Psychological experiment visual novel Yasashiku Shite tests the limits of players’ humanity with cruel dilemmas and 56 possible outcomes

Solo indie developer Hiromi Suzuharu is gearing up to release their “psychological experiment visual novel” Yasashiku Shite later this month. The game puts players at the mercy of a strange man in a suit with a cartoonish heart for a head who tasks them with completing a series of morally ambiguous challenges. The title is a common Japanese phrase that approximately translates to “Be gentle with me,” but is spelled in an unorthodox way that incorporates the kanji character for “death.”

As the faceless Subject 03, players will be put through four “experiments,” and their choices will lead them to one of 56 possible endings. Each experiment involves challenging decisions that will test the limits of the player’s humanity while the heart-headed host delivers glib commentary.

The first experiment is a twist on the classic trolley problem. Instead of choosing whether to pull a lever to avert the deaths of several people at the expense of another, Yasashiku Shite’s version forces Subject 03 to decide between the life of their own sister or their own right eyeball. This cruel choice lays the groundwork for how the game operates, and primes players for even more heart-wrenching decisions that lie ahead.

The second experiment consists of a devilish version of hide-and-seek where those who are found by the seeker will be killed unless they reveal the location of another subject’s hiding place, betraying them in the process. The third has players allotted 20 “kindness points” that they are free to use at their discretion to provide a group of impoverished prisoners with basic amenities. The fourth and final experiment involves Subject 03 and the host riding in an exceptionally slow elevator over a period of days while rationing out a limited supply of food and water to both themselves and other desperate subjects that board the elevator over time.

Each of the four experiments involves randomized elements that will ensure each playthrough is unique as players chase down the game’s dozens of endings. Hints for how to reach each ending are also provided in-game, streamlining the process for those who want to see everything Yasashiku Shite has to offer.

Although Hiromi Suzuharu is the game’s sole writer and designer, various human-made art and music assets were used from publicly available resources. Furthermore, the game features full Japanese voice acting from a small amateur cast. However, the Steam page acknowledges that the game’s text localizations into English, Korean, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional) were created with the help of generative AI tools.

Players interested in tackling Yasashiku Shite’s moral quandaries can do so via the free demo available now on the game’s Steam store page. A full release is currently planned for some time this month.

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