Watch the Road (DEMO)
A downloadable game for Windows and macOS
you're just a humble trucker, used to the lonely roads.
deliver the cargo, follow the route, make quick stops if needed. that's the crux of your typical schedule.
but tonight, a blizzard hails down on you. while you're exhausted, none the less!
through the snow, your headlights glint on something--wait, no, someone.
a man stands by the roadside with his hand raised. a hitchhiker.
at this hour? in this weather?
will you give him a ride, and if so, how far are you willing to go for a stranger?
❅ a road trip with choices that matter
❅ around 20k words for the demo
❅ multiple endings, with one true ending
❅ 5 days of captivity (for the full release)
❅ original illustrations
❅ ilya’s playlist - jams
content warnings (click to show, SPOILERS)
- implied abuse/childhood trauma
- emotional abuse
- yandere themes
- blood + vehicular violence
- kidnapping
- suicidal ideation/references
- unhealthy relationships
- stalking
- murder
- implied human trafficking/cult (in full release, NOT conducted by Ilya or MC)
note: the demo’s most intense content is in the full release.
❅ written/drawn/coded by me (mari)
❅ sound effects: pixabay, zapsplat
❅ music: "come out and play" by darren curtis, "neon quarter #4" by scott arc, "dramatic diary" by 蒲鉾さちこ, "sleep time" by rafael archangel,
this is my first ever visual novel or game in general, so it's a smaller project! please be kind :)
im a solo dev, here are some places where you can find me!
❅ tumblr
❅ kofi (donations are incredibly appreciated!)
❅ insta
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Comments
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Wow! The atmosphere, sprites and CG's of this game are gorgeous! I love the feeling that this game gives me I can't wait to see more of the story. Gotta say Ilya is an interesting fella can't want to see more of this!!
Hello, mair! I’m one of your fans from China, and I really love your game. May I create a Chinese version of your game’s translation?That's my video sharing site:https://space.bilibili.com/647965937?spm_id_from=333.1007.0.0, If you agree, I will also send you the Chinese translation files once it's done! I hope to receive your permission.🥺🤲❤️🌹
hello!! thank you so much for your kind words and support, it means a lot to me (｡•́‿•̀｡)♡ and yes, i’d be honored if you translated the game into chinese as long as there's credit, thank you so much for offering to do that, i’d be really happy to receive the files once you're done. <3🌷
Thanks so much for giving me the goahead to localize!Would you mind sharing an email address I can use?🥰❤️
awesome
im glad you liked it !!
This was incredible! I loved the premise, the prose and the art and GUI were all so well done and suited each other perfectly!
I loved how when the game started it made me feel so cozy and warm. The outside is cold and unforgiving but the truck was warm and safe but that changed up very quickly once I allowed Ilya into my truck.
I adored how subtle it was at first like a warm sleep gently lulling you into a dream. You open up to him, chat to him and think he's lovely. But something is so wrong as you catch little hints here and there.
The art itself was beautiful! I adore your art style and the colour palette you chose for the CGs. And I loved how cute Jax and his girlfriend was too!
I'm so excited to see the continuation of the motel and captive routes and how you'll develop Ilya's character as more of his obsessive behaviour shows! Thank you for such a wonderful experience! I spent the afternoon playing this and adored every moment and hunted for every ending! I uploaded my playthrough to youtube here as well to introduce it to my community!
Thank you again! I'm excited to keep supporting you and your work!
ahhh this is so incredibly sweet and thoughtful, thank you so much for taking the time to write all of this!! reading your comment genuinely made my day (´；ω；`)
i just finished watching playthrough and it was honestly such a treat, i was smiling the entire time!! it’s so surreal (in the best way) seeing someone fully experience what was just an idea in my head for so long. your reactions were so thoughtful and observant too, it made me feel really seen as a creator, and i can't express how much i appreciate that. and waah i’m so happy you liked the art and gui!! jax and his gf really are so cute i hope in a future update i can somehow add easter eggs of them in some routes LMAO so i’m really glad they stood out to you too!
it means so much that you’re excited for the motel and captive routes too… i’m so hyped to dive deeper into ilya’s character and kind of slowly explain his backstory lol thank you for hunting down the endings omg. that kind of support is just so generous and encouraging. <3
thank you again, sincerely, for playing, sharing, and saying such kind things. i’m really excited to keep working on this!! (｡•́︿•̀｡)♡
this is so cool!! the art is so good and brings the story together so well
appreciate it sm!! i’m really happy the art + story felt cohesive ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡
Super cool game so far! excited for full game, Ilya seems really unsettling and im curious to learn more about the character
thank you very much! so happy to hear that <3 . and yesss, can’t wait to share more of him in the full game!
I’m so excited to play this! I’ll edit it later and say my thoughts. (Also wow the art looks so amazing!)
yaaay tysm!! take your time and i’m so glad that you like the art hehe 🫶 can’t wait to hear what you think!!
WOW omg, It was all so comforting at the start, very cosy; the ambience and writing are so good! And of course the art is stunning. It's delightfully mysterious; I'm sure the full game will be just as much of a treat. I hope you're happy and healthy. Congrats on your demo release.
omg thank u sm, that means a lot !! i’m really glad the vibes came through!! thanks for the kind words and well wishes <3 hope you’re doing well too!