A downloadable game for Windows and macOS

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Development Progress

Act 1 (done)

Act 2 (2024-Q4)

Act 3 (2025, Steam)



It is now the year C022, and for some reason, you wake up repeatedly on the same day. 

What happened in the past? What will happen tomorrow? 

The choice is in your hands.

In another word: date boys in your dreams, or in your memories. And perhaps, engage in a bit of time traveling...?

  • 3~5 hours play time (depends on CG collection % and reading speed)
  • 4 love interests (sort of?)
  • Some philosophical discussions
  • ~70k words
  • 33 full scene CG
  • 22 Chibi&Sketch CG
  • Language available: 简体中文/English (ENG is not my native language so be aware... I will find a ENG proof reader when Act2 released)
  • Non-linear story telling

TROT is a romance adventure game about time travel, growing up, love and death. The game draws slight inspiration from Steins;Gate.

The game also contains:

  • Large sound effect, flashing imagery
  • Minor disturbing suicidal thoughts.
  • Unhealthy family relationships


Story Format


  • 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 !

    If you encounter any problems or find any typos, strange sentences you can't understand, or any other bugs, please report them here

    I will promptly update the game based on your feedback.

    Updated 3 days ago
    StatusIn development
    PlatformsWindows, macOS
    Rating
    Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
    (57 total ratings)
    AuthorCherish
    GenreVisual Novel
    TagsDark, Dating Sim, Horror, Mystery, Otome, Romance, Story Rich, Time Travel

    Download

    Download NowName your own price

    Click download now to get access to the following files:

    TROT_PC.zip 709 MB
    TROT_Mac.zip 703 MB
    Walkthrough.pdf 2 MB
    攻略.pdf 3 MB

    Development log

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    Comments

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    CUTEST CHARACTERS EVERRR. Story has me hookedd

    everyone is so cute im literally gonna cry and sob

    it took me almost till the end to figure out how everything works and for my brain to process everything but in the end it was VERY interesting. Looking forward for the release!!!!

    BALSAUANLUABA (im tryna find new games to play since im bored) I JUST STARTED THIS GAME AND I ABSOLUTELY LOBVEIT??? LIKE IM OH DAMN THE ART IS GOOD ASF 

    (+1)

    I loved the game so so so much buuuuut! I can't unlock the chapter 3?? And no matter what I do, even with the walkthrough guide, I always end up at Lisa ending? ;v; Help pls I need to smooch Edmund!!!

    (2 edits) (+1)

    Hey! Thanks for the comment! 

    The Lisa ending should only appear if you choose "I want to be with Lisa forever." If you choose "Lisa will always be with me," the game will continue the same dialogue for a while-- and then you should enter summer C015 as the story goes.

    If you still encounter any problems, please do not hesitate to send an email to cherishfan0320@gmail.com so that I can provide an unlocked version for you to play. ^^

    Ughh, thank you, I'm a dumbass ;v; THIS GAME IS BREKING MY HEARTTTTT I DEMAND THE POSSIBILITY TO SHOWER EDMUND WITH KISSES! Anyways, I'm so impressed with your game, both the writing and art are immaculate! Gods, can't wait to see where it goes! Do you have a tumblr?

    Yes I do. But I do not use Tumblr often :D
    You can find me on Tumblr @cherishfan0320 or on Twi @Retro_TheGame

    (+3)

    just finished chapter 3 and i feel like my heart has been torn out of my chest  .·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·.

    (+1)

    *Pat* *Pat* Please do not lose hope Morsibum...!!!

    (+9)

    I JUST FINISHED CHAPTER 3 URE PAYING FOR MY THERAPY BRO 😭😭😭

    (+1)

    Aww... Yes, I will pay you... I will heal you with the grand happy ending of TROT (eventually)!!! Glad you enjoyed the game!

    (1 edit) (+4)

    hello! coincidentally, last month i watched steins;gate and i absolutely love this game! it's so interesting, i love the non-linear storytelling and how you fit it all, love all the questions that are asked to us players to make us think about life, self, connections... and the themes that you make us choose (when hendrix asked us to, when he was talking about macbeth) is such a nod to it all, it's quite meta <3 the characters are all so intriguing and well-written! i actually like them all! the art is also sooo wonderful! i got teary-eyed during the amusement park part.... T__T<3 will tell my friends about the game! thank you for making it, and i patiently wait for the next act!

    Thank you 😭😭😭 This is such a nice reply... I can't wait for Act 2 either ehehe~

    (+4)

    I haven't gotten to chapter 3 yet but I just finished chapter 2 and IT'S SO GOOD?? Sorry I just had to come here to gush about it because gosh you did wonderful on the writing!




    Spoilers (for chapter 2) below



    That amusement park really left me feeling emotional. It's so heartwarming and I truly love the friendship between Fay, Hendrix, and Edmund, as their friendship really feels natural. I find myself looking forward to seeing more of them. Most of the otome games I've seen or just in romance stories in general, whenever there's two guys who likes the MC, there's usually this rivalry and tension (which can be done well, but I'm just so tired of that trope LMAO, so this is really refreshing). I'm glad that both Hendrix and Edmund are both friendly towards each other and I love their interaction as well (I sound like a broken record at this point lol)! I also can't decide who's my favorite anymore, they're all just so equally loveable...

    Not only the friendship between Hendrix, Fay, and Edmund- I also enjoyed the relationship between Lisa and Fay. I think you're good at writing interactions tbh, because all of them are on point imo! Going through chapter 2 has honestly been a really comfortable and wholesome ride (well, aside from tense and darker scenes...)

    And also, the CGs are so beautiful. I've said this once, but I'll say it again, I truly love your art style. It's so pretty, I even had it as my desktop background LMAOO


    I'll be back after I finish chapter 3, but please do know that all your hardwork is seriously paying off because this game is a banger so far! Thank you so much for all of your hardwork!!

    (+2)

    Sylvan!!! I was waiting for your reply hehehe~ I'm very happy you like that part! Can't wait for your feedback once you complete Act 1 :)

    (3 edits) (+2)

    Omg I finally got back to this and just finished Hendrix's route for chapter 3 and WHAT??





    Spoilers below!


    There's no way you just gave us a heartwarming, happy christmas scene and suddenly I see Hendrix's dead body. We literally just kissed the guy 10 minutes before that, PLEASEE. This game is really good at making me feel happy one moment and shocked/sad the next moment, istg.

    So I fully focused on Hendrix for my first run. Haven't started with Edmund, but I'll definitely give it a go once I have more time. Hendrix's route was super sweet. I'm a huge sucker for the childhood friend trope, especially when done well. But Edmund himself is also really fun, it's really hard to choose between the two of them ;; Thank god the load button exists huh?

    Aside from that, what I really love the most of this game is- once again, is how comfy this game feels (despite some of the death and all). This game has a really unique, somewhat nostalgic vibe to it. I can't really put it into words, but your art, character interaction, choice of music, and background all contribute to it. I also said that I love the friendship in this game and I still stand by my words. I didn't think I'd like Lana and Sky that much (at first I just thought "oh, new side characters, okay"), but they're just the sweetest, their friendship feels really natural and genuine. I LOVE that night sky scene so, so much, and also their talk about fate.

    Also, I gotta say this again. I still think it's crazy how you're able to write, draw, and provide SO MUCH content for this game. Your hardwork and love for this project is really inspiring. Once again, thank you for sharing this gem with us!!

    Edit: And also that menu screen changing was SO GOOD

    Hi Sylvan!!! Thanks for your reply :) When you say you like 'how comfy this game feels'... Okay, Act 2 & 3 will have a bunch of angst, so get prepared for that hahahaha~ 

    TROT is much different now compared to what I initially planned to create; the story and characters have grown together and more complex during development. I am excited to see what we will have in Act 2 :)

    This was so amazing! All that writing must have been hard and you can tell how much work was put into this. Cannot wait for the next update~! ‎٩(⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝)و*̣̩⋆̩*

    (+1)

    Thank you! The next update should come in 2024!(●´∀`)♪

    (1 edit) (+2)

    just finished this game and i absolutely loved it!!! the characters are all soooo well written and unique, they really have a lot of personality, i enjoyed learning more about them. the main character also can defend herself when it comes to it and i really loved that, because typically in games like these usually the love interests rescue them instead.. so this game was really original and special to me!! i cant wait for act 2 and i adore everything about this game so much, especially the art, its really pretty (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ  on a side note, i went with hendrix's route and had a lot of fun hehe

    (+1)

    Thank you for your reply! Yup MC is the best... and she is also the key and the center of the whole story! | ᐕ)⁾⁾

    (+2)

    This is really really a good game!! the best of the best. You guys put alot of tears and sweat to this game and I really felt the emotions in this game....the fact that this game is not just an ordinary otome game. ughhhh!! its just so good...i felt like crying... 

    I can't express my words and feelings for this game...really...

    the art, music, storylines, and even the characters are well made...

    Btw question...will there be a chance where Edmund will live again or not?? that's all i'm asking...

    pls keep up the good work andddddd can't wait for Act 2!!

    Thank you... I love reading comments like this... make me so happy... (๑´ڡ`๑)

    No spoilers so, I can only tell you the game will eventually have a happy ending! So you can sleep peacefully now. _(:з」∠)_ Thank you again for the comment! You made my day.

    is the game voiced?

    No, the game is not voiced.

    (+1)(-3)

    does this game have a gender neutral mc?

    (+8)(-1)

    Nope, MC is a girl😋💖

    (+1)(-6)

    unfort but ty for the fast reply

    (1 edit) (+2)

    This is my second comment because I played the prologue a while back and once again, I was completely hooked. The storyline is amazing, I could not force myself to stop playing - it's so easy to read, deep, and absolutely beautiful. 

    To summarize, I love the art, the characters, everything.

    One more time, I need to thank you very much for creating such a captive game that brings a lot of joy to us players - you are doing an incredible job! I'll be rooting for you!

    (1 edit)

    Thank you -- and thank you again for trying out this game, even from the demo stage! It really means a lot to me ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)

    (1 edit) (+1)(-1)

    Great game!!! I enjoy playing it a lot. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

    (+1)

    Nghhh adorable

    (+3)

    Aw man, I finally got around to playing your update for ACT 1. I think its been a while a game actually catches me by the heartstrings where I tear up at the end of it; everything felt like it was piecing together and.. wow, absolutely love that. LOVE when a game does it -- hurts but, love it. 

    Each one of your characters -- MC, Hendrix, Edmund, Lisa, Sky, Leon -- all of them! -- they feel real? genuine? multifaceted? They're not cut and dry and I wanted to engage with them all and try every single choice. Edmund is my favorite, aha. Super curious over Leon -- have questions about him that I'm sure will be answered as your story progresses.

    Side note -- absolutely appreciate that we can jump into it chapter by chapter instead of starting from the very beginning.

    I actually admit to being wary on games that deal with time travel, but your approach towards it is great -- storytelling and lore. I honestly can't wait for more and will be keeping an eye out!  

    Thank you for letting us play? engage? read? it :)

    (1 edit)

    Thank you! I put a lot of effort into ensuring the game has a good reading pace while telling a story in a non-linear way so it's great to see your comment!!! I do believe that as long as the game can touch the player in any way, it will be enough.  

    And I'm happy you were moved by the ending (yeah, I LOVE the ending—I enjoyed developing it and I was expecting this reaction hehehehe)

    (+3)

    女士们先生们!在今晚的游戏推荐会里我会推荐给大家一款游戏。它也是今天唯一的主角!让我们有请——the-retrospection-of-tomorrow!

          在正式开始之前我有几个小贴士要告诉大家(不喜欢这些内容的可以慎重!):女主被孤立霸凌要素🈶,女主家庭不幸🈶,可攻略角色戏份不平均🈶(因为作者还没有写到!鞠躬了)女主的朋友比较少尤其是女性朋友(这也不能怪她……),剧情无力感迷茫感🈶(这就很命运而且作者也是刚铺开剧情),剧情时间线略复杂,需要多周目来大概能理清(说实话我觉得这是优点吧?只是苦了不想动脑子的朋友们),大部分时候女主需要在攻略对象之间选择,而且完全一个人的剧情比较少。感觉这个避雷写得很勉强!那是因为我真的觉得没啥好避雷的呜呜!大家快来玩呀!(大声)

           故事剧情大概就是女主陷入了时间循环的困境中,靠着过去的经历和自己的智慧,探寻真相,拯救自己(和大家)的故事。就如同故事中的公主,即使是被设计失去了一切,即使面对着仿佛近在咫尺的幸福生活,也要为了真相,前往时间的尽头(其实这些都是我自己猜测的,游戏中大部分不会出现👉👈)

            在游玩旅途中你会遇见敏感温暖处处在意你的发小,会遇见一个有些琢磨不透、变化无常,几乎总是能让你生气的另一位童年玩伴,会遇上仿佛是完美却莫名对你有一种特别的关注的学霸,还会遇上真正神秘的时间穿越者……这些人会陪伴你一段或者很长时间,他们会在你的生活中变成重要的人,但是,故事的主角始终是你,也只有你可以发掘自己的真相,拯救自己于水火之中。(主要是我觉得只有自己去发掘自己的心动的那个点才是最好的!一千个人眼里有一千个哈姆雷特嘛👉👈)(女主在面对不同的人露出的不同的表现,在我看来也是十分有趣呢!)

           既然说到了女主,那我就来夸夸女主吧!这位女主已经凭借着她冷静独立的作风,酷酷的外表,和那令人羡慕的内心的坚定和攻击性,使她成为了我最喜欢的女主(上一个女主还是某个韩国已完结乙游的超级幽默感毒舌会怼男主角的女主呢)她会在遭受歧视和骚扰的时候重拳出击(重书出击(?)),会在面对遇到和自己同样的事情的女孩子挺身而出(有选项),面对喜欢的人的犹豫,她能够让他坚定信心,面对不了解的人,她也不卑不亢的对待,愿意尽量不主观的了解,也会在面对别人的不理解和嘲笑的时候,在心里一遍遍重复“我只要(朋友的名字)就够了。”她也会犹豫,会自卑,会因为压力等等的因素变得不冷静,甚至一度想要放弃这一切。但是我想女主的内心,总是像黑夜里的星星一样,虽然微弱,却散发着让人无法质疑的光芒。(看了下字数……女主推被发现惹!)(女主的裤装和黑风衣真的有品…谁懂…)

           接下来我就要夸夸作者啦!作为作画文本写代码的一体机,她真的很努力!而且还在上班工作的同时……如果是没有耐心的我的话,一定在就放弃了吧。更加不可能做到论年的去坚持这样的创作,在少有人支持的情况下。(写文和repo似乎是我的极限了…)在与她的交流中我也学到了很多。是她让我知道,我那些在夜半燃起的,却又在黎明之前熄灭的灵感和思绪,有人真的把它们写了下来,并且一直在坚持着,只为了创造一个心目中的世界。所以呀,就是因为我做不到这样,我才会如此喜欢这个理想化的作者,和这个困于现实却不会沉沦于现实的故事吧。我相信每一次的相遇,都是久别重逢。所以,我们能相遇在这个充满命运感的作品里,我想,是否也是某种缘分的象征呢?

           说了这么多,也就是希望大家能够多多品味这个作品,和作者多多互动评论吧!(毕竟正向反馈对于作者来说真的很重要呀)(我才不会说是作者亲口告诉我的呢!)

    自己给自己捉虫“在面对和自己遇到同样事情的女孩子的时候挺身而出”第四段

    (1 edit)

    谢谢你!之前内测的时候你给我的长评也让我很感动(果然评论才是让人更新的最大动力...!)很高兴你喜欢女主角,我在创作的时候的目的就是创造一个关于她的故事,而最终我也相信这个故事一定会迎来一个圆满的结局。请期待后续更新!

    (+2)(-2)

    I just finished the prologue and I really love this game so far! But are you planning on eventually adding an option to play as a boy instead of a girl later? If not I would recommend it as it could widen your player base :) tho I get if it’ll take to much re-writing 

    (2 edits) (+6)

    Hey, thank you for your comment and I am glad you enjoyed it so far!
    -- And my answer is no; if the protagonist is a boy, the story won't be the same (and it affect a lot CG art ahaha).
    I will make some changes in Chapter 1 in this year's update, so I recommend you wait for the Act 1 release of the game! :)))

    (+1)

    ah! Thank you so much for replying! As a fellow artist I get it lol. I’ll still play it either way regardless and I’m looking forward to future updates :)

    (+1)

    The best game,I really love it!Everything is very attractive and I look forward to future updates(I currently love Leon and Edmund,but I also really like Hendrix)Finally,thanks for the simplifiied Chinese version!Thank you,great authors

    (+1)

    谢谢!Tytyty for your reply hahaha~ The next update will be coming around late November & early December so stay tuned! I am glad you like edmund :)))))) He is evil but also very sweet

    I downloaded the game a while ago and was amazed at how wonderful it was but didn't have enough time to comment a feedback. Now that I do, I would like to say that I really admire all the characters a lot. Their relations with the MC are so sweet! The art style is also really nice. All the guys so sooo attractive! You've given the MC a subtle but nice personality as well. I love Lisa and her personality, a best friend who livens things up! I'm really looking forward for the other chapters. Good job author! keep it up!

    (P.s. Noah's my favorite. He is so unique. But Hendrix and Edmund aren't any less tbh. All of them have such wonderful and unique backgrounds.)

    (2 edits)

    Ohhhh another Noah lover! Hahahahaha

    To be honest, your comment made me so happy today;) Lisa is a interesting character -- hopefully I will post chapters 2 and 3 within this year, so stay tuned!

    This story is so attractive.Waiting for next chapter.

    Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the game ;D

    This was a fantastic project and blast to experience. I have no critique, I am in love with this game. I just want to know more lore, and what happens after. And I'm looking forward to this game's release 🥺❤️

    Tyty! The release of the game will be chapter by chapter, so I will keep updating the game until it is finished. I hope you will enjoy the future chapters as well!

    This game is incredible! I just starting playing it today and I wasn't able to stop until I finished the chapters available. I'll be here waiting for more - thank you for creating such a captivating game. 

    As my favorite characters.. I can't deal with Hendrix.. he's way to sweet - I just love him already! haha

    Thank you jeskm :) There will be a update on dev plan coming soon and I am really excited about it. I am glad you enjoyed the game!

    This game is so good! I just finished chapter 1 and am definitely curious to learn more about the whole situation and the characters (especially Leon)! The art and UI are really REALLY well done and so is the writing. This game is just an absolute eye candy! I can tell that you've worked really hard on this and I would just like to thank you for sharing your work with us!

    As for my favorite character, I think I'm really leaning towards either Hendrix or Noah so far. They're just so sweet. Though all the other characters are really well written too, so let's see if I change my mind when the next chapter releases.

    I'd also like to report this error I encountered. It was when I tried to open the chapter selection menu after finishing chapter 1 (windows version). The menu definitely works before I played though. I'm not sure if it's because of something I did since it doesn't seem to be an issue for other players, but I thought I'd let you know regardless. Here's the screenshot of the error I received


    Aside from that, everything else works fine and flawlessly!

    Once again, I'm looking forward to chapter 2! Best of luck on the development and don't forget to take breaks once in a while! :D

    (+1)

    Oh my goodness, Sylvan!!!! I actually had to wake up and read it a few times to make sure I'm not still dreaming <3

    This game is seriously a marathon, and I appreciate anyone who's got the patience to give it a shot!(It will be LONG)
    Noah didn't really grab much attention in the early chapters so I am surprised you really like him, but for me, he's definitely one of my absolute favorite sweethearts.

    I'm planning to drop Chapter 2 sometime around October because I'm determined to get as much done as I can this year. But hey, I'll definitely remember to take a breather now and then.

    And finally, big thanks for catching that bug! It's a super rare one that slipped through the cracks during testing, even though I thought I'd covered all the bases. It's all fixed up now, and it will be included in the next major update.

    Wishing you an awesome day ahead!

    Oooh so that means Noah will be getting a focus later on, I'm so excited for that! And I'll also definitely be looking forward to that marathon.  You're welcome about the bug and wishing you only the best of luck with your endeavors! :D

    hi! i just finished chapter 1 and this game is so amazing! i love it so much, and it definitely isn't your 'typical' otome game (which i think is so refreshing)! man, i was not expecting the game to go in that direction. i was so shocked i audibly gasped out loud HAHA. your game and writing are so so clever and made me think of certain things in way i never thought an otome would make me think about!!

    so far, i think i'm most curious about leon, but i love all of the love interests AS WELL AS LISA!! she is sooo supportive and full of good vibes. 

    the art is super pretty!! and the exploration and notebook systems are really cool, i love how they add more depth to the story. 

    there are a couple of typos and grammar mistakes but i still really really enjoyed the game!

    i honestly can't wait for new updates!! this game is so good!! thank you very much for making it. <3

    (+1)

    Hey peacht!

    I'm absolutely pumped to hear that you found it refreshingly different from the typical Otome game. Honestly, that's the best praise I could hope for.

    -

    Lisa made up a important part for the whole story, so just wait for future chapters!

    -

    English is not my native language, so super sorry for the typo and grammar mistakes hahaha! In the future, I might set up a forum specifically for bugs and typos to keep things organized.

    Have a great day!

    (+1)

    omg this is amazing!!! i love this game and i cant wait to see it grow, if i had to say which characters i love best it'd probably be either hendrix or edmund. :DD!! cant wait for chap.2

    (+1)

    I am glad that you like two of the best bois in MC's life! We will definitely see more of them as they grow up with the MC. 

    And I'm glad you enjoyed the game - your reply makes me so happy! :DDD

    (1 edit) (+1)

    I finished Chapter 1 and I LOVE IT!!! I'm literally in love with Leon 😻😻😻 I almost shed a tear once it ended right there. 😭😭 It was very well written!! The art is also gorgeous! waiting for the full game ong  

    (+1)

    I'm happy you enjoyed it! Leon will show up in Chapter 2 and appear more in all the upcoming chapters. Stay tuned! 
    :)

    (+1)

    Hello ! I finished the first chapters not too long ago and I loved the art, the MC personality and the plot of the game, I would love to read the next chapter as I got hooked T-T. The exploration and notebook systems make remembering and explaining some stuffs easier (for me at least haha). I really can't chose a favorite character as I loved them all as they were so well written, and would love to learn more about them xD !! 

    Just a question on my side but I am missing one cg, so does some choice affect the cgs ??

    I can't wait for chapter 2 and I wish you good luck <3 !!

    (1 edit) (+1)

    OMG my first review!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!! I am so happy!!! You made my day :)

    -

    I wonder what CG you missed? There is a Hendrix & Edmund route difference in chapter 1, which lead to different CG art & plot. (You can check the guide in the readme file)

    Aw I am happy I did, you really did a good job on this game !! 

    After seeing the comment I was missing Edmund's CG and now got a grasp of his personality so thank you for that xD !