Forget-Me-Not
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Forget-Me-Not is a BL (boy's love) visual novel exploring the relationship two boys, Emmett and Michael, over a course of time.
Long ago, Emmett used to be extremely withdrawn and hated socializing. Michael had just moved into his neighborhood and wanted somebody to talk to. In a short, strange course of events, they met on a rooftop and talked for a little while. Emmett soon grew attached to the complete stranger, opening up and may have even considered him a friend. However, the summer friendship ended when Michael moved away, but left Emmett with a problem he realized he could overcome.
The dreamlike memory of the boy became so blurred to him, that when the same boy transfers into his homeroom sophomore year, he doesn't recognize him at first!
They rekindle their friendship, which they quickly become close friends…to something a little more than friends. Emmett feels content with the way things have gone for them, but he can't ignore the strange feeling that something isn't right with Michael. There are things he doesn't know about Michael, even coming so far in their relationship, that he can't figure out so easily. What isn't Michael telling him?
→ For ages 16 and over ←
→ 3 different endings ←
→ About 3-6 hours in game length (per one playthrough) ←
→ 50+ event images ←
→ CG gallery and music room ←
“Overall the story was really sweet but also substantial. I felt that I really came to know the characters by the end. Obviously lots of love was put into all the characters, not just the two main boys. The heavy subjects were dealt with sensitively but not in a Very Special Episode kind of way, they just felt like real stuff that happens to real people." - xiaomao @ LemmaSoft
“What a WONDERFUL, truly groundbreaking visual novel. It touched on so many big issues that most VN's don't tackle, and it did it well. It was totally realistic and believable. They were two likable, flawed, and really human characters that pulled you into the story. The plots and dialogue all rang true and went beyond the superficial to get at the real heart of many issues that teenagers, and maybe people in general, face." - Dawnfire @ LemmaSoft
Story and art by:
Boniae
Music credits:
Björn & Gorden, Discount Fireworks, Podington Bear, Kakurenbo, Biggyzoom, Blear Moon, Electric Holiday Orchestra, Superpoze, Andrea Carri and Jahzzar.
Background photos:
Morgue File, Stock.xchng, Katherine Sparrow, SusanTheCat @ lemmasoft and Deekay @ lemmasoft.
Proofreaders/Beta testers:
Cam, Euphorics, Himi, Twinkletoes21, Stripesoflove, Mishaa, Moya, Nick, Elaina, and Daija.
Percent complete script:
Bluescorpion @ lemmasoft.
Preface - 2/26/2020
I want to than everyone for their abundance of critique, love, and support over the years and it means so much! This game was created from 2011-2014, so it was pretty much the first thing I'd ever written and finished properly. I made the characters on a whim and decided to mess around with Ren'py, and then the project just took off. The story isn't perfect, the writing is clumsy, some of the situations are pretty questionable, and while looking back on it now, there's SO many things I would change and remove--but it's far too late for me to go back now. Although my heart no longer beats for this project, I will always appreciate it for being the story that helped me finally come to terms and accept myself. And now, it's finally time for me to let it go and for me to accept the game as it is. I deeply apologize to anyone over the years who may have been upset in any way by this game, and I'm disappointed that it took me until recently to properly revisit this story and comprehend the reality of it. I made this game because I wanted to help people, but I may have ended up hurting instead. I hope to improve in any other works I decide to create in the future.
I want to give a special shout out to my friends and those of you from the old Lemmasoft days who cheered me on and supported this project, and those of you who played it when the game was released. You have no idea how much you all helped shape and foster my passion for storytelling.
BE WARNED, there are some things in this game that may not be suitable for everyone!!! This is not supposed to be a cute, fluffy love story. It's a difficult story about depression and the realities of relationships in times of youth. Though there is no visually explicit or detailed scenes, there are some parts of the game where certain sensitive subjects are addressed.
(ie: drugs, violence, homophobia, depression, and mentioning of sexual abuse.)
If you are unsure about having to read something about that, please don't force yourself to play this game.
There are three scenes with a flashing effect that's a little bit straining. If you're worried about that, please ask me to upload a separate file without the flashing effect, I'll be glad to do so.
If you're stuck, you can check out the walkthrough here.
To anyone who ends up playing this, I really hope you can enjoy it somehow! Thank you!
>>> Like the game? Check out my other projects!
Download
Install instructions
- Unzip the package to a location you can remember. When unzipped, go into “forgetmenot-1.0-all". Applications will be in the main folder.
- (Windows) Open “forgetmenot.exe"
- (Linux) Open “forgetmenot.sh"
- (Mac) Open “forgetmenot.py"
- Enjoy!
Comments
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I played this game a couple years ago, so long I don't even remember the time. What I do remember is playing and getting ending #2 and bawling and then not playing again because I was so scared of a bad ending hahah! But I've come back and played the full game. It's truly beautiful and heartwrenching and perfectly portrays how someone with suicidal ideation would react to someone genuine :( its so horrible how depression tricks the brain into thinking you don't deserve love to the point you sabotage it and then its somehow justified by that little voice in your head. Michael and Emmett both are such meaningful characters ! Ending #3 made me happy. Michael getting help outside of Emmett is what makes it an amazing "true" ending. Emmett can be here for Michael but the heavy stuff is for therapy. Love can't cure mental illness but it can provide a support and buoy for when it gets out of control!
I hope you have a wonderful day and I loved your work<3
I understand how some of these situations in the game could have been handled better but I think it really puts the player in the position of a 15 year old Emmett who doesn't really understand how to handle such a heavy situation and is only trying his best! Sorry just wanted to add something more
not sure if the creator still checks the comments out but i just had to tell u that i played this game almost ten years ago and it never left my mind, and i recently replayed it and enjoyed it just as much <333 always here waiting for a new work of yours
I played this like a year ago and I still got it on my mind bwaaaa, it was so good
i think its been like 2 years since ive played this game and im still thinking about it
SAME
i got ending 2, if i have time i think ill try for ending 1 or 3 idk but lovely game, Michael really reminds me of Evan from Skam. Anyways great game and i hope you are doing well today
bro not even gonna lie this is my favourite mf game. I've played it so many times and it tugs at my heart every time aha. I'm emotionally attached to these characters, which isn't something I do often. favourite game, 10/10 <3
Ahhhh I really love this game! I got ending #2 but I'm too scared to get ending #1 so I can get ending #3 since ending #2 already made me kinda sad ...I love your work keep it up!!
i've only had michael for not even half the gameplay but if anything happens to him ill kill everyone in this room and then myself
edit: 90% through the game and im kinda pissed at him ngl
edit 2: i finished the game and i feel emotional and kind of like an ass (i got ending 2 btw)
Why is not claimable?
Ohhh, i love this game! I like how Emmett change during whole story, Michael life story was very sad, but also very true, i could completly sympathize with him, yup. But my favourite and most shocking part was all of those polish stuff, like Nowak and "chłopczyk". The graphic weren't great, but it didn't interefere with playing, it was even atmospheric. To sum up, i think im gonna play this game again and again, but i will take breaks from time to time.
Thank you for making this game!
This game was heartrendingly beautiful. I actually cried at all of the endings. I didn't expect to relate to the story so much (especially Michael's) and I loved all of the different endings. They were realistically bittersweet, which made them feel all the more real. You have an amazing gift for drawing people in with your words. And the art is lovely, too! I enjoyed this game immensely (maybe enjoyed isn't the right word, exactly, because many parts of it are so sad).
Wow.
Very rarely a game leaves me THIS much of a mess upon completion and let me tell you, this game has definitely succeeded at doing so. At many times throughout the game I was surprised, shocked or sad and had to stop for a while before continuing with the story. I was so involved in it and so consumed as well, everything was just so freaking good I couldn't stop because I wanted to know how things would end! And that's how you know your story is good, creators.
The storytelling was absolutely beautiful. From the very beginning to its ending, I loved it all the same, if not more. I really fell in love with the characters and their stories. It almost felt as if I was with them myself and knew each of them on a personal level as if we all were good friends. I also adored the artwork. It was very cute.
SPOILERS AHEAD
As someone who had been struggling with mental health for years and someone who isn't heterosexual themselves, this game just hit too close to home. I can't believe how lucky I am to have encountered this game. I could relate to Michael's character completely, everything hitting me like a slap to the face sometimes. I played through all the three endings and each of them has made me feel something different each time. Every one of them was greatly written. I'm so glad to have spent hours playing through them. I wish there were more games like this one. I think it would greatly help people like us out there. With acceptance, the feelings of being included, normal. Spreading awareness, educating people. You've no idea how happy I am that you created this. Thank you.
I do have some remarks though. In one of the endings, we get a scene with Roger where he tells Emmett he has been harassed by Michael, yet this is never resolved in the story. Did Michael really do this, and if so, why wasn't this brought up by Emmett? Or did Roger make up a lie because he was jealous of Michael so much? We don't know! I may be missing something, but I played through all the three endings and didn't stumble onto any answers. Also, in another ending where Michael overdoses... why doesn't Emmett call an ambulance?! Michael could've died on the spot! I felt like this was a serious issue that didn't sit well with me. You should always call an ambulance if you encounter an overdose attempt because even if the victim does seem alright in the end, there may be unseen health consequences that could follow through. I'm also upset that we didn't see the coach get punished for his actions, maybe through Michael going to the police with Emmett... It felt like all that Michael went through went to waste in a way. I would really like to see some justice, you know?
Hello, an idea for a sequel? Hell yes.PS. Is Emmett Polish? ;)
Thank you so much for making this game. I'm very glad to have played it.
i loved this game SOO much- geez i played it twice lol. A lot of parts hit hard to me too, especially in Michael and it got me soo emotional aha. I loved it overall, the ending was amazing. One of my favorite visual novels :)
im seriously having issues finding a visual novel i like as much as this
Holy crap. This game really surprised at how fabulous it was. I have a feeling this game will stick with me forever. It was just beautiful. I love how different the endings were and each ending came as a surprise to me. All in all, I. LOVE. THIS.
AHH, thank you so much for your comment and praises!! ✨I'm so happy you enjoyed the game, and I'm really touched to hear that the story will stick with you. Thank you!! 🙏💖
I don't know if this is just my laptop but the file isn't opening on my mac? I managed to unzip it but when i click on the actual game it won't open. Is there anything I should be doing or? I'm sorry to bother you but I've played this game before and absolutely love it, so I'd love to play it again haha.
Hi there!! Unfortunately I'm not familiar with mac computers, but it should be the "forgetmenot.py" file to open up the game. You could also try the file in: "forgetmenot-2.0-all\forgetmenot.app\Contents\MacOS" and see if that one will open instead. Other than that...I'm unsure as to what the problem is. T_T You could try re-downloading the package as well and then retrying to see if it makes a difference too. Sorry if that's a little unhelpful! As a last resort and it's still not working, you can try playing the online version! http://sandbox-adventure.com/forget-me-not.html
Hopefully it works out!
I tried the second option about finding the file and it worked! I'm so happy I absolutely adore the game and I can't wait to play it. Thank you so much!!
Oh my god I am so glad I found this again!! I played this a couple years ago and it was such an amazing game that really stuck with me. I couldn't remember what it was called and couldn't find it since my computer broke and I wasn't able to save the game files and stuff. This game actually made me cry and is so amazing.
AHH oh my gosh, your comment is so sweet and meaningful to me, you have no idea. I'm so happy that you wanted to replay it even years later. T_T I'm also so glad you managed to find it again though, haha. Thanks so much for your comment, and thanks for playing! 🙏😁
Omg, i love it so much. All the emotions.
AH I'm super late but I appreciate your comment so very much!!! Thank you so much for playing <3 🙏🌸
I've loved all of your work since the day I found it!
OMG!! That is so sweet of you to say that, I'm so glad!! Thanks so much! :-D
You're welcome. I really enjoy the vibe you create in your stories. Your characters are so easy to connect to. Your ability to make readers get so absorbed in your character's natural personalities is amazing. I can't wait to finish the rest for Sage Bush and good luck with everything. I LIVE... LOVE LOVE LOVE
This is a great game... is there a walkthrough to get all three endings?
Is one of the endings considered the "best" ending?
Thanks so much, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Also, here's a walkthrough if you need it.
As for the endings, there's an old blog post I had that goes into depth about my interpretation of the endings. There's a slight spoiler in it, soif you'd rather read it when you're done with the whole game, to sum up, I consider all the endings as alternate realities in a sense since I don't like "bad" endings in VNs. I think though, if you'd have to consider which one is the best, it'd be three, but you have to complete both endings 1 and 2 to get to 3. Hope that helped, & thanks for playing! ^^
Gah... the link to the walkthrough looks broken. Is it working for you?
Thanks for all of that, and for this great game!
Yeah, unfortunately as of this week it looks like my VN dev blog might be down for good (the vnovel hosting was provided by someone in the visual novel community, but it looks like they might not be hosting sites anymore) BUT there is hope yet!! Thank God for the wayback machine X'DD You can still find the walkthrough over here: http://web.archive.org/web/20170729170141/http://rosewatergames.vnovel.com/forget-me-not-walkthrough/ Hope this is helpful!!
You're welcome!! You're so kind, thanks a bunch! ;O;
I always forget about the WBM. Thanks! Looks like it worked!
you did a great job!Fitting OST and interesting characters.
Thank you so much, I appreciate your praise!!! I'm so glad you enjoyed the game and liked the music as well 🌸😊
The characters were handled wonderfully. Very sweet story
Aww, thank you so much for your comment!! It makes me so happy you enjoyed the story. 💕
it was so pure and life like scenario i felt the pain and rush of each and every character! i was beautiful, i even cried a little
Thank you so much for your kind comments, I apologize for taking such a long time to respond! I'm also so sorry you cried haha, but I'm very happy to hear that you enjoyed the experience of the game! Thank you so much 😌✨
i love love love love love this game sooooooooooooo frickin much!!! it was amazing! i was so enthralled! the story had my heart ripping and racing! i'm in love!
either I am very stupid and have no idea how to open the game...or my laptop just doesn't want to work with me...
(Anyone know how to simply explain the steps to get it to work?)
Same
THIS IS PURE ART, I CRIED REAL TEARS WHEN I FINSIHED
I downloaded the game and played it in the middle of the night, which I mostly regret. There were a lot of scenes that made me want too yell, and the story has such a great script, it's like they're talking too you sometimes! I love the characters, plot, ect. Honestly, this is probably one of my favorite VN ever, and I especially love Emmett, I just feel emotionally drawn too some of the situations and emotions he feels. Thank you for releasing such an awesome game! It deserves more attention. <3
-Alex
I recently just finished this vn and how much I love the story and its compatible illustrations. It face us, the young generation, to the issues we often avoid; such as bullying, social acceptance, the meaning of friendship and when it changes, and honesty to your own self.
Pardon me, but their dynamics remind me to an AU of Connor x Evan from Dear Evan Hansen :')
Besides its loveable ending, I can't help the assumption about the title ("forget me not" flower) correlating to the bittersweet of Emmet and Michael relationship :')