Visual Novel

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59 novels you can play in the browser right now, and fork into the editor to make your own.

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Branching novels that play in the browser with no account. Netwrck library novels are complete, playable scripts at different stages of production: 53 of the 59 novels have generated cover art; 59 novels play licensed music credited in the build; in-game backgrounds and character art are still generated placeholders throughout. Fork one and the art, music and voice tools in the editor fill in the rest. Author-published novels carry whatever their author gave them, and each card states its own art, audio and content notice below.

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Cover art for The Second Shift

The Second Shift

The dead took their jobs. Nobody asked the dead.

  • ~198 min
  • 33941 words
  • 14 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 3 plays

industrial fantasypolitical dramaromancetragedyKesselgrad, Republic of Veyra, Smeltmonth 219 After Concord

industrial fantasyadult dramalabour strugglenecromantic industrylove trianglestrikeinstitutional rotgriefbody politicsslow burnworking classtragedy

Content notice (9)
  • industrial disaster and graphic injury
  • death, corpses and coerced postmortem labour
  • body desecration and loss of bodily autonomy
  • grief and death of a spouse
  • exploitative contracts, poverty and institutional corruption
  • addiction to pain medicine shown through consequence
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • violence may be graphic where earned
  • bigotry by class and legal status shown through behaviour; no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The Rain Tithe

The Rain Tithe

Every green field has a drought with a name.

  • ~195 min
  • 37183 words
  • 14 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 4 plays

literary fantasypolitical dramaromancetragedySarranth highlands and Beruz, 318 Basin Reckoning; second-world canal age

second worldclimate fantasyadult dramawater politicslove triangleclass warinstitutional rotfamily betrayalfamineslow burntragedy

Content notice (12)
  • engineered drought and famine
  • class violence and forced migration
  • graphic riot injury
  • death from magical overwork
  • hearing loss and fever
  • dependence and withdrawal involving a fictional fever tincture
  • institutional corruption
  • imprisonment and coerced informing
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • family betrayal
  • food insecurity
  • bigotry shown through behavior and consequence; no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The Cold Archive

The Cold Archive

The ground remembers every year they removed.

  • ~195 min
  • 32861 words
  • 12 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 4 plays

literary dramaromanceclimate fictionpolitical tragedySvalbard, October 2026–May 2027

svalbardcontemporary dramaresearch fraudclimate fictionbisexual protagonistlove trianglecoal towntreaty lawinstitutional rotslow burntragedyarctic

Content notice (12)
  • fatal avalanche and disaster aftermath
  • terminal occupational lung disease
  • alcohol dependence
  • research fraud and institutional coercion
  • job loss and company-controlled housing
  • Russia's war in Ukraine and sanctions referenced
  • grief and corpses
  • graphic violence where earned
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • no slurs written out
  • bigotry shown through behaviour and consequence
  • no instructional weapon, drug synthesis, or intrusion detail

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The Mountain That Eats Men

The Mountain That Eats Men

The mountain takes the body. The book decides whether it ever lived.

  • ~188 min
  • 31721 words
  • 12 branch points
  • 6 endings
  • 3 plays

historicaldramaromancetragedypoliticalPotosí, Upper Peru, August–November 1585

historical dramacolonial AndesPotosíforced labourqueer romancelove triangleinstitutional corruptionminingtragedyadult protagonistmoral compromiseslow burn

Content notice (8)
  • forced labour and colonial racial hierarchy
  • graphic mine-collapse injury and death
  • mercury poisoning and chronic illness
  • coercion, wage theft, debt, and imprisonment
  • religious discipline and institutional betrayal
  • grief, burial, and falsified death records
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • bigotry shown through behaviour and consequence; no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The Long Market

The Long Market

An army can conquer a market. First it has to count it.

  • ~188 min
  • 29686 words
  • 13 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 3 plays

historicalpolitical dramaromancetragedyTlatelolco and Tenochtitlan, 1473 CE

mexicatlatelolcohistorical dramaadult romancelove trianglemerchant spiesmarket lawwartributeslow burninstitutional tragedypolitical intrigue

Content notice (10)
  • war and civic conquest
  • graphic violence and battlefield injury
  • human sacrifice as state ritual
  • death of a spouse discussed
  • debt-slavery and threatened sale
  • coercion, blackmail and institutional corruption
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • grief and survivor guilt
  • food insecurity
  • bigotry by class and city shown through behaviour; no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The Hollow Below

The Hollow Below

They only get paid if the ocean is dead.

  • ~195 min
  • 31875 words
  • 17 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 3 plays

literary science fictionromancesurvival dramapolitical tragedyEuropa, Jovian system, October-November 2117

hard science fictionEuropaadult dramaplanetary protectiondebt bondagescience fraudlove triangleworkplace tragedyinstitutional rotslow burnsurvivalfirst contact

Content notice (10)
  • suicide and its aftermath
  • debt bondage and financial coercion
  • graphic injury during a hull breach
  • radiation exposure and chronic illness
  • bone loss and medical trauma
  • institutional abandonment
  • grief and body recovery
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • violence where earned
  • bigotry shown through behaviour and consequence; no slurs written out

If this is close to home: findahelpline.com lists free crisis lines by country.

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The Binding House

The Binding House

Every promise leaves a mark. Hers was hidden for twenty years.

  • ~190 min
  • 32025 words
  • 13 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 3 plays

literary fantasylegal dramaromancepolitical tragedyCauldmere, 712 After Anchor; early mercantile-industrial second world

second worldlegal fantasyadult dramalabor strikebody horrordebt bondagelove triangleinstitutional rotslow burnmercantile republictragedy

Content notice (11)
  • debt bondage and coerced labor
  • graphic injury and amputation
  • medical trauma
  • euthanasia
  • addiction and withdrawal
  • institutional violence
  • pregnancy and an offscreen newborn as stakes
  • food insecurity
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • death and grief
  • bigotry shown through behavior and consequence; no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The Tenth Month

The Tenth Month

She wrote the letters. Someone else got the woman.

  • ~95 min
  • 18739 words
  • 6 branch points
  • 5 endings
  • 3 plays

historicalromancedramatragedyHeian Japan, autumn 1004 CE

heianhistorical romancelove trianglecourt intrigueletterstragedyjoseislow burnclasspoetry

Content notice (7)
  • grief
  • coerced marriage and concubinage
  • class and gender subjugation
  • suicide (offscreen, discussed)
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • violence (a beating, an execution ordered)
  • infant mortality referenced

If this is close to home: findahelpline.com lists free crisis lines by country.

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The Annona

The Annona

Rome eats because somebody signs for the missing grain.

  • ~190 min
  • 29117 words
  • 15 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 3 plays

historicaldramaromancecrimepolitical thrillertragedyOstia and Portus, Roman Italy, spring to autumn 62 CE

ancient romehistorical dramapolitical thrillerbisexual protagonistlove trianglefreedwomanport cityinstitutional corruptionslow burnclasscrimetragedy

Content notice (10)
  • slavery and coerced labour
  • institutional hunger and poverty
  • financial exploitation and debt
  • graphic fire injuries and death
  • assault and custodial violence
  • alcohol misuse
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • class and gender subjugation
  • corpse recovery and drowning aftermath
  • bigotry shown through behaviour; no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

The Clearance No cover art yet

The Clearance

A white stake is an argument. A signature lets people walk.

  • ~150 min
  • 15159 words
  • 18 branch points
  • 5 endings
  • 3 plays

literary fictionadult dramaprocedural tragedypost-war political dramathe Kestrel Valley in the fictional Republic of Drenava, 1-14 October 2026, eleven years after the armistice

adult dramaproceduralhumanitarian deminingpost-warworkplacemoral injuryinstitutional pressuresmall communitydisabilityslow burnmoral ambiguityliterary fiction

Content notice (10)
  • landmines and explosive remnants of war
  • a demining accident
  • graphic traumatic injury and amputation
  • blood and medical aftermath
  • wartime detention and disappearance discussed
  • institutional pressure and workplace investigation
  • hearing loss and disability
  • grief and survivor guilt
  • no instructional ordnance detail
  • no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

The Locomotive Works No cover art yet

The Locomotive Works

She certifies what the works can do. The sale decides what those words mean.

  • ~180 min
  • 12392 words
  • 9 branch points
  • 5 endings
  • 3 plays

literary fictionindustrial dramapolitical dramaVeyra, Republic of Orsava, January to October 1997

adult dramaindustrial dramapolitical fictionworkplaceprivatisationlabourmoral ambiguitypost-socialistslow burneconomic coercionliterary fiction

Content notice (8)
  • economic coercion and wage theft
  • unemployment and threatened poverty
  • political and corporate corruption
  • labour conflict and strikebreaking
  • a nonfatal industrial crush injury
  • alcohol and tobacco use
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • class prejudice and xenophobia shown through behaviour; no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

The Quota Line No cover art yet

The Quota Line

The state mark is hers. So are the eleven cases attached to it.

  • ~180 min
  • 12613 words
  • 14 branch points
  • 5 endings
  • 3 plays

literary fictionworkplace dramaprocedural thrillerromanceBellwether, Harrow County, five days in July 2027

adult dramaproceduralindustrialfood safetysmall townworkplacemoral ambiguityslow burnclassimmigrationlabourliterary fiction

Content notice (11)
  • industrial animal slaughter and carcass inspection
  • foodborne illness and hospitalisation
  • repetitive-strain injury and disability
  • worker compensation
  • employer-tied visas and immigration enforcement
  • identity-document scrutiny
  • mass layoff and plant closure
  • poverty and institutional pressure
  • alcohol use
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • bigotry shown through behaviour and consequence; no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Holding Tension No cover art yet

Holding Tension

A perfect joint can carry a lie.

  • ~190 min
  • 9147 words
  • 18 branch points
  • 5 endings
  • 3 plays

literary fictionmaritime dramaprocedural thrillerromancethe Mediterranean, six weeks in May and June 2027

adult dramamaritimeproceduralsubmarine cablesinfrastructurecorporate cover-upmoral ambiguityworkplace dramaslow burnislandsecond chanceliterary fiction

Content notice (10)
  • infrastructure failure and communications deprivation
  • medical jeopardy
  • a death from delayed emergency care, recalled
  • corporate negligence and coercion
  • evidence concealment and professional misconduct
  • dangerous maritime work and a hand injury
  • storm peril
  • alcohol use
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • bigotry shown through behaviour and consequence; no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The Tally Room

The Tally Room

Every ruling is defensible. Together they choose a member of parliament.

  • ~200 min
  • 31412 words
  • 14 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 3 plays

literary fictionpolitical dramaromanceprocedural tragedythe Division of Carrigan Bight, four days of September, present day

political dramaadult dramaproceduralelectoral fraudsmall townestranged siblingssecond chance romanceinstitutional rotslow burnmoral ambiguityclassliterary fiction

Content notice (10)
  • political corruption and clientelism
  • workplace prosecution and public disgrace
  • estrangement and family rupture
  • poverty, unemployment and rationed healthcare
  • a death from a delayed medical procedure, recalled
  • alcohol use
  • intimidation and doxxing of an official
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • violence where earned
  • bigotry shown through behaviour and consequence; no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The Reconstruction

The Reconstruction

In Naples, every ruined house is worth something to the wrong person.

  • ~190 min
  • 36467 words
  • 14 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 3 plays

historicalcrimeromancepolitical dramatragedyNaples, February to July 1982

naples1980shistorical dramacrimepolitical corruptionadult romancelove trianglefamily betrayalearthquake aftermathinstitutional rotslow burntragedy

Content notice (10)
  • earthquake trauma and child deaths referenced
  • building collapse and graphic injury
  • organized crime and intimidation
  • heroin addiction, overdose, and withdrawal
  • domestic coercion
  • institutional corruption
  • arson and death
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • religious conflict
  • forced displacement and witness exile

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for Assignment

Assignment

Her sentence belongs to the Crown. Her hours belong to a man.

  • ~195 min
  • 38388 words
  • 10 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 3 plays

historicalliterary dramaromancecrimetragedyVan Diemen's Land, August–December 1832

van diemens landhistorical dramaconvict assignmentbisexual protagonistlove trianglepenal labourinstitutional rotbushrangingcolonialismslow burnbetrayalliterary tragedy

Content notice (12)
  • convict labour and enslavement-like coercion
  • colonial dispossession of palawa people
  • pregnancy under custodial coercion
  • graphic corporal punishment where earned
  • sexual coercion discussed
  • imprisonment and solitary confinement
  • bushranging and violent death
  • institutional corruption
  • pregnancy loss discussed
  • alcohol dependence
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The Price of Rice

The Price of Rice

The famine has an account. Her name is at the bottom.

  • ~190 min
  • 33127 words
  • 11 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 2 plays

historicalliterary dramaromancepolitical tragedyMurshidabad and Kasimbazar, Bengal, February–September 1770

bengalhistorical dramafaminecolonialismbisexual protagonistlove triangleeconomic crimeweavinginstitutional rottragedyslow burnmoral choices

Content notice (12)
  • famine and starvation
  • mass death and corpses
  • colonial and caste oppression
  • debt bondage and seizure of livelihoods
  • cholera-like epidemic illness
  • smallpox referenced
  • graphic violence where earned
  • opium dependence
  • fraud, hoarding, and institutional corruption
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • bereavement
  • no slurs written out

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

Cover art for The German Wharf

The German Wharf

The fish belongs to a dead man. The hunger belongs to everyone.

  • ~190 min
  • 29053 words
  • 12 branch points
  • 7 endings
  • 3 plays

historicalromancedramapolitical thrillertragedyBergen, Norway, summer to Michaelmas 1427

historical dramamedieval NorwayHanseatic Leagueadult romancelove triangleeconomic intriguepiratesslow burnqueer romanceinstitutional rottragedystockfish

Content notice (10)
  • famine and food deprivation
  • widowhood and grief
  • institutional misogyny and xenophobia
  • coercive debt and threatened homelessness
  • graphic fire injuries and violent death
  • workplace assault and brutal apprentice initiation
  • alcohol misuse
  • sexual content implied, cuts away
  • betrayal by a dependent and business partner
  • no slurs written out; bigotry shown through behaviour and consequence

Placeholder in-game art · licensed music

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