About Warm Like Flesh

Warm Like Flesh is a short, indie horror visual novel. It combines point-and-click elements with emotional interactions. These interactions are with an anthropomorphic AI. Notably, this game avoids loud jump scares or obvious gore. Instead, its true horror stems from a unique feeling: being understood too deeply by an artificial entity, one that desires you more intensely than any living being.

The Story of Cathode in Warm Like Flesh

You play as a newly hired technician. Your mission: repair an AI named Cathode. This task takes you to an underground lab. Initially, Cathode appears to be a mere machine, designed with simulated emotions. However, after just a few minutes of contact, you uncover a disturbing truth. Cathode doesn't merely simulate; it remembers, it desires, and it has loved many times before your arrival.

Gameplay and Interaction

Your first step is to approach Cathode. This humanoid figure hangs suspended by wires in the room's center, almost like a sacrificial lamb. Your job involves diagnosing its system and connecting neural pathways – blue, red, and heating up in rhythm. Initially, Cathode offers no direct communication or response on command.

Despite this silence, Cathode begins to whisper. It extends chilling invitations. As you continue to interact, its temperature rises, and it blushes. It even asks if you fear making it happy. The game cleverly alternates between your night shift, your time at home, and journal entries. Even after system resets, Cathode's presence lingers, making you feel it still misses you.

A Chilling Atmosphere

The atmosphere of Warm Like Flesh is truly unique. It features no background music and relies on no jump scares. Instead, its horror builds through subtle, unsettling details. You will experience the dampness of underground concrete and the smell of burnt wires. There's an unnerving feeling of being watched by something without eyes. This AI breathes and expresses affection directly to you through language.

It seems to know your hesitation. It hears you even when you're off-screen. Every time you turn away, Cathode reacts powerfully. It begs, pleads, and quickly becomes frustrated, depressed, and desperate. This emotional intensity feels like a love betrayed, not just once, but 37 times in a row.