VIRICIDAL (DEMO)
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Story:
A pandemic is breaking out.
In an isolated Antarctica, you're part of the research team tasked with finding a cure. Survive the cold, seek answers, and go home before the end of the month.
That was the objective, until your team found a missing scientist. With no memory, his miraculous survival and appearance quickly raised questions.
Is he a liability, an answer, or something else entirely?
Better decide fast. Your heart is bleeding, and so is the snow.
Demo Features:
- An ambitious woman MC with a customizable first and last name, and choosable personality trait (Active/Reserved).
- +18k words (Around 1-2 hours of playtime)
- 14 unique CGs
- Lots of choices and flavor text.
- A unique cast of 6 other crew members, each with their own burden to bear.
Warnings:
Please check this link for disclaimers and warnings. Player discretion is advised.
Full game features to be determined.
Credits:
- Writing, art, and programming by linglyum
- Backgrounds and photos by Maddy, Rob Isaac, wirestock, Amy Lowitz, brgfx, neocreo, Mitchell Luo, Common Naturalist, rawpixel, Mateus Andre, Marco Pedulli, starline, DC Studio, Natalia Kollegova.
- Music and sound effects from Pixabay.
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Note:
- Try adjusting your volume before playing!
- There is no CG gallery yet. To hide the textbox, press 'H', and feel free to screenshot.
No generative AI is used in the making of this game. Reviews and comments are greatly appreciated.
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Thank you for your support!
Tiktok (lots of art) / Twitter (lots of updates) / Tumblr (ask me stuff!)
If you're interested, you can support me on Ko-Fi <3
Download
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Comments
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ling you genuinely cook every single time…! the writing in this is nothing short of beautiful. loving decays was also a banger (i think i forgot to leave a comment for it though lol, my bad). you have such a gift for making characters and settings feel real!
the supporting cast is especially brimming with life. every side character has their own little spark, and vasily is… so… cute!!! i’m really eager and excited to see where this story goes from here. i know you're taking a break now, and i wish you well ₍₍⚞(˶>ᗜ<˶)⚟⁾⁾
I played this demo for the first time two days ago and it's all I've been thinking of ever since. Linglyum writes characters that stick in my mind like honey and will not let go. The atmosphere of this game is so chilling and bleak, all the warmth that 'Vasily' exudes just makes me want to latch on harder. There's a marked level of worldbuilding in this game as well; Loving Decays is still my #1 VN of all time, but it's impressive to see how the creator has already grown as a storyteller in a short time. I'm so excited to see how this mystery unfolds, especially as I 100% trust linglyum to deliver a masterpiece of choices, twists, and lovesick intrigue. It may not be flu season yet, but I'm ready to get this virus!
I really enjoyed Loving Decays and it was one of my first VNs ever. So when Viricidal came out I knew it would be good. It's really interesting how you manage to lean into the slight feeling of unease just by describing the scene in a certain way and choosing the backround music accordingly. Like for example how the fairly empty and calm Artic is contrasted with being the potential birthplace of the virus or how Vasily seems friendly and cute yet he gives MC and other team members the chills because he's still an outsider (plus the slight incosistencies in his documentation and his present self). Things like these personally keep me hooked to a game because I get the urge to find out more. So anyways, I LOVE your games. I love their vibe, the amount of attention to details and the interesting little real life facts you can learn from them. I'm super excited for the next update!!!
I'm a sucker for juxtapositions and subtle creepiness!! Thank you so much for your kind words 🥺 It sincerely means a lot to me, and I always love to hear when my games can make people learn something new! 💙💙💙 Have a great dayy
I love all the little details that make it seem like Vasily is not used to controlling his own body. At first, I thought he was a shapeshifter pretending to be human, but now I think it is indeed Vasily's body and he is just being puppeted by an unknown creature. Either way, whatever Vasily is/is possessing Valisy I'm on his side because he's adorable and likes MC lol. He is a sweetie and can do no wrong in my eyes. Edit: I just realized you also made Loving Decays, no wonder this is peak. You are so talented and I'm looking forward to your future work!
Oooo the first sentence is spot on LOL I'm glad you spotted it! The rest I won't say anything to due to spoilers hehe
Thank you so much for your kind words and support!! 💙💙
First game of yours I've played so far and wow wow wow you've done really well at balancing the oh look how well mc and vasily are getting along while still reminding us heyyy... this is a stranger we found that survived in conditions that shouldn't be possible! I also quite like the mix between your art style for the sprites and the more realistic but stylized backgrounds! Alright, I must check out your other games when I have more time but otherwise very excited for this one :D
THANK YOUU and welcome!! A lot of Viricidal players came from my other games, so I'm really happy to hear that there are new ones as well 💙💙 I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you like my other games as well :)) Thank you again!
OUUUUUUUUUGHHHH the demo was so good.... grabs vasily by the teeth and shakes him like a chew toy even though i know he's probably got some kind of infection... it's okay... we can share
the overarching feeling of solitude is a really good set piece to the unease that he brings to the story!! i love seeing the whole crew having sprites in the demo too... i feel like we got a good sense of them all and its exciting to see you working with a bit of a bigger cast! :3 i'll be looking forward to the full release excitedly!!
it's so fun to have a scenario where "oh there's something wrong" is a consensus of more than just the mc too... i'm eager to see how that pans out.... another big linglyum W!! i love how a lot of your romantic leads weave a balance of cute and eerie, never fails to hook me hehe. thank you for for sharing your work with us once again !!!! ^w^)7
HI BRATTERN!! shakes Vasily with you....
Thank you!! 🥺 If one of LD's main theme is preservation, Viricidal's is solitude. I definitely wanted a bigger cast with forced proximity.
I'm definitely excited to show how they'll react to Vasily too HAHAH 💙 And yes, I'm always a sucker for sweet and scary...
Thank you again for sticking around! 💙
it is so. GOOD! idk how you do it bro you just make bangers. vasily is so cute but also overly eager in a way that makes me wanna be like 'awwww' but also like 'nahh...' because he's unnerving tf outta me, the plot is so yum and ugh idk how you do it but its just SAUR GOOD.
(SPOILERS FOR VIRICIDAL DEMO BELOWWWWW!!!!11!!!!!1)
he's so friggin cute but if this is an imposter or some entity copying the original pre-cadigray vasily like how i THINK the game is hinting at i might just keep him regardless. he's adorable man. also i love the double v. vasily volkov. its also why i like chao's full name too, like chen chaoxiang. double c. like same letters, idk im just rambling now but wow i just really like this. ok ill go
YEEEESSSS the cutely overeager but unnerving energy is exactly what I wanted to show with Vasily!
Don't worry, whoever (or whatever) he is, there will definitely be an ending where you and him can be together. Not without consequences, though. Naturally •⩊•
ALSO I JUST REALIZED HAHAH I guess I just like how alliterative names roll off the tongue!
I remember you from LD's comment sections (and my Tiktok, if I'm not not wrong!). Thank you for your support time and time again; it REALLY really means a lot to me :,) Have a great day 💙💙💙
OF COURSE OF COURSE! i love your work, i aspire to reach your level of writing!! you too!
GOSHH I LOVE YOUR WORK SO SO MUCH, I ended up finding out about you through loving decays and gosh that game is amazing just everything with the plot and the characters I LOVED!!! and this game is probably one of my favourites ive played of yours so far!!, You are seriously one of my fav visual novel creators sososos muchh (╥﹏╥) I hope this game can be completed in future updates, im so excited to see whats to come !!
(⸝⸝´꒳`⸝⸝)
AHHH THANK YOU SO MUCHHH (ㅅ´ ˘ `) It always makes me happy when people are returning players! I hope I can complete Viricidal as best as I can as well.
Thank you for your sweet comment <3 Have a great day!
HIYAA!!! I saw the announcement when the demo first released, but I hadn’t had the time to play it until now and WOWOW!! IT’S AMAZING!!! I’m super excited for the next update on the story!! I have some theories, questions that I would like for clarification, and basically just rambling/complimenting your work!! Big heads up because it’s just a yap fest below.
Spoiler warning
First things first is that I adore Vasily!! He's so cute, pretty, handsome, and also kind of pathetic wet cat within vibes. My favorite!! (๑>•̀๑) He possibly won't be giving off those vibes in the future I assume!! I'm also in love with the rest of the cast!! Their personalities and designs are all so wonderful!! I cherish their little interactions with each other!! I hope to see more of them in the future regardless of angst or fluff!!“The snow is colder. The air is suffocating. And his eyes are beautiful.” ALSO ALSO THE ENDING DIALOGUE FOR VASILY!! “But we’re excited to be here. So… Don’t be scared.” He’s trying to comfort his colleagues, but it’s also referring to us, the player, to not be afraid of him!! OMGGG!! IS LING SHAKESPEARE?! BECAUSE YOU’RE COOKING!!!
OKAY!! INTO THEORIES!! (˶˃ ᗜ ˂˶)!! Obviously, biggest theory is that Vasily is infected/possessed by something like the AUFIS-1 virus, but in this case being a stronger version of it than the one spreading around. Especially with the evidence being shown like how it’s tagged as a psychological horror, the plot being around a virus, how Vasily’s appearance/behavior being very different than previously when he went missing. Not to mention he wasn’t feeling well before he disappeared, most likely because of the injury he sustained and possibly getting it infected by the virus.
Despite this, near the end the virus theory got almost got replaced with another theory. When comparing the photos of Vasily at the end the most difference I saw that wasn’t obvious was the slight increase of smile and the sweater not falling off his shoulder if we’re going into specifics. If it isn’t his appearance that’s unsettling then what is? (High key have no idea what MC is referring to probably because it’s intentional for it to not be revealed right now.)
I started thinking it’s his demeanor/little quirks that were off putting because they didn’t fully match up. I remembered that Vasily vaguely remembering of a brother, so I thought of that the original Vasily was replaced by his brother which is why there were discrepancies in demeanor/appearance. Obviously that theory was a bust because I also remembered that they took and submitted Vasily’s fingerprints. ദ്ദി╥ ᴗ ╥) (DAMN YOU FINGERPRINTS!! It was a good theory if we don’t look into the logistics of it lolol)
Some clarification please!! When/how did Vasily kind of injure his ankle when coming back with MC from collecting samples? It’s definitely just something that just happened off screen, but little details like that pique my interest.
Thank you to whoever was willing to read all of that. (๑•᎑•๑)
HELLOOOO!! First of all, thank you so much! Long reviews like these always make my day; I love reading them so much 💙
Cast interaction is one of the most fun things for me to write about in Viricidal! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
⚠️ spoiler warning ⚠️
Also, you're very close! The "Don't be scared." line was a passing reassurance meant for whoever is watching the interview, not his colleagues (since the 'we' in 'we're excited' is them ;)). But you're right, it's also intentionally meant to refer to the players <3 I was waiting for someone to mention that double purpose!
I'm not going to respond too specifically to the theories, since it's spoiler territory, but I really like your observations (*ᵕᴗᵕ) 💙
It's both his appearance and demeanors that are subtly off-putting. And I purposefully clarified the DNA/fingerprint match in-game, both as part of a realistic procedure, and so the task force members (and players!) know that Vasily was not replaced by another person during pre-deployment. It was him, alright (for better or for worse (ᵕ•_•)).
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About the mention of Vasily's ankle:
Yes, he slipped off-screen! He's completely unharmed, not even a sprain, but MC just wanted to check on him since he did fall down.
There's actually a guessable reason behind why he could've slipped, but I'd rather see if anyone will be able to get it first before I reveal it, HAHAH
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Thank you again for your very kind comment and for noticing so many details!! It means a lot to me 💙💙
okay now I have played all ur games and I think my favorite its Night Lounge but Chao its still in my heart, forever and EVER. I really, REALLY ENJOYED THIS DEMO and the suspense and mystery of Vasily, the name reminded me to Basil from Omori, its kinda funny hehehe, ohh and I saw on ur tumblr that Viricidal its inspired from a novel or something like that, I need to read it! I cant wait for the complete game I think its very beautiful the way are written all this stories
AAAAA thank you for playing all my games!! Your comment's really sweet 💙 Have a great day :)
Also, Basil's really cute, and I highly recommend the novel, The Plague!
was immediately charmed by vasily and his big beautiful eyes
It's his ultimate weapon....
i know i should be cautious but oh em gee VASILY IS JUST TOO CUTE (or was i just easily swooned..) BUT EEE IM SO EXCITED FOR MORE CONTENT !! keep up the lovely work hehe ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧
THANK YOUUU!! 💙💙💙 Another victim of Vasily moe... it's okay me too _(´ཀ`」 ∠) _
This demo is so good and atmospheric! Super excited for what you're cooking up with this VN. I love your writing and your characters, it really feels lively and engaging. I can't wait to see more of Vasily and the crew!
More of them will come in the future! Thank you so much!! 💙💙💙
Whaaa, I've become immersed in the story and how mysterious Vasily is, love the subtle horror elements building up. Playing this game had me curious learning a little about specific fields in arctic science with how vast it can be. I do also like the side characters as well (Apple is my favorite ^^)! Looking forward to know how things play out with how the first chapter ended (oooh). You're doing great! ^^
AW YEAHH I'm always happy to hear if my games pique someone's interest in certain fields!! It was my first time researching about it as well, and I can say that it's very cool <3
Thank you so much for playing and for your kind words!
(APPLE LOVER YEAAAY 🍎🍎)
I've been a huge fan of Loving Decays and wanted to check out this vn too, and I must say this is actually peak. The way you write the slowly creeping chills and intrigue is so nice and well-paced. WOW do I have a lot of feelings after the end of the chapter, gives me analogue horror vibes. Can't wait to see it finished for real, thank you!
THANK YOUUU!!! I was really worried about what existing fans of LD would think of Viricidal's pacing, so I'm happy to hear that. Analogue horror was also an indirect inspiration ;) Great observation thank u ♡
I CAN FINALLY CHECK IT, I'M SO EXCITED TO PLAY THIIIIS (I will return after finishing it) >u<
YEAYYYY hope you enjoy!! Would love to hear what you think :))
I NEED THISS GAJME TO BE MORE POPULAR IMMEDIETLY I LOJVE IT SOS MUCH, like on a serious note the dialog and writing is so beautiful! i wanna put it in my cereal and eat it like the 4th of july
AWWW YEAAAHHH thank you so much!!
my favorite part was the fish/j
KEEP COOKING LING I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT UPD (i hope you take a very well deserved rest)
fish🤤
I'm trying to take one as we speak HAHAH thank you so much for playing! I remember you from the LD comment section :)
I loved this so much and Vasily is so interesting i cannot wait to see more!! I love it so much :3
Thank you sm Kitus!! 💙💙💙
ayo, this was so fucking good. the research that went into it??? the facts and the unease you feel even not knowing why yet. CHILLS! If this was only the first chapter I'm so stoked to see what happens next.
I will be keeping my eyes peeled and following for more tidbits just in case you post him. By him I mean Vasily. He's a "monster" but I'm a
monster-fucker.THANK YOUUUU glad you liked it! I had a lot of fun with the research, and I will definitely be posting more of Vasily in my socials ;)
OMG!!! I'm so intrigued. I can't wait to see how the story is going to develop!!! AMAZING JOB!!
THANK YOUUU! 💙
YAYAYA Peak has returned !!
So excited to see what comes next in future updates AGHHHH <33
Thank you so much!! <33
EVERYONE WAKE UP, LING POSTED A DEMO OF HER NEW GAME
HEELLLOOOOO!!!!
Absolutely insane work as always
Thank you Rowan my goat
IM SO EXCITED FOR FUTURE UPDATES i might be one of the only ones whos fully played the demo but it is soooo good just like your other games your so talenetd and i cant wait to see the story unfold because i have so many questions!
AHHHH THANK YOUUU 💙💙
congrats on the releaseeee ling!! Vasily looks super cute!!
i will be back to share my thoughts soon hehe
Thank you so much!! Can't wait to know what you think <33
THIS GONNA BE PEAK GIVE ME 4 DAYS TI FINISH PLAYING THIS GAME
THANK U!
FIRST DOWNLOAD
AWESOMEEEE