-v0.9- By Xenorav: Heart Problems

Overarching goals:

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS):

Chronic coronary artery disease:

Heart failure:

Arrhythmias:

Valvular heart disease:

Infective endocarditis:

Cardiomyopathies and myocarditis:

Prevention and risk reduction:

Xenorav, a developer known for previous abrasive titles like VHS Simulator 2.0 and Please Don't Turn Around, has a signature style: weaponized bugs.

In v0.9, the "Heart Problems" aren't just the character's; they are the game's. Halfway through a run, the music—a lo-fi hip-hop beat—begins to warp. It slows down. The pitch drops an octave. You start hearing a second heartbeat. Is that yours or the game's?

The most terrifying sequence occurs at exactly 12 minutes and 34 seconds (a direct nod to the 1234 error code). The game window duplicates. The clone window shows a reverse angle of the room. Behind your avatar stands a tall, faceless figure Xenorav fans call "The Systole."

It doesn’t jumpscare you. It just... breathes. Heart Problems -v0.9- By Xenorav

By: The Indie Vault Archive
Date: October 26, 2024

In the flooded ocean of indie psychological horror, few titles manage to puncture the skin and draw blood. Most rely on "YouTube-bait" jumpscares or tired VHS filters. But every so often, a game floats up from the darkest trenches of Newgrounds or GameJolt that refuses to follow the script.

[Heart Problems -v0.9-] by the enigmatic developer Xenorav is exactly that anomaly.

Released quietly in late 2023 (with v0.9 dropping in April 2024), this build is not a finished product. It is a specimen. It is glitchy, uncomfortable, and metaphysically unsettling. But is it good? Or is it merely confusing? Let’s crack open the chest cavity and look at the ventricles. Overarching goals:

Symptoms:

A visual novel lives or dies by its cast, and Xenorav has populated this world with a roster of women who defy standard tropes. By version 0.9, the characters have undergone significant development: