Keep Breathing

Keep Breathing is a short, atmospheric visual novel that drops players into an intense, character-led encounter with Violet, a film student obsessed with surrealism, arthouse cinema and kink. The game offers roughly 10,000 words of linear narrative (about one hour of play) that emphasizes narration and psychological tension; choices exist but rarely alter the main route, making it ideal for players who prefer focused storytelling over branching mechanics. If you value strong character development, a dark and unsettling perspective on relationships, and thoughtful content warnings, Keep Breathing is worth downloading.

Key Features

⭐ Approximately 10,000 words of linear narrative content—about one hour of gameplay.

⭐ Simple reading mechanics: click or press Space to advance, with a scroll-back option to review previous text.

⭐ Deep, character-driven storytelling that explores vulnerability, power dynamics and trauma.

⭐ Subtle supernatural and anthropomorphic elements that relieve tension without undercutting the drama.

⭐ Accessibility considerations and in-game warnings included; a French translation is planned.

Advantages

✅ Keep Breathing delivers focused, polished writing and a strong emphasis on character development.

✅ Compact runtime makes it easy for players to experience the full story in a single sitting.

✅ The game approaches difficult topics with intention, highlighting how unseen patterns of abuse can cause lasting trauma.

✅ Created by a small, diverse team, the narrative perspective is deliberately unsettling and thought-provoking.

Disadvantages

❎ The story is largely linear with limited branching, which reduces replayability for players seeking multiple endings.

❎ Content includes themes of domestic and sexual violence and may be upsetting; the game is intended for mature audiences and includes in-game warnings.

Development Team

Keep Breathing was developed by a four-person collective of women and non-binary creators for the Toxic Yuri VN Jam 2, set in an imaginary town in the south of France. Credits include M0rt-gane (writing, main theme music), Incendie sur Mer (art and character design), Shafoo (lead programmer, tech artist, narrative design, UI and lead sound design) and Jiji (programming, narrative design, accessibility and sound design).