UNDER | HEAVEN

UNDER | HEAVEN from Faintlyspotted is a free 18+ visual novel that weaves cyberpunk worldbuilding with intimate storytelling. You play across two perspectives—Julian, who operates maintenance drones in the domed city of Megiddo while creating art in a digital refuge called the Exchange, and Ash, a transgender survivor grappling with amnesia and a dangerous past. The premise isn't just "two men reconnect"; it's a narrative about rebuilding identity and trust when the world itself has collapsed and memory itself becomes weaponized.

The story moves deliberately between domestic scenes—Julian and Ash learning each other anew—and escalating conspiracy. Faintlyspotted structures the tale so that personal stakes (rekindling a connection, processing trauma) and systemic stakes (uncovering what erased Ash's memory) feel equally urgent. The game doesn't shy from depicting explicit intimate moments between its male characters, but those scenes land as genuine emotional beats rather than detours. The worldbuilding distinguishes itself through detail: the distinction between domed city survival and virtual-world art creation gives the narrative room to explore how people find meaning when existence itself is precarious.

Technically, the game offers hand-drawn backgrounds and animated CGs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android platforms, with updates adding new art. The content warnings are substantive—mental health struggles, self-harm, suicide ideation, violence, substance use, and medical horror appear in the narrative. This isn't window dressing; these themes are central to why Ash's story matters. If you're seeking yaoi or bara romance primarily for explicit content, you'll find that here, but what makes UNDER | HEAVEN distinctive is its willingness to let those intimate moments coexist with genuine sci-fi plotting and character work.