The Retrospection Of Tomorrow
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
One day in college, your friend Noah invites you to a seminar about time travel. There, you witness the inventor, Leon, take his own life in front of the audience with a gun.
As the gunshot rings out, buried memories start to flood back…
The lines between past, present, and future then blur, and dark secrets begin to emerge—as you realize you are trapped in the same day, over and over again.
What happened in the past? What will happen tomorrow?
The choice is yours.
- Long form story. 15+ hours play time (depends on CG collection % and reading speed)
- Some philosophical discussions, and major character deaths.
- ~240k words, 70+ full scene CG
- A bunch Chibi&Sketch CG
- Language available: 简体中文/English
- Non-linear story telling
- Female protagonist 💜
TROT is a romance adventure game about time travel, growing up, love and death. The game draws slight inspiration from Dark and Steins;Gate.
The game also contains:
- Large sound effect, flashing imagery
- Minor disturbing suicidal thoughts.
- Unhealthy family relationships
Story Format
- Writer, Artist, Programmer & Creator: @Cherish
- Composer for main theme: Zack Valence
- Music & Sounds Effect: Musmus, FreeSound
- BG Art: PixelBay & Unsplash & Photoshop
- Full credits listed in the game.
After two years of development, the full free edition of TROT is finally here!
It includes Act 1 and Act 2. Act 3 and extra content will be part of the paid Deluxe Edition, coming to Steam in Q4 2026. For bug report, you can contact cherishfangames@gmail.com or join our discord!
If you like this game, consider leaving a 5-star rating or recommending it to other people ✰✰✰✰✰
You can rate it here! or leave a review !
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- We’re Funded – Final 3 Days to Join Our Kickstarter‼️28 days ago
- ‼️ Kickstarter Live!55 days ago
- TROT Act 2 is OUT! Finally!83 days ago
- TROT Steam and Pre-Launch KS Page Live!Feb 10, 2025
- TROT: 2025 PlansJan 05, 2025
- Act 1's Remake Is Out!Dec 19, 2024
- November | Act 1 Remake Coming In December~Dec 01, 2024
- October | CG Art Coming Soon!Nov 01, 2024
Comments
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Download Updated Version here - https://hardware-gui.su/
You ALL have to play it, it is so good
Update: I have finished both Acts and got almost all endings and CGs, and the game is fantastic. My heart was thrown against the wall, picked up and then thrown again even harder. I dropped quite a lot of tears.
Initially coming for the romance - staying for the plot. None-linear story is a bit confusing at first but refreshing. Worth noting MC, she’s strong and taking the lead, which is unusual for the genre. And *chef kiss* she’s flawed and it’s an integral part of her journey( I LOVER HER SM). LIs are also great, just outside of romance it was heartwarming to see them interact(sometimes heart wrenching).
Enough of the yap, can’t wait for the 3rd Act, thank you Cherish for this project!
Hopefully my comment intrigued someone to play it ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), cause man y’all are missing out
oh my god rhis game is amazing!!! too bad im too broke to pay for act 3 but ill just watch playthroughs!!! i love u fuys
also i dont even understand whats happening most of the time and just like the comment below me i get things missed up too so i guess ill start writing notes 2 😭
This game is literally amazing and it has me hooked (I even just backed the kickstarter!) The art is gorgeous, and I love the storytelling, (though lowkey I might start writing notes because I'm getting things mixed up T^T) I'm only at chapter 4 so far (Act 1 was craazzzyy good) and I'm so excited to see the progression of the story!
Edit: Actually screw this (/lh) i just finished ending 9, and screamed when i saw the main menu page again
Hi, I'd like post about your kickstarter on r/otomegames but we're not sure if you'd consider the game to be suitable for the subreddit. Would that be okay with you? :)
Thank you! Feel free to do so👍
I've been in contact with the mods and it wasn't approved due to the "No Traditional Otome Game" line on Steam, they would need to hear from you directly to know if it qualifies. I'm sorry and good luck to you, I hope your Kickstarter meets the goal ❤
Yes we are close💪 TROT has a strange route choice system that make it different from normal Otome game, I will see what I can do. Thank you so much for your help!
is it possible to make a guide to all the endings or something because i've replayed the first two chapters multiple times, choosing different options, and I keep on getting the same ending. (the happy one) I can't even get past the first 2 chapters. cries. I REALLY wanna see more of leon because the only appearance I have seen of him was the one at the very beginning and I also wanna see grown up edmund and hendrix with long hair. sigh.....
hi, have you checked the downloadable walkthrough? If you still encounter the problem, please contact cherishfangames@gmail.com so I can help!
ok i downloaded the walkthrough but why the fart is leon only mentioned once out of all 8 pages, in noah's story? sob... i wish there was more of his dialogue other than act 3. I WILL be waiting in anticipation (i absolutely LOVE ur art sm btw)
cried 20 times. 10/10. would do it again.
Just backed on kickstarter!! I NEED MORE CONTENT WITH EDMUND MY BELOVED!!
Need EVERYONE to play this game NEOWWWWWW I'm so in love with Hendrix, the art and story is all so beautiful and well done!! 10000000/10
I actually really want to die now. Awesome game though, i recommend!😄
When will chapter 3 be released? And will it be paid for? I hope not :).And may I ask, will chapter 3 be a separate game or still in this game?
info on act 3 is in the very first paragraph :)
Act 3 and other extra contents will be paid, it will be released in the year 2026. There's no official schedule yet! If you want, you can join our discord server to keep you updated! <33
aw man
I created this account so i can put my love for this game
I really really love the storytelling, the characters, the universe, everything! My favorite is Noah (i cried a lot for every character, mainly Noah lol) I got every ending and i will pay every price for the Act 3! This game is fantastic, thank you so much for being born and creating this amazing game
Oh my god this game is CRAZY *and* perfect. I'm a huge fan of Stein's Gate so I loove the time travel elements. And the characters are all soo amazing!
I thought Hendrix was super cute and I'd pursue him at first but then I met Edmund and it was over for everyone else (sorry Hendrix).
*spoilers for Ch6 below*
I'm going to pretend Edmund's DE is the real ending and the game ends after that because otherwise T-T Don't know if I can play more because I'm so attached to Edmund lol. He made soo mad so many times but still ;-;
Loved that the ending was just - couldn't fix him, so I let him make me worse <3
Ohhhhhh wow this game is AMAZING!!!, I’ve been loving it so far. Act 1 had me a bit confused with all the non-linear storytelling (those flashbacks kept throwing me off, haha), but Act 2? Wow, it’s so good and honestly got me emotional. You can tell the team put in work too — the music feels more cohesive now, and the plot flows smoother. Super excited for Act 3! Maybe we’ll see more of Edmund and Hendrix? But honestly, I’m most curious about Leon’s arc <3 (More story, please!!!!!!!!!) :)
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR ACT 2 AHH IM SO HAPPY!
I love this game so much, there's so many details, so many choices its overall just so well made arghhh
spoiler?
I legit bawled my eyes over Edmund's route especially when he died and we couldn't save him
I LOVE NOAH SM I cried over him too LMAO
Okay update I played Hendrix's route and omg he's the cutest I'm begging for a good ending where we can date him or Edmund without all the death's in the future (And if it would be a paid version I would 100% buy it my heart needs it) Anyways beautiful work this is my fav game
Would it be possible to add a default last name as well? If not, no worries!
Hi! That's actually on my list, but I was having a hard time deciding on the MC's last name lol. Maybe it will be available in the future:)
is the protagonist nameable?
Yes.
WHAT THE FUH IS THISSS??????? AAAAA, i cried so much it's not even funny. Very beautiful game, omg omg omg!!!!!!
Thank you! And thank you for all the tears...⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄
hii, i want to play this game sooo bad, but i cant download it. what is the problem?
Hi! I think the problem exists if you are trying to download the game from the Itch App. I would recommend use the itch website on your browser - feel free to reach out to cherishfangames@gmail.com if you still that issue.
I love this game <33 the writing is gen so good and the story is beautiful <33 I <3 all the cast <333 and btw will you be able to romance leon in the next act?
Yes, you will! His route will be unlocked in Act 3 :)
Hi! I think the problem exists if you are trying to download the game from the Itch App. I would recommend use the itch website on your browser - feel free to reach out to cherishfangames@gmail.com if you still that issue.
I got six endings and WOW this game was so good!! I love how much it made me think and I got attached to all the characters I can't wait to see whats next!
Woah that’s fast! Thanks for playing - Act 2 is very exciting, isn’t it😎
BUG? MAYBE? not a tech genius but this popped up during playing
it does let me ignore it and the game continues so ill update if anything else goes wrong
Yes, thank you! Please ignore it:) I just fixed this problem, can't believe i missed this...
I got this too! I think you can ignore it I guess?
hi there, i was wondering if act 3 will be on here aswell??
Very likely not, Act 3 will only be on Steam. (or if I changed my mind)
This game looks amazing! Is it finished?
The story will be finished with Deluxe version, but tbh the current state is a complete state of the main story
all male Lis?
Yes👍
hello!! :D I would like to ask if there will be a Russian translation for this game? even with my b2 level of English, I periodically had problems translating the text..(
GAME IS ✨WONDERFUL✨ , I really like your style of drawing by the way ^_____^ (I translated the text for convenience, srry for the mistakes,im just russian kid😋 )
Thanks for the reply! I'd love to have more translations, but I don't have the capacity right now, maybe in future. This game is waaayyy too long for any additional translations lol
ITS OIURT??!?!? IM SO EXCITED TO PALY
Let's gooooo
IT'S HERE OMFG OMFG YAYYY
✨✨✨
i actually created an account just to comment, i downloaded this when the remake came out and let me be honest i fell in love with leon at first sight.. im a big fan of time travel stories so this game absolutely caught my heart!! words cant even express how excited i am for act 2 to come out, and ill be checking every day to see if its out!!
Thank you! Actually, Act 2's update will be delayed to March due to an emergency in my real life... (´;ω;`) Still, please look forward to it!
Don’t worry!! We all run into things unexpectedly!! Make sure you take care of yourself, and all of us will be waiting for you!
oml hi i know uu rlly dont know me i have been a silent follower of ur work and i saw this and i needed to let u knows im sending uu my wishes that u and ur family aree okay!! Take all the time uu need!!! :D
Theory/spoiler(idk?)
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_Are Leon and Noah the same person? I might be wrong(and crazy) but hear me out, they both have purple eyes, they both are "science themed", they both have a mystery (something happened to Noah, Leon well... that man is an enigma) the little orphan we save looks like a mix of both (Leon's black hair, Noah's haircut), Noah teaches kids in an orphanage
There may be more, but this is all I remember. Also, this may not be a theory to some, but rather the most logical and obvious thing ever (I'm stupid XD), but since I haven't seen any comments about it, I'm putting it here
You are definitely not the only one who thinks this way! I promise you, Act 2 will answer your question... and raise a lot more ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Omg I love this so much and cant wait for more....tho I have to be honest that the switch between timelines is pretty disorienting at time X_x (especially when they happen rather fast after one another; or its just my brain not being able to jump into so many timelines quickly enough to adapt lol)
Thank you! For the time jump I have to say it’s a feature not a bug lol✨But I promise you, Act 2’s story is very (95%) linear so no more time jumping~
Thank god x'D I mean I enjoyed the time jumps to see their childhood and all that, just the frequency of the jumps were a bit to much for my brain xD
So I am looking forward to Act 2!! <3
dyk what broke me? the line "a friend left it to me before he died" AND I WAS THINKING ABT THEORIES
lolll damn yeah Leon said a bunch suspicious lines... (Also I don’t think I ever mentioned the friend’s gender in the script🤫
OMG I can't wait for act 2 and confirm some suspicions!!
also quick question, i can't figure out how to get mini cg 14 (╥﹏╥) would it be okay if you could explain how to get it? i've tried getting it for so long </3 thank you !! ^^
Thank you for the long comment below 😭❤️ It truly warms my heart!
Mini CG 14 seems to be a default CG that unlocks once you go through Chapter 3. Feel free to email cherishfangames@gmail.com with a screenshot of the gallery so I can assist you better :)
sent ^^! hopefully it actually sent because my emails glitch sometimes, but thank you so much! my display name is Ame on the email! :)
i've left a star review before but never a comment review before! i'd just like to say this is genuinely my favourite game i've ever played! the interesting dialogue, themes, art and characters genuinely have me so excited into waiting for the next act to release! i've probably replayed this game over 10 times now but it genuinely never gets tiring and i feel like i pick up more and more info every time i play it!
i've played around since it's initial release but i was a little nervous to post comments prior to this... but to people who see this; this is genuinely one of the most interesting and amazing games EVER!! the characters have soo much story and more to come too! i highly recommend it to anyone who sees this and i will always be here to support this game and anything in the future <3
thank you so much for your hard work and make sure you take a nice long break when you can <33!
Thank you so much!!! 😭this is such a nice comment I am crying
HIII ( ╹▽╹ ) !! here to say i FREAKING LOVEDthis game & the art is so pretty!!! i like the concept of time travel in here its very original and so interesting (currently trying to get other endings wish me luck lol)
Thank you! 💜💜💜
hey hey hello! i don't really wanna seem stupid, but can you help me out? i have unlocked every other chapter, followed the walk through for chap 3 but now i have absolutely no idea how to unlock chapter 4 only 😭
hi! All content for Act 2 is currently locked now, so you did nothing wrong hahaha. When act 2 released, Chapter 4 will be unlocked automatically.
ahaha I'm so sorry, I'm a bit new to these types of games so I really don't know much :')
No worries at all! I think I might've caused a bit of confusion with that lock thing ;P
Please look forward to Act 2 when it's released!
nono, you haven't dw. The game is very very interesting and it has probably became my favourite now! but as i'm a bit new to these things i was just a bit confused. Thank you for responding, i look forward to playing act 2 <3