- Free demo out now
- Anime + FMV art style
- 3 platforms
- 2027 full release
Imagine starting a new job and your onboarding is… deciding whether strangers go to heaven or hell. UNBIASED, a debut psycho-thriller visual novel from Aclairic, aka The Otherworld De(v)ity, puts you in exactly that job.
You play The Appraiser, brought to The Otherworld for one job. You measure the worth of human souls. The demo is literally your job orientation. The big question the game keeps asking is whether you’ll let your own prejudices call the shots, or whether you can actually stay unbiased.
Anime, Meet Real Life
UNBIASED mixes anime characters with FMV (full-motion video), featuring real footage of live actors dropped right into the visual novel. It’s a genuinely unusual combo, even by indie standards.
It’s personal, too. Aclairic says the stories are based on true experiences from people they met while travelling the world, a trip they describe as “unwillingly… that is a long story.” I’d play that game too.
Side Quest Wait, What’s FMV?
Full-motion video means real, filmed footage used inside a game. It boomed in the 1990s CD-ROM era, and it’s been having a revival in narrative indies (see also IMPRINTED, which turns a fake desktop into a ghost story). A visual novel is a story-first game where you mostly read, watch and make choices, rather than run and jump.
Accessibility Snapshot
Accessibility checked: 26 September 2026
Everything here comes from the Steam store page, not hands-on testing. The free demo, on Steam or in your browser on Newgrounds, is the best way to check what matters to you. I’ll update this if more info becomes available.
Visual
Not confirmed
No word yet on text size, colour options or flashing.
Observation: The live-action sections are real filmed footage, so if moving footage is a problem for you, the free demo is the safest way to check.
Audio
Reported
Full English voice audio, with English subtitles.
Communication
Reported
English only, for the interface, audio and subtitles.
Input/Controls
Reported
Xbox controller support, and DualShock over USB only. As a visual novel, it’s mostly reading and making choices.
Cognitive
Heads-up
Heavy themes throughout, including suicide and self-harm, according to the developer’s content description. Most of it is narrated rather than shown.
Motion/Sensory
Not confirmed
No photosensitivity warning or motion settings are listed yet.
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- Developer: The Otherworld Dev (Aclairic)
- Genre: Psychological visual novel, anime and FMV
- Platforms: Windows, Mac and Linux
- Full release: Q4 2027, according to Steam
- Play it now: free demo on Steam · play in your browser on Newgrounds · wishlist on Steam
Side Quest Which FMV Game Got Hauled in Front of Congress?
The 1992 FMV game Night Trap was dragged into US congressional hearings on violent video games, despite being pretty tame. The fallout helped lead to the age ratings games still carry today.
- Cosy Creepy
- Chill Chaos
Stay unruly.
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