This Russian Horror Visual Novel Just Hit 600,000 Sales and Finally Got Its Horrifying Ending

After years in Early Access building one of Steam’s most beloved horror visual novels, Tiny Bunny finally reached its terrifying conclusion on December 4, 2025. Developer Saikono Studios released version 1.0, completing all five episodes of this non-linear psychological horror set in a remote Siberian village where children keep disappearing into the forest. With 600,000 sales during Early Access, over 20,000 positive reviews, and a 94% approval rating, this monochrome nightmare has captured audiences through its oppressive atmosphere and genuinely unsettling story adapted from Dmitry Mordas’ original short fiction.

The full release brings the total ending count to 20, each determined by choices you make as Anton, a boy who recently moved to this cursed village and immediately becomes entangled in its dark secrets. Publisher Serenity Forge, known for emotionally intense narrative games like Doki Doki Literature Club Plus, Slay the Princess, and Cooking Companions, picked up the title for wider distribution, opening doors for potential premium collectibles, expanded platform support, and long-term community engagement. If you’ve been waiting for the complete story before diving into this Siberian nightmare, the forest is finally ready to reveal all its horrifying secrets.

dark snowy forest with ominous atmosphere and shadows

Children Keep Disappearing Into the Forest

The story follows Anton, who moved with his family to an unremarkable village buried deep in Siberian wilderness. Almost immediately, he’s forced to witness unsettling events as local children begin vanishing into the surrounding forest. Police investigations turn up nothing. Search teams comb through snow-covered trees but find no traces of the missing kids. Yet Anton keeps discovering prints, bloodstains, and scraps of clothing, almost as if someone is staging a show specifically for him.

The horror builds gradually through environmental dread rather than jump scares. Strange voices call from the thicket. Faces appear in windows at night. Mysterious footprints lead deeper into darkness. Anton experiences nightmares that grow more frightening and bloody each night, dreams that feel increasingly real and somehow beckoning. Those who hear the forest’s voice are beyond help, their only option to sink deeper into its cold embrace until they face a final choice in that icy darkness: stay alive or stay human.

20 Endings Based on Your Choices

The complete version features 20 possible endings, ranging from bad to neutral with some arguably good for individual characters. Your choices throughout all five episodes determine which conclusion you reach, with the first ending achievable as early as episode four. The branching narrative respects that decisions have consequences, with early choices rippling forward to shape Anton’s ultimate fate and the fates of everyone connected to him.

The ending variety encourages multiple playthroughs to explore different paths and discover how alternative choices cascade into divergent outcomes. Some endings provide closure while others leave questions unanswered. Certain conclusions focus on survival while others examine what survival costs. The non-linear structure means there’s no single canonical ending, just different possible truths about what happens when childhood innocence confronts ancient evil lurking beneath snow and pine trees.

monochrome winter landscape with bare trees and snow

Stylish Black and White Aesthetic

Tiny Bunny’s visual identity relies entirely on monochrome hand-drawn art that creates stark, unsettling atmosphere. The decision to avoid color emphasizes shadows, silhouettes, and negative space in ways that amplify psychological horror. Black branches against white snow become threatening rather than beautiful. Dark figures emerge from treelines with ambiguous forms that could be human or something else entirely. The artistic choice transforms what could be a peaceful winter setting into something deeply wrong.

The black and white presentation also carries cultural weight, evoking Soviet-era photography and film that documented harsh rural life in remote regions. This visual language grounds the supernatural horror in recognizable reality, making the impossible elements feel more disturbing because they intrude on authentic environments rather than fantasy worlds. The aesthetic commitment demonstrates how artistic restraint can enhance horror more effectively than elaborate color palettes and detailed rendering.

Voice Acting and Oppressive Soundtrack

Full voice acting brings characters to life while maintaining the unsettling tone essential to psychological horror. The performances capture the fear, confusion, and creeping dread that defines Anton’s experience. Voice direction ensures dialogue feels natural without undermining the oppressive atmosphere that pervades every scene. The audio production values match the visual polish, creating cohesive sensory experience where every element reinforces the game’s dark mood.

The original soundtrack pierces to the bone through dissonant strings, unsettling ambient sounds, and silence used strategically to heighten tension. The audio design understands that effective horror soundtracks know when to stop, letting quiet moments amplify dread before sudden crescendos shock the system. The combination of voice work and music creates audio landscape as memorable as the striking visuals, proving that horror games need exceptional sound design to achieve maximum psychological impact.

creepy abandoned building in winter with dark windows

Adapted From Original Short Story

Tiny Bunny adapts Dmitry Mordas’ original short fiction, expanding the compact narrative into five full episodes while maintaining the source material’s atmospheric dread and thematic concerns. Literary adaptations into interactive media face unique challenges balancing authorial vision against player agency, but Saikono Studios successfully transformed Mordas’ prose into branching narrative that honors the original while embracing video game storytelling possibilities.

The adaptation process likely involved expanding characters, adding scenes that provide player choice points, and developing multiple conclusion variations while preserving the core story about childhood confronting supernatural evil. The success of this approach shows in the overwhelmingly positive reception, suggesting both fans of the original story and newcomers find value in this interactive interpretation. Literary horror often translates poorly to games, but Tiny Bunny proves careful adaptation can enhance rather than dilute source material’s power.

600,000 Sales in Early Access

Reaching 600,000 sales during Early Access demonstrates exceptional word-of-mouth success for a Russian indie horror visual novel. Most games in this niche genre struggle reaching five-digit sales, yet Tiny Bunny built substantial audience through episodic release structure that kept players engaged across years of development. The 94% positive rating from over 20,000 reviews validates that the quality justified the wait between episodes.

The sales success enabled Saikono Studios to complete their vision without compromising due to financial pressure. Too many Early Access titles launch promising ambitious stories then fade when sales disappoint, leaving narrative arcs unresolved. Tiny Bunny’s commercial performance ensured the developers could deliver all five planned episodes and the complete ending they envisioned from the start. This represents Early Access functioning as intended, funding ongoing development while building invested community.

child looking at dark forest with fear and uncertainty

Serenity Forge Partnership

The publisher partnership with Serenity Forge positions Tiny Bunny alongside their catalog of emotionally intense narrative experiences including Doki Doki Literature Club Plus, Slay the Princess, and Cooking Companions. This association benefits everyone involved, Tiny Bunny gains access to Serenity Forge’s marketing expertise and distribution channels while the publisher adds another acclaimed horror visual novel to their portfolio of boundary-pushing titles.

The partnership enables possibilities that independent studios struggle accessing alone. Better global reach connects Tiny Bunny with audiences who never discovered it during Early Access. Potential premium collectibles like physical editions or art books give dedicated fans tangible merchandise. Expanded platform support could bring the game to consoles and additional storefronts. Enhanced marketing budgets and event presence at conventions like PAX increase visibility. Long-term community support ensures the game maintains active playerbase beyond initial launch excitement.

Save Files Incompatible Warning

The version 1.0 update includes significant backend changes that unfortunately render previous save files unusable. Players who progressed through earlier episodes during Early Access must restart from the beginning to experience the complete story. Saikono Studios apologized for this technical limitation, acknowledging the frustration while explaining they couldn’t find workaround that maintained save compatibility across the substantial revisions.

To mitigate the inconvenience, the game includes text skip functions accessible through the preferences menu. Players can fast-forward through previously experienced content by pressing Ctrl or enabling the skip all option, dramatically reducing replay time needed to reach new material. While restarting remains annoying, the skip feature respects that veteran players shouldn’t be forced to slowly re-read content they’ve already absorbed during Early Access episodes.

mysterious figure in dark forest snow scene

macOS Support Added

Version 1.0 introduces macOS compatibility, expanding the potential audience to include Apple computer users who previously couldn’t experience Tiny Bunny. Cross-platform support matters increasingly in indie development where maximizing accessibility directly impacts sales potential. Visual novels particularly benefit from Mac compatibility since the genre attracts audiences who often use Apple hardware for creative work.

The technical requirements remain modest given the visual novel format relies primarily on static images, text rendering, and audio playback rather than intensive real-time graphics. This means Tiny Bunny should run smoothly on older Mac hardware, removing performance barriers that plague more demanding games. The addition positions the complete release for broader reach than the Early Access version enjoyed, potentially introducing the Siberian nightmare to entirely new demographics.

Cultural Export Success

Tiny Bunny represents successful cultural export of Russian horror storytelling reaching global audiences through interactive medium. Western players often overlook Eastern European game development despite the region producing consistently interesting work. The game’s success demonstrates that compelling stories and atmospheric design transcend language barriers when properly localized and marketed to international audiences.

The Siberian setting provides authenticity that Western developers couldn’t replicate without extensive research. The cultural specificity, remote village life, harsh winters, folklore elements, creates distinctive identity separating Tiny Bunny from American or Japanese horror visual novels. This specificity paradoxically enhances universal appeal by offering perspectives and atmospheres that feel fresh rather than recycling familiar Western horror tropes. The game proves that regional character strengthens rather than limits international commercial viability.

person playing horror visual novel on computer in dark room

FAQs

When did Tiny Bunny 1.0 release?

Tiny Bunny version 1.0, the complete five-episode story, launched December 4, 2025 on Steam. The game adds macOS support alongside the existing Windows version, with all episodes now available in one unified release completing the narrative that began in Early Access.

How many endings does Tiny Bunny have?

The complete game features 20 possible endings ranging from bad to neutral, with some arguably good for individual characters. The first ending can be achieved as early as episode four, with remaining conclusions unlocking in the final fifth chapter based on accumulated choices throughout your playthrough.

What happened to my save files?

Previous save files from Early Access versions are incompatible with version 1.0 due to technical limitations. You must restart from the beginning, but the game includes text skip functions via Ctrl key or the preferences menu to fast-forward through previously experienced content.

Who is publishing Tiny Bunny?

Serenity Forge now publishes Tiny Bunny, adding it to their portfolio alongside Doki Doki Literature Club Plus, Slay the Princess, and Cooking Companions. The partnership enables better global reach, potential collectibles, expanded platform support, and long-term community engagement.

How successful was Tiny Bunny in Early Access?

Tiny Bunny sold over 600,000 copies during Early Access with more than 20,000 positive reviews and a 94% approval rating on Steam. This commercial success enabled developer Saikono Studios to complete all five planned episodes without compromising their creative vision.

What platforms is Tiny Bunny on?

The game is available on Steam for Windows and macOS. The Serenity Forge partnership may bring expanded platform support including consoles in the future, though no additional platforms have been officially announced yet.

What kind of horror is Tiny Bunny?

Tiny Bunny is psychological horror emphasizing atmosphere, dread, and disturbing narrative over jump scares or gore. Set in a remote Siberian village where children disappear into the forest, it uses monochrome hand-drawn art, voice acting, and oppressive soundtrack to create genuinely unsettling experience.

The Forest Finally Reveals Its Secrets

After years of patient episodic development, Tiny Bunny stands complete as one of the most acclaimed horror visual novels in recent memory. The five-episode journey from innocent arrival to horrifying revelation demonstrates what patient storytelling can achieve when developers prioritize quality over rushing to capitalize on hype. The 600,000 players who discovered the game during Early Access can finally experience the conclusion they’ve been waiting for, while newcomers can dive directly into the complete nightmare without waiting for future episodes. Download it now and discover why this Siberian forest horror captured so many players that Serenity Forge wanted it in their catalog alongside genre-defining titles. Sometimes the scariest stories come from quiet villages lost among frozen trees, where children vanish and something ancient calls from the darkness. The voice of the forest is waiting. Will you answer?

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