Symptoms of Deceit

Symptoms of Deceit positions itself at the intersection of workplace mystery and psychological horror, with romance that actively works against your safety. You play a secretary at the Willani Epidemiology Lab who stumbles onto rumors of unethical experiments—a premise that immediately establishes unease. That tension only deepens when a new neighbor begins inserting himself into your life with unsettling persistence, setting the stage for strawberry squid's exploration of obsession as a destabilizing force rather than a romantic ideal.

The game's structure blends traditional visual novel reading with point-and-click elements, giving you some agency in how you navigate both the mystery and your relationships. Character customization extends beyond cosmetics: you can adjust your protagonist's name, pronouns, and one aspect of their backstory, which feels purposeful rather than superficial. The demo packs 16,800 words across four distinct endings, suggesting that your choices materially shape which horrors you'll witness and which romantic outcomes—if any—feel survivable.

What strawberry squid doesn't shy away from is the ugliness of yandere devotion. The content warnings are explicit: stalking, manipulation, gaslighting, blackmail, non-consensual drug use, forced kissing, and threats of violence are core to the narrative tension, not window dressing. Blood, gore, body horror, and references to infectious disease create an atmosphere where affection becomes indistinguishable from threat. The sexual and suggestive scenes exist within this framework of coercion and psychological instability, making them unsettling rather than titillating.

This is a first project from a solo developer, and it shows polish in atmosphere and writing despite its early version status. The licensed music from Kevin Remisch carries much of the emotional weight, and the production values suggest ambition beyond a typical jam game.