Zayki

Learn About the Game Zayki

I’ve been playing this haunting episodic story that unfolds like a visual novel soaked in psychological horror. You make choices through text prompts, guiding the dialogue and peeking into different narrative paths. Everything is drawn in this stark black-and-white style, and those few splashes of color really pop against the monochrome backdrop. It all comes together to feel like flipping through a hand-sketched storybook, eerie and intimate.

The heart of the experience is a 12-year-old boy named Anton who lives in an isolated, snow-covered village deep in Siberia. Suddenly, children start vanishing without a trace, and Anton can’t help but follow the clues into the silent forest beyond his home. As you step into his shoes, you’ll feel the tension of local folklore, the crackle of childhood fear, and the uncanny swirl of the supernatural. People you meet feel so real one moment and disquietingly surreal the next, leaving you guessing what’s real and what’s imagined.

What really hooked me was how every choice matters. You see different outcomes based on the paths you take and the relationships you build, so it’s easy to replay just to see what shifts. The sound design is a subtle but crucial piece, with creeping atmospheres and unsettling melodies that raise the hairs on your arms. Since it’s structured in episodes, you get a steady drip of suspense that keeps you coming back for more. Add in the striking hand-drawn visuals, and you’ve got a story that lingers long after you’ve put it down.