Nocta: Midnight Paralysia
A downloadable game
A claustrophobic, chat-style horror VN about sleep paralysis and a demon who learns you by night. Loops evolve. Boundaries shift. You choose how to survive until morning.
PLEASE NOTE: I ran out of time during Game Jam but I will have the demo fully coded out ASAP
The full game will have more days to loop, to get closer, and uncover mysteries on how to move forward to the next day.
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You’ve had night terrors as long as you can remember. Lately, they’ve… changed.
Every night starts the same: your body locks, your breath stutters, and the shadow at the edge of your bed leans closer. He’s patient. Curious. Wrong. And under the terror and bravado, he’s not exactly what he seems.
Nocta: Midnight Paralysia is a short, looping visual novel that blends intimacy with dread. Talk when you can. Watch when you can’t. Decide how to make it to morning.
Features:
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Chat-style dialogue system – play first-person, speaking (or refusing to speak) directly to him. [eventually everything you say will be selectable]
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[Coming Soon:] Looping nights – each reset reveals new tones, new responses, and a shifting dynamic.
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Tone-based choices – guarded, curious, combative, or silent… he reacts to what you give him.
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Persistent meters – track fear, affection, destruction, and more across loops.
Slow-burn: flirting with him on Day 1 won't save your skin. Unless....
Content Warnings
This game contains:Recommended for mature audiences. Viewer discretion advised.
- Sleep paralysis / immobilization
- Non-consensual restraint & breath restriction
- Psychological horror, intimidation, and home-intrusion themes
- Body horror (multiple eyes, unnatural features)
- Panic/anxiety, claustrophobia, and manipulation
- Hostile language; religious mockery
- Spicy power imbalance
Planned Release / Status
This is the Spooktober 2025 Game Jam build — full release TBD. Completed demo build will hopefully be Oct 23rd.
Most paths currently cut off early, a bunch of bugs are still lurking, and you’ll notice a couple of placeholder visuals (looking at you, horse screenshot). These will be polished throughout October.
10/02/25: Fixed several broken dialogue branches and major crash issues.
10/05/25: Sprites are now implemented across all dialogue lines! Test runs are in progress to verify syncing — expect a few rough edges as things settle.
10/06/25: Fixed some major bugs and pathing errors
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Small Update with Bugs and Pathing Errors fixed80 days ago
- Every Line of Dialogue now should have a sprite81 days ago
- Bug Fixes84 days ago
Comments
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“…the shadow at the edge of your bed leans closer. He’s patient. Curious. Wrong. And under the terror and bravado, he’s not exactly what he seems.” alr hes a particular vicious cat breed
he radiated hehe and :3 mischief if we could sidestep the terrors he had us in a chokehold verge of death literally, those smirks live rent free in my head (and bed) now
if i could toss a pick up a wornout pick up line i’d be asking if im the menu cuz.. me n u hahahahahh and left out of breath because of my own wheezing, except when im either the toy or food, or more that wouldnt sound too hot on my part..
anyway loving the branching many choices available already, although not every one led to an end exactly, still excited for every opened up paths. loved me the curious and direct route most. just simple to tread carefully and temper at least the bond with my own special demon paralysis in an i̶m̶b̶a̶l̶a̶n̶c̶e̶ negotiable partnership kinda deal when life is in shambles with sleepless nights for sure.
Played this last night and really enjoyed it! Have to say if I HAD to have a sleep paralysis demon I wouldn't mind this one too much. I have every intention of directing him into a genuine romantic relationship. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next update.
well this definitely has potential, lots of it even, so I really hope you'll be able and willing to make it into what it can be :>
had this same issue, even after downloading a second time to make sure it wasn't an issue on my end x)
fixed!