"Let me tell you a story."

Originally created over the course of 10 days for the SCREAMORTALITY game jam.

HIKEBACK is a short visual novel about trust, self-sabotage, and never-ending cycles. You play as a driver passing through a mountain road late at night, when you spot a hitchhiker flagging you down up ahead. How you proceed from there determines not only the fate of you and the wide-eyed stranger you meet, but your combined fates across multiple planes of existence. In a cycle that seems to torment you for INFINITY, how long will it take for you to finally arrive at the THRESHOLD? Will you find the better ending you seek? Or will you succumb to what fate has in store for you?

--- FEATURES:

• 15k+ words
• A dark, surreal narrative inspired by campfire ghost stories, found footage horror films, and modern day fables
• Branching story paths that change with every ending
• 18 different endings (not including variants)
• An incredible original soundtrack by Sam Tudor inspired by games like Silent Hill and Oxenfree
• Free to play (although donations are always appreciated)
• Blood, sweat, and tears

--- BEFORE YOU PLAY:

Due to the nature of this game, there are limited opportunities to "save" your progress. In general, whenever you've been returned to the title screen, your progress has been "saved." Additionally, the web version will remember all of the endings you have received so far even if you close the tab.

Currently, the web version of the game suffers from lower audio/visual quality as well as some minor bugs due to the limitations of the software. However, it is still stable/playable, and the desktop version can be downloaded at any time.

Additionally, there is a "true" ending to this story. When the credits roll, you'll know that you've reached the end of the game.

If you're feeling stuck at any point and would like to know how to receive a particular ending, you can view the full endings guide here. [This guide contains spoilers.]

--- CONTENT WARNINGS:

This game contains instances of:

• Death
• Violence
• Unreality
• Self-Harm
• Gore
• Physical & Mental Abuse
• Some Flashing Images & Sudden, Loud Sounds
• Disturbing Visuals & Audio
• Strong Language
• Religious Themes

Although this game is told from the first-person and contains surreal elements, it has absolutely no basis in reality. All characters, events, and elements contained in the narrative are entirely fictional, and any relation to real-life occurrences is purely coincidental.

If you would like to read a more detailed list of content warnings that describes each of these instances in specific terms, you can view that list here. [This list contains spoilers.]

--- CREDITS:

• Music, Sound Effects, & Audio Design - Sam Tudor
• Game Engine - Ren'Py 7.3.5
• "The Hiker" Original Character Design - BloodstainedSpotlight
• Additional Assets - GGBot, vinizinho, Kenney
• Special Thanks - neon nuisance, insertdisc5, the SCREAM ZONE Discord server