Maybe Next Year...
A downloadable visual novel for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Two college students suffer through trauma, guilt, anxiety, and jealousy during the last day of finals before graduation.
Maybe Next Year... is a toxic yuri visual novel. The story follows two women, one drowning in delusions and self-destruction, the other in obligation and resentment, and both clinging desperately onto one another.
Development of this free project began late in June 2025 and ran for about three weeks until release in July 2025. The length is ~7,000 words. This work is a submission to the TOXIC YURI VN JAM hosted by Kyou System, KillJill, deaddeaddeath, thursdayrain, and nadia nova. You can find entries by all of the other creators here! <3
Art, script, and programming by pltn.
Kindly proofread by LetTheRightOneIn and Engicito.
Music by 甘茶の音楽工房, Mid-Air Thief, Myhairball, and Smany.
None of the musicians cited were contacted during the development of this free project. This work does not reflect their decisions or views.
⚠️Themes⚠️
- Self-Harm
- Domestic Abuse
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Maybe Next Year... Version 1.0Jul 29, 2025
Comments
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This one stung a bit, heh. I could definitely feel the pain written into it, and I've struggled with feelings in a similar vein many times in the past—the particular phrasing that would haunt me was "We'll get through this! Just one more year!", for year after year after year. And for as hard as you might be working yourself in your pursuit of something better, in the moment it feels like you may as well be stuck running in place while everything else passes you by...
With that in mind, I would've loved to see more, you know? I want to spend more time with Anna, to see in detail all of the sacrifices she's made (and the parts of herself she's abraded away) in making the "right" choices rather than following her heart, to get all the more deeply invested in her pain as her guts twist at the sight of Tomyris succeeding where she herself wished she could; I want to simmer alongside her in her misery rather than seeing it in passing, you know?
But yes, very nice work~
Thank you so much for reading! Being able to share this work, and to hear that the story resonated with others, helps me to feel less isolated in this world. I'm very grateful.
Thinking of all the talented artists in my program who transferred to nursing and were miserable because nursing is awful while reading this... a familiar kind of frustration. A good read!
I don't really feel like I can say much on the story other than that this felt so authentic and raw.
You did a really good job supporting the writing with just enough visuals and sound to help tell the story. Small things like having the car dashboard in front of the character sprites are a nice touch.
Thank you so much for the kind remarks, Hamaon! It means a lot to me. <3
It's real in parts, it's rough in some edges. I'm glad I read it overall. I think that the story could benefit a lot from a slower escalation of stakes, to really savor the push-pull of a toxic relationship, but given the time constraints of a game jam's it's good.
I think there's a raw emotional core to this story that rings true, and with enough polish can become something that packs a real good punch to the gut. I see and appreciate the intent, congratulations on putting it out.
Thank you, Soma! <3
oh this is heartwrenchingly beautiful. there are so many small details here that make this feel like a labor of love (especially the game title changing every chapter!) even though this story hurts. i love overburdened caretakers and their good-for-nothing fuck-ups trying to push through despite it all <3
Thank you so much! <3