days ago and it was great! :D
I am loving the story so far. I haven't finished it yet.
Story is well written and I can't wait to finish it soon.
Keep up the great work!
This game...This damn game...It should be put In a museum! I goddamn love it so much. This game needs more appreciation, love, support!! Like, fr..Good job andy. ^-^
This game is something
I love it
Hey Andy,
You've made an amazing visual novel. The writing was astounding. The way you wrote the story got me super tense, and I could feel the goosebumps as I read it. Most of the visual novel games I've player were like danganrompa, root letter, and ace attorney, where there were a lot of interacting elements. However your game didn't need that. I was felt more immersed into the story and your writing shined more because of that.
Overall I enjoyed it and I highly recommend this game.
SPOILERS FOR ONE OF THE ENDINGS
Heya Andy,
First and foremost i'd like to preface this by saying that this was my first VN. I don't really have much experience in this field and the only reason i downloaded it was because the runtime wasn't very long, i made this account just to make a comment here expressing my thoughts.
But man, did this grip me. From the first time i read "Im going to kill someone, probably." to doing all 4 of the endings, i couldn't stop reading. The consistent good writing and the unique spin on the
frankly boringYandere archetype was very, very refreshing. It made me very tense at moments, with a title like "Kill or Love" i expected the homeboy Jack to get killed at every turn, fearing he fucked up in some way.Piecing together Grace her past was an interesting endeavor too, i feel like people can have multiple ways of perceiving it, it's cleverly done.
Visually, the game looked great. I'd like to give a shoutout to the artist who drew all the sprites. I know most of the backgrounds are just pictures with a Photoshop filter over them (i think, please correct me if im wrong..) but they fit in well regardless.
Though, my biggest gripe are the endings. Which would you considering the canon one? Is there a canon one at all? I personally felt no satisfaction with any of them, save for the Anna route. Though i do feel all the endings make sense in the context of how the player perceives the characters, and what they ultimately decide is right in this situation after being with Jack, and what Jack would do after remembering what his past was.
How did you come up with the ending where Jack kills the girls, then commits suicide? As i mentioned, it's not unrealistic for the character. I can see why he would do it, but i'm just curious as to how you came up with it.
Overall, i'd definitely give this a glowing approval, not that it means much from some random dude, but i don't think ill be forgetting Kill or Love anytime soon and definitely will be exploring more VNs in the future now that i've seen what the medium can really accomplish.
I'm greatly looking forward to your next VN, don't stop writing, you have real talent!
SPOILERS FOR TWO OF THE ENDINGS
Thank you very much. There are many great VNs out there for you to try next, but I should say that, in my opinion, they're generally paced more slowly than Kill or Love. This is not to say that they are better or worse for that, but it's something to keep in mind. For example, Umineko, probably my favorite visual novel (or series of visual novels, I guess), is 80 hours long. Good luck getting through that in one sitting.
Each ending is as valid as you want it to be. There is no canon. As for that one ending, it came to me so effortlessly I can't properly tell you how it happened. Everything about it felt inevitable, after those two choices. The opposite ending, the one where everyone lives, was much harder for me to write. It was difficult to not make it cheesy or forced, especially with the little time I had (I didn't want it to drag on). It is so tonally different from the other endings, and from the rest of the story, too, but I think I handled it decently. Jury's still out on whether I made it cheesy or not, though.
Hey man, thanks for the reply.
First and foremost, i'll definitely give Umineko a shot. Second of all, i can sort of understand what you mean. Jack, a man who feels deep guilt for murdering 2 innocents, just stabbed 2 more people. As a way to sort of pay for his crimes, he decides to commit suicide instead of living with the burden of the crushing guilt that he must've felt at that point.
It's for sure an interesting wrap-up, and despite how i said i felt no satisfaction with 3 out of 4 of the endings, i feel like you went about it in a very smart way.
Have a good one!
ps, the ending was cheesy as hell