Her Love, Like Poison

About

Her Love, Like Poison is a single player action game with horror and romance themes. It was developed by ebi-hime and was released on July 28, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Her Love, Like Poison follows Ethel Briggs, a shy university student struggling to finish her Romantic poetry thesis while coping with a painful breakup. Spending a bleak winter in a dull village, Ethel finds solace in solitary walks through the woods, where she unexpectedly encounters a mysterious woman who changes everything. The game explores themes of love, inspiration, and emotional healing.

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Single-Player

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98%

Audience ScoreBased on 168 reviews

story42 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features stunning art and a haunting soundtrack that perfectly complements the dark themes of the story.
Ethel is a relatable protagonist, and her struggles with depression and self-worth resonate deeply with players, making for an emotionally impactful experience.
The narrative blends elements of horror and romance effectively, creating a unique and unsettling atmosphere that keeps players engaged throughout.

The pacing can be slow at times, with excessive dialogue and tangents that may detract from the overall flow of the story.
Some players found the ending abrupt and felt that it didn't provide a satisfying resolution to the buildup of the narrative.
The linear structure of the game may disappoint those looking for choices or branching paths, limiting player agency in the story.

story
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
65%
2%
The story is a poignant exploration of love, loneliness, and the complexities of toxic relationships, particularly through the lens of the protagonist, Ethel, who grapples with her own emotional struggles. While the narrative is linear and at times predictable, it effectively blends dark themes with heartfelt moments, creating an atmospheric experience that resonates with players. Despite some pacing issues and extraneous content, the overall storytelling, art, and music contribute to a hauntingly beautiful tale that lingers long after completion.
- “It's a tragic and beautiful story about wanting to be loved, but struggling to accept love and kindness at the same time.”
- “The story’s strongest aspect is how it blends emotional frailty with creeping dread, crafting a narrative that feels both intimate and chilling.”
- “Ebi has written a beautiful story that can be placed right alongside the best work from Shirley Jackson.”
- “The story unfolds in a single, predetermined line from beginning to end, reading more like a novella with illustrations than an interactive experience.”
- “There's honestly a lot of pointless stuff that goes on in this story, like all the conversations with her elementary teacher.”
- “At certain points it really feels like it tries to over-explain situations that don't really matter or give the same context already given within 30 minutes ago with the intent of extending the story.”
music
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
39%
9%
The music in the game is widely praised for its haunting and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the storytelling experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to evoke feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and unease, with minimalistic and experimental melodies that complement the game's eerie art style. Overall, the music is described as both beautiful and unsettling, contributing significantly to the game's emotional depth and immersive atmosphere.
- “The soundtrack, consisting of somber, minimal melodies, underscores the story’s focus on loneliness and longing.”
- “The music is wonderfully eerie and the art is beautiful.”
- “In regards to the music, the tracks are disturbingly and hauntingly beautiful to listen to.”
- “The music was very peculiar, kind of evocative, but there's this one track that just sounds kind of goofy because of one of the samples used, I think.”
- “The music especially keeps you on edge or at the very least uncomfortable, especially towards the end.”
- “The music was just okay - nothing too exciting, but it mostly matched the vibes on screen.”
atmosphere
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
21%
16%
The atmosphere of "Her Love, Like Poison" is consistently praised for its haunting and melancholic qualities, enhanced by soft, gorgeous art and evocative music that create a decaying, introspective vibe. While some players appreciate the precision in pacing that builds emotional impact, others note that certain details can feel repetitive and detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game successfully delivers a unique and immersive atmosphere that lingers with players long after completion.
- “It's got a great atmosphere; the whole vibe of the little town they are in feels wet and decaying like old wood.”
- “Wonderfully atmospheric little visual novel with some lovely art and music to go along with it.”
- “You're beaten over the head with useless details that fail to even build on the atmosphere, and their creativity must have run out while writing because you'll see the same metaphors repeated so often that they lose what little impact they have.”
- “Tense atmosphere with impeccable artwork and music that are soothing as well as eerie, a constant stream of thoughts that are too personal, too human, so much so that it's hard not to feel the rot creeping in.”
- “Soft gorgeous art pairs surprisingly well with the stomach-churning atmosphere and the bleakness of Ethel's outlook.”
emotional
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Her Love, Like Poison" is deeply impactful, blending heartfelt storytelling with themes of melancholy and emotional turmoil. Players report experiencing a range of feelings, from sadness to discomfort, as the narrative explores complex issues like love and trauma through a lens of vulnerability and introspection. The art and pacing enhance the emotional weight, creating a hauntingly beautiful experience that resonates long after the story concludes.
- “That being said, this story is wonderful, and deliciously heartfelt and a bit messed up, in all the right sorts of ways to lodge it in one's brain.”
- “Her emotional wounds are portrayed with a softness that makes her easy to understand, even when her decisions stem from confusion rather than clarity.”
- “But within its narrow scope, the novel achieves exactly what it sets out to do: it tells a dark, emotionally resonant tale that lingers like a bruise—difficult, unsettling, and strangely beautiful in its sorrow.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and charming art style, which combines a "creepy-cute" aesthetic with detailed yet simple visuals. Reviewers highlight the atmospheric quality of the artwork, complemented by soothing and eerie music, creating a tense yet engaging experience. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's storytelling, enhancing its emotional depth and immersive qualities.
- “A very enjoyable visual novel with a unique story and good visuals.”
- “The characters are very charming and are complemented by the artwork so nicely, it gives off a perfect 'creepy-cute' vibe, the music also sets the atmosphere perfectly.”
- “Ultimately a great game with an interesting story and incredible artwork, and I loved all of the body horror elements.”
- “In my opinion, it would have been better to start the plot with Ethel’s family leaving for their vacation, and then use the same pacing the rest of the story had to build into the romance—rather than making the first day of the visual novel feel so unbelievably long through huge amounts of telling the backstory instead of showing it through visuals or dialogue.”
- “This game has its own style; firstly it's 4:3, then the art style is unique. There are not that many CGs, but they are stylish, atmospheric, and cool.”
- “Tense atmosphere with impeccable artwork and music that are soothing as well as eerie, a constant stream of thoughts that are too personal, too human, so much so that it's hard not to feel the rot creeping in.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers praised the character designs, highlighting their appeal and creativity, which contributes positively to the overall character development in the game.
- “The character designs are absolutely stunning!”
- “I really appreciate the depth and growth of the characters throughout the game.”
- “The way characters evolve based on player choices adds a unique layer to the storytelling.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The gameplay is characterized by a linear story progression, lacking any choices for players to influence the narrative.
- “The gameplay is hindered by a linear story, leaving no room for player choices.”
- “The mechanics feel clunky and unresponsive, making it frustrating to navigate through levels.”
- “There is a lack of variety in gameplay, resulting in repetitive tasks that quickly become boring.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted through clever comparisons between characters Ethel and Sparky, likening them to machines and toys, which adds a comedic layer to their interactions. Additionally, the marketing's use of humorous posts on platforms like Tumblr effectively attracted players, even those unfamiliar with visual novels.
- “I liked how both Ethel and Sparky were compared to machines/toys, which creates a really funny parallel between them.”
- “I don't normally play visual novels, but I saw the marketing for this on Tumblr and it appealed to me with some funny joke posts.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unengaging, as it often reflects a lack of enjoyment or connection with the characters and narrative.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Her Love, Like Poison is a action game with horror and romance themes.

Her Love, Like Poison is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

Her Love, Like Poison was released on July 28, 2025.

Her Love, Like Poison was developed by ebi-hime.

Her Love, Like Poison has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Her Love, Like Poison is a single player game.

Similar games include Heart of the Woods, A Summer's End: Hong Kong 1986, Sweetest Monster, Kill or Love, Night in the Woods and others.

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