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Narcissu 1st & 2nd key art
● Completed

Narcissu 1st & 2nd

Also known as narcissu · narcissu -SIDE 2nd- · ナルキッソス

Drama, Kinetic novel, Romance · by stage-nana · published by Sekai Project · 2014

Narcissu 1st & 2nd screenshot 1Narcissu 1st & 2nd screenshot 2Narcissu 1st & 2nd screenshot 3Narcissu 1st & 2nd screenshot 4Narcissu 1st & 2nd screenshot 5

Two terminally ill patients slip out of a hospice ward and drive south together, looking for a place to spend the time they have left.

Who it's for: Readers who want a short, quiet, deeply sad story about illness and choosing how to spend the time left, and who are fine with no choices at all.

The story (spoiler-free)

In the first story, a young man moved to a hospital's seventh floor, the ward people rarely leave, meets a woman who has been there before. Together they take his car and set off on an aimless drive down Japan's coast.

The second story steps back in time to tell what happened before, through someone who once shared that same ward.

There are no choices. It is a short, quiet read carried by spare writing, photo backgrounds and a soft soundtrack.

Where to play

Steam edition

Steam ↗
WindowsMacLinuxFree

Guides & resources

Why play it

  • +Free on Steam with Mac and Linux support
  • +Short enough to finish in an evening or two
  • +A restrained, unsentimental take on dying
  • +Japanese voice acting in the Steam release

Keep in mind

  • −No gameplay or choices at all
  • −Very sad throughout; not a light read
  • −Older, low-resolution presentation

Main characters

Content warnings

Show 4 content warnings
terminal illnessdeathsuicidal themesgrief

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