Messy Hearts
Messy Hearts is a pixel-art visual novel about a complicated coworker friendship. Through journal-style narration, Florence unpacks romance, trauma, and some messy boundaries in a deeply personal story of mental health and heartbreak.
In this retro-inspired, pixel art, cozy visual novel, a workplace friendship begins to unravel.
Welcome to VOLUME 1 of Messy Hearts
Follow two coworkers as their connection deepens, blurs, and ultimately breaks. Set during a painful chapter of life, Messy Hearts explores mental health, trauma, blurry boundaries, and the complicated ways people can hurt each other.
A Messy Life in a VN
You play as Florence, a game dev, parent, and lonely person trying to stay afloat in a life that is full to the brim with stress and vulnerability.
When a married coworker suddenly offers unexpected friendship, Florence finds comfort in their growing connection. Their friendship slowly twists into something painful and disorienting, and a slow-motion collision unfolds that they both pretend not to see coming.
This is an all-too-common story, told through fictional characters, and inspired by painful relationships.
How to Play
Messy Hearts is a single-player narrative with a select few choices along the way. Do we exercise control while life is being a whirlwind, or do we lean into the chaos and suffer the emotional consequences? Either way, this timeline is a doozy.
Told in a comic book-style format with pixel art, the game invites players to click through Florence’s memories and conversations like pages of a journal or a back-and-forth thread.
Collect characters and journal entries, and stop and see the sights in this slice-of-life story inspired by real events.
Florence's world awaits. Grab a blanket and a hot beverage of choice for this cozy, nostalgic retro game. Dive into a chaotic little life and learn a cautionary tale along the way: trust must be earned.
