A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux


Parasite in Love 

A biological romance horror visual novel 

Infected with the parasite commonly known as the “brain eating amoeba”, you have 10 days left before your death. One of the symptoms is hallucinations. And through that, “he” starts to talk and confesses his love to you. Will you be able to convince the parasite to leave your body before it’s too late? Or will his love consume you “until death do us part”?

This game was made for the Spooktober VN Jam 2022.



Body Horror and Tokophobia (Fear of Pregnancy). 

Player discretion is advised. 

This game also contains flashing lights, animated effects, and vivid colors which may not be suitable for some players.

There is a "Reduce Motion" option in the game settings should you wish to turn off the animation and transition effects.



  • 8.5k words
  • 4 endings 
  • 8 CGs
  • atmospheric music 
  • hauntingly beautiful art 
  • partial voice acting, fully voice acted endings 
  • plot-consistent UI changes



Direction, Art, Writing by NiAsobu

Marlowe voiced by Coda

Niall voiced by Trickle

Background Art by Baguetti

Programming by Ooyu

Editing by Allie Vera

Music, Sound Effects, and Voice Edits by Amidst

Voice Direction by MAHO! Cody

Casting Direction and Marketing by  Elm

Logo, UI, Itch page Design, and Trailer by ingthing


You can find a link to our presskit here

Our other games:


StatusReleased
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux
Rating
Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars
(412 total ratings)
AuthorNight Asobu
GenreVisual Novel, Interactive Fiction
Made withRen'Py
Tags2D, Creepy, Female Protagonist, Horror, parasite, Psychological Horror, Romance, Story Rich, yandere
Average sessionAbout an hour
LanguagesEnglish
InputsKeyboard, Mouse
LinksTwitter, VNDB

Download

Download
Guide for Parasite in Love.txt 799 bytes
Download
Parasite in Love 1.34 for Mac 273 MB
Download
Parasite in Love 1.34 for PC and Linux 300 MB

Install instructions

This game may cause a ‘do you trust this?’ window to pop up upon installing.

Mac/Macbook: 

(Option 1) Go to settings, and click ‘open anyway’ in the privacy setting for trusted apps.  (Option 2) Right-click/CTRL and click on the game icon, click ‘open’ once, then click ‘open’ again.

Windows: 

Click the ‘more information’ button, afterward click the ‘run anyway’ button. If no files can be found after download, check if your Windows Defender might be deleting files automatically. If the itch.io app doesn't work, try downloading the zip folder directly from the website. 

Development log

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Comments

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Viewing most recent comments 1 to 40 of 129 · Next page · Last page

is it weird that i actually wanted a happy ending for them haha

(1 edit)

unbelievable.. Because of the completeness of this game, both CG and BGM, including character dubbing, are fantastic!!! This is my first time playing this terrifying romantic game, and the intelligent character of the female protagonist is very good (Niall is a bit pitiful haha, but it is true that humans and parasites cannot be together). Because the entire game looks great in terms of graphics and sound, I look forward to more of your works!!!

(2 edits) (-1)


I had a  very time experiencing it, and I hope many others enjoy it too!

I can't download it. It says "virus detected".

There shouldn't be anything wrong with the file. Maybe your Windows Defender or other Antivirus software flagged it wrong? We aren't officially registered in a software shop or anything similar, so that can happen. Have you tried following the Install instructions we have on the page here?

It was so uncomfortable and terrible that it was just great.

Quick question, is the MC a woman, unspecified or non-binary (to help the self insert if the player is maybe trans or non-binary but I'm not sure) because I've seen a few people refer to the MC as They/Them but there is pregnancy in the game so I'm confused if it's just people avoiding giving a gender to the MC but it's a woman or if it's non-binary so you can interpret it as maybe a trans man or something.

(+3)(-2)

I’m pretty sure the MC is canonically a woman lol ppl are probs just avoiding giving the woman a gender so you can interpret it. There is an ending where you hear the MC speak and she has a feminine voice and wearing two piece bathing suit. I’m not entirely sure though bc it’s been awhile since I’ve played but I remember the MC being a woman.

Ok thanks, I did remember the MC being a woman as well from who played the game on YouTube (as I watched a few minutes of the game before closing the video) but then when I looked the game up again I was confused because everyone kept using They/Them XD

I admit in a way it would have been cooler/more comfortable to play if it was unspecified, as a Trans man it would have been cool and even more relatable for the fear of pregnancy if I could assume the MC was of my choice with gender, but at the end of the day it's not a major issue for the game given the creator is obviously free to chose the MC gender, the only reason I'm not playing it is because I don't have the time to play it because of other games that are more time consuming than this and require constant "attention", maybe one day I will have time to play it hopefully.

This is definitely one of our favorite games, to date!  Spooky oppressive romance, we are here (?) for it!

(+1)

This was my first venture into horror VNs, so I wasn't sure if I would like this, but I am so glad I gave it a chance! I thoroughly enjoyed it and ended up playing through all the endings in a single night! It's delightfully horrifying, disturbing enough that it lived in my head rent-free for a few days after finishing without causing nightmares lol, definitely recommend!

(+2)

Honored that our game is your first venture into horror VNs!!! Haha, please continue to sleep well 

looks cool, btw does this have anything to do with the manga?

Hi! I wasn't even aware there was a manga of the same name. It's an original story. I am aware of a movie with the same title, but story wise they're pretty different. Hope you have fun playing it :3 

hi! thanks for the reply was just curious about it :)

(+2)

This game is really amazing. That creepy and unsettling atmosphere was captured really well though the use of of the art and music.

(+8)

Dude, this game made me feel so weird and creeped out and gross, which is exactly what I came for, so thank you lol

(-3)

you just called the game ugly

(1 edit)

Well, the game is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and grossed out it doesn't mean they were calling the game ugly.

If someone felt like that it means the game is well written and it succeeded with it's objective.

Personally I'm uncomfortable for the whole different reason that playing as a girl is almost like a "phobia" to me, so the game uncomfortable to play wouldn't stop me even if I watched the most heavy gore scene in existence.

The only thing that really makes me unable to make me play is the MC gender, but that's a me problem/"phobia", I don't even know if there's actually a phobia about being "forced" being a woman in videogames (it only apply to games as it would be rare if in real life someone come and tell me to be a woman because I have to according to them)  but the only reason I can't "stand" to play it myself is for the MC gender.

I remember watching someone else play it, even then it made me uncomfortable the fact that it was a woman MC but I remember the game being really good.

Either way I'm getting distracted.

They aren't calling the game ugly, it makes sense to call it uncomfortable or disgusting given it's not really meant to be cute.


(Actually I don't know if the MC is a woman or not, it does say pregnancy but people refer to the MC with neutral pronouns from what I've seen)

(1 edit) (+11)

oh Niall victimize me kidnap me torture me break me murder me kick me beat me kill me spit on me smack the sh1t out of me gaslight me manipulate me i want you🤤😫

(+3)

ur so real for that LMFAO😭

(1 edit)

Hello, dear creator! I have some concerns regarding this game. I've been reading all the comments and I'm eager to try playing it. However, when I downloaded the Windows version, the file appeared to be empty. I attempted to download it again several times out of desperation to try it, but unfortunately, each attempt failed. I have already extracted the file, but it remains empty. :( 

Do you have any suggestions for alternative methods to play this game? I'm really desperate right now!

(1 edit) (+1)

hi! I'm the lead dev. Could it be you're using the itch io app? I never tested it on the itch io app. When you directly download the zip folder from the itch io webpage, it should work. We haven't had any problems for the 1+ year it's been on here, so I'm wondering why it's showing empty for you. A friend also just told me it can happen that Window Defender might delete some downloaded files automatically, so I would check that too, just in case

Oh yes, I do have a Window Defender and it deletes any file that is considered as a threat. I don't know what are the other choices to play this game without the files getting deleted 😭 Could you help me?

Looks like a cool game, but when i dowlaoded it the windows version and opened the maps i got nothing, i tryed 4 time and i got nothing very dissapointing. 

hi! I'm the dev and want to help. 
Could you clarify what you mean with "maps"? 

the files of the game

Okay, so you downloaded the zip folder for windows. Have you extracted the files and then clicked on the exe file to start the game? 

(+3)

this game creeped me out in such a good way, i love every bit of it 10/10 i love this game

(+2)

this game broke my heart in a good way wtff. awesome voice acting, and cool ending and CGs!! i love how you can hear niall more clearly as the infection worsens

(+3)

Can you add it on Android?

(+1)

such a creepily good game!! loved the voice acting and art, they really brought the characters to life and made it so much scarier

(+4)

Interesting concept, and so uncomfortably well executed. Two places where this shines is def the voice acting and the UI changes. I cannot stress how much I adored the attention to detail with the progressively more distorted UI. BUT THE VOICE ACTING? OMG. Most people likely noticed Niall's especially at the ending where I assume MC chokes to death,which yes, was powerfully emotional, huge props to the VA. BUT, I feel that whoever voices MC, especially the non-verbal elements like the pained cries, screams and retching are just so violently accurate; it really adds to the horror realism

(+1)

Sooo creepy, but such a cool game as well

(+1)

Niall L husband

(NASTY AHH)

(+2)

This is truly disturbing. I would recommend if you think you can handle it.

(+3)

Before downloading the game, I found the premise very interesting and I was even more surprised by the quality of the story and scenarios after downloading it.  The care that the author added to the small details of the game is clear.  I would say this is a wonderfully terrifying game!

(+3)

this is sooooo sick and twisted (5 stars)

(+1)

Really good story

Hello, as of the 4th of December 2023 the file that is on here for the windows version is either corrupted or bad. That's why others haven't been able to extract or run the game properly. So far, the only way to run the program is to turn off all window protection and virus protection software.

Hi! I just checked the current windows file on the game page we have and it seems to be working fine for me. Have you followed the download instructions we have on the game page? They're right under the download button 

(+1)

I keep trying to extract the file and every time it says the compressed folder is empty.

(+2)

You may need to update your drivers. I had a similar issue with an itch io game and once I updated them, it downloaded and extracted just fine.

(+1)

I saw a stream of this game, it gives me chills. Incredible writing... the sheer terror of this parasite killing the mc yet also providing them with the dream of togetherness is really scary. And the way their sunny world becomes a terrifying space really is amazing too

(+1)

This game is so odd that it's good ( I'm just coming back to this, I really liked the style ^^^^^^^ )

The game is so good! Plus the voice acting as amazing as well, love the storyline too! <3

(+2)(-1)

How do i download this it is so confusing I really want to play this game

(+2)

I was quite thoughtful after I finished. I can only say that it is amazing

(+4)

the concept is so wild and i love it

(+2)

I really like this plus my favorite part is when the baby appears (he looks so silly and i love that)

(+3)

Saw this game on youtube maybe a year ago and then played it for myself i was so excited ngl cause today i was like"omg this game is on mac and its free" then played it. loved Niall

(2 edits) (+5)

Wow this is a very good game for the price of free- and even if it did cost money I would buy it if I had money available ofc. um to sum up more details and Spoilers go below this template. Would definitely play some of this team's other games :}

---{ Graphics }---

☐ You forget what reality is

☐ Beautiful

☑ Good

☐ Decent

☐ Bad

☐ Don‘t look too long at it

☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---

☐ Very good

☑ Good

☐ It's just gameplay

☐ Mehh

☐ Watch paint dry instead

☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---

☐ Eargasm

☐ Very good

☑ Good

☐ Not too bad

☐ Bad

☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---

☐ Kids

☑ Teens

☑ Adults

☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---

☑ Check if you can run paint

☐ Potato

☐ Decent

☐ Fast

☐ Rich boi

☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Difficulty }---

☐ Just press 'W'

☑ Easy

☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master

☐ Significant brain usage

☐ Difficult

☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---

☑ Nothing to grind

☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks

☐ Isn't necessary to progress

☐ Average grind level

☐ Too much grind

☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---

☐ No Story

☐ Some lore

☐ Average

☐ Good

☑ Lovely

☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---

☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee

☑ Short

☐ Average

☐ Long

☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---

☑ It's free!

☐ Worth the price

☐ If it's on sale

☐ If u have some spare money left

☐ Not recommended

☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---

☑ Never heard of

☐ Minor bugs

☐ Can get annoying

☐ ARK: Survival Evolved

☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---

☐ 1

☐ 2

☐ 3

☐ 4

☐ 5

☐ 6

☐ 7

☐ 8

☑ 9

☐ 10

SPOILERS


Honestly, I sort of feel sympathy for Niall.. I mean fr tho as a parasite he doesn't know any better, i doubt they teach this stuff in amoeba school- 

his 'intentions' are sweet but his way of doing it is well... horrible, i mean in practically all of the endings the mc dies except one..... and of course it's his fault besides like the A/D thing which is still really his fault for infecting her in the first place... anyway overall it was GREAT.

(2 edits)

damn.

I don't think I've ever played a visual novel that left me with such mixed and confused feelings like this one. The game was incredibly well done, the art was... very beautiful in a very scary way and I found the menu and so on to be very interesting.

I liked the story and thought it was so cool that I decided to do all the endings. I wish there was a sequel, maybe a spin off haha, but I understand the game started and ended very well. Congratulations to everyone involved in the game, I enjoyed it a lot and will certainly play another day again.

ps: i lowkey felt bad for him </3

(+12)

To be honest I don't know when was a last time where a visual novel made me so.. uncomfortable? But I mean it in a good way. This send chills down my spine. 10/10 is my rating for this. One of better horror visual novels.

Viewing most recent comments 1 to 40 of 129 · Next page · Last page