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'''Head AS Code''' is a PsychologicalThriller {{Horror Visual Novel|s}}, and the first installment of developer Miracle Moon's "Abime" series, which also includes ''VisualNovel/BirthMeCode''. The original version was released in 2018, but a remastered version was made available in 2021.
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On April 22, 2022, Simon Fournier had finally finished his exams, and was going home in a train with his childhood friend, Jasmine, and his roommate, Marco. However, he took a nap along the way, and when he woke up, something was amiss; he quickly realized he was no longer in the train. Now in the company of friends, strangers and foes, he has no choice but to play a dangerous game operated by the enigmatic Smiley. It was a merciless environment where tensions rose from seemingly nothing, where no one is safe, and where any misstep could get you '''killed'''. One question quickly becomes two, then five, then twenty. What is Smiley's real identity, and was he actually among them? Who really are the other participants? What is the purpose of the Dating Game? And most importantly...who will be making the sacrifice?
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On April 22, 2022, Simon Fournier had finally finished his exams, and was going home in a train with his childhood friend, Jasmine, and his roommate, Marco. However, he took a nap along the way, and when he woke up, something was amiss; he quickly realized he was no longer in the train.
Now in the company of friends, strangers and foes, he has no choice but to play a dangerous game operated by the enigmatic Smiley. It was a merciless environment where tensions rose from seemingly nothing, where no one is safe, and where any misstep could get you '''killed'''. One question quickly becomes two, then five, then twenty. What is Smiley's real identity, and was he actually among them? Who really are the other participants? What is the purpose of the Dating Game? And most importantly...who will be making the sacrifice?
Now in the company of friends, strangers and foes, he has no choice but to play a dangerous game operated by the enigmatic Smiley. It was a merciless environment where tensions rose from seemingly nothing, where no one is safe, and where any misstep could get you '''killed'''. One question quickly becomes two, then five, then twenty. What is Smiley's real identity, and was he actually among them? Who really are the other participants? What is the purpose of the Dating Game? And most importantly...who will be making the sacrifice?
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* YouWakeUpInARoom: The Dating Game's participants, including Simon, wake up in an abandoned subway train and are forced to escape a metro system-turned-DeadlyGame.
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* YouWakeUpInARoom: The Dating Game's participants, including Simon, wake up in an abandoned subway train and are forced to escape a metro system-turned-DeadlyGame.system-turned-DeadlyGame.
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* DisabledLoveInterest: Emily, one of the main characters, lost her hearing and sight, and is constantly wearing a headset and faceplate that are meant to repair them. [[spoiler:Truthfully, her senses are fine, and are being impaired by the devices until the Dating Game reaches a desired outcome.]]
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* KillEmAll: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:copies of Simon and Emily are the only two to survive, with the original Emily dying of old age, the most recent Simon blowing up a reactor, and everyone else (even the Dating Game winners) erased by Emily]].
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* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true mastermind of the Dating Game is [[spoiler:Emily, albeit a ''much'' older version of her]].
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* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true mastermind of the Dating Game is [[spoiler:Emily, albeit a ''much'' older version of her]].her that's neither blind nor deaf]].
* EvolvingTitleScreen: After reaching Ending A, the title screen occasionally has an OminousVisualGlitch that represents a character's death. [[spoiler:Reaching the final ending changes the screen to remove "Head A" from the title, leaving only "S Code".]]
* EvolvingTitleScreen: After reaching Ending A, the title screen occasionally has an OminousVisualGlitch that represents a character's death. [[spoiler:Reaching the final ending changes the screen to remove "Head A" from the title, leaving only "S Code".]]
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* OminousVisualGlitch: After obtaining the first ending, the title screen occasionally glitches out, depicting the title as "DEAD AS Code" and showing a character with their head misaligned to represent [[OffWithHisHead the cost of losing the Dating Game]].
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* OminousVisualGlitch: After obtaining the first ending, [[EvolvingTitleScreen the title screen screen]] occasionally glitches out, depicting the title as "DEAD AS Code" and showing a character with their head misaligned to represent [[OffWithHisHead the cost of losing the Dating Game]].
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* SpiritualSuccessor: This work shares multiple similarities to the ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'' series; a DeadlyGame in which participants are forced to wear an object that will only be removed upon death, [[PointAndClickGame room escape fragments]], MultipleEndings organized on a flowchart that factor into a larger plot through RippleEffectProofMemory, use of a SignificantAnagram, [[spoiler:hidden Science Fiction elements]]...
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* TitleDrop: A double-example in the GoldenEnding, as the phrase "head as code" refers to [[spoiler:Emily making android duplicates of Simon from the original's decapitated head]], while a capitalized "AS" refers to [[spoiler:Emily's designating each "timeline" with a letter, with the original Simon's beheading as the first (Ending A: Head), and the final chain of events as the nineteenth (Ending S: Code)]].
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* TitleDrop: A double-example in the GoldenEnding, as the phrase "head as code" refers to [[spoiler:Emily making android duplicates of Simon from by scanning the brain of the original's decapitated head]], head and converting the information into digital code]], while a capitalized "AS" refers to [[spoiler:Emily's designating each "timeline" with a letter, with the original Simon's beheading as the first (Ending A: Head), and the final chain of events as the nineteenth (Ending S: Code)]].
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* TitleDrop: A double-example in the GoldenEnding, as the phrase "head as code" refers to [[spoiler:Emily making android duplicates of Simon from the original after he was beheaded]], while a capitalized "AS" refers to [[spoiler:Emily's designating each "timeline" with a letter, with the original Simon's beheading as the first (Ending A: Head), and the final chain of events as the nineteenth (Ending S: Code)]].
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* TitleDrop: A double-example in the GoldenEnding, as the phrase "head as code" refers to [[spoiler:Emily making android duplicates of Simon from the original after he was beheaded]], original's decapitated head]], while a capitalized "AS" refers to [[spoiler:Emily's designating each "timeline" with a letter, with the original Simon's beheading as the first (Ending A: Head), and the final chain of events as the nineteenth (Ending S: Code)]].
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'''Head AS Code''' is a PsychologicalThriller {{Horror Visual Novel|s}}, and the first installment of developer Miracle Moon's "Abime" series, which also includes ''Birth ME Code''. The original version was released in 2018, but a remastered version was made available in 2021.
Simon Fournier woke up. He instantly realized something was amiss. That day was April 22, 2022 and he finally finished his exams! He was going home in a train with his childhood friend, Jasmine, and his roommate, Marco. However, when he woke up, he realized he was not in the train. He was somewhere else. But where? In the company of friends, strangers and foes, he has no choice but to play this dangerous game introduced as the Dating Game. It's not a joke; it's '''dangerous'''. If they failed, they would '''die'''. It is a merciless environment where tensions rise from seemingly nothing, where no one is safe. Any misstep could get you '''killed'''.
One question quickly became two, then five, then twenty. What is Smiley's real identity? Who really are the other participants? Is Smiley really among them? What is the purpose of the Dating Game? And most importantly...Who will be making the sacrifice?
Simon Fournier woke up. He instantly realized something was amiss. That day was April 22, 2022 and he finally finished his exams! He was going home in a train with his childhood friend, Jasmine, and his roommate, Marco. However, when he woke up, he realized he was not in the train. He was somewhere else. But where? In the company of friends, strangers and foes, he has no choice but to play this dangerous game introduced as the Dating Game. It's not a joke; it's '''dangerous'''. If they failed, they would '''die'''. It is a merciless environment where tensions rise from seemingly nothing, where no one is safe. Any misstep could get you '''killed'''.
One question quickly became two, then five, then twenty. What is Smiley's real identity? Who really are the other participants? Is Smiley really among them? What is the purpose of the Dating Game? And most importantly...Who will be making the sacrifice?
to:
'''Head AS Code''' is a PsychologicalThriller {{Horror Visual Novel|s}}, and the first installment of developer Miracle Moon's "Abime" series, which also includes ''Birth ME Code''.''VisualNovel/BirthMeCode''. The original version was released in 2018, but a remastered version was made available in 2021.
On April 22, 2022, Simon Fournierwoke up. He instantly realized something was amiss. That day was April 22, 2022 and he had finally finished his exams! He exams, and was going home in a train with his childhood friend, Jasmine, and his roommate, Marco. However, he took a nap along the way, and when he woke up, something was amiss; he quickly realized he was not no longer in the train. He was somewhere else. But where? In Now in the company of friends, strangers and foes, he has no choice but to play this a dangerous game introduced as operated by the Dating Game. It's not a joke; it's '''dangerous'''. If they failed, they would '''die'''. enigmatic Smiley. It is was a merciless environment where tensions rise rose from seemingly nothing, where no one is safe. Any safe, and where any misstep could get you '''killed'''.
'''killed'''. One question quickly became becomes two, then five, then twenty. What is Smiley's real identity? identity, and was he actually among them? Who really are the other participants? Is Smiley really among them? What is the purpose of the Dating Game? And most importantly...Who who will be making the sacrifice?
On April 22, 2022, Simon Fournier
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* AnthropicPrinciple: Exploited in-universe; see the description for ExploitingTheFourthWall below for details.
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* ExploitingTheFourthWall: Played for Drama in the Golden Ending. [[spoiler:The reason why "Empty S" set up the original Dating Game is to retroactively cause their own existence, by summoning "God" (a player) with a story so intriguing that they'll want to uncover all of the lore.]]
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* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The game is set in the close-to-release-date year of 2022. [[spoiler:Except it actually takes place a few hundred years later, and Simon is in a simulation of that date.]]
* AfterTheEnd: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:it's revealed that the world has flooded due to global warming, with the entire game taking place on an "island" that used to be Mont-Royal, a mountain in Montreal]].
* AfterTheEnd: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:it's revealed that the world has flooded due to global warming, with the entire game taking place on an "island" that used to be Mont-Royal, a mountain in Montreal]].
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* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The game is set in the close-to-release-date year of 2022. [[spoiler:Except it actually [[spoiler:Except, by the time the final route takes place, it's taking place a few hundred years later, and Simon is in a simulation of that the original date.]]
* AfterTheEnd: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:it's revealed that the world has flooded due to global warming, with the entire game taking place on an "island" that used to be Mont-Royal, a mountain inMontreal]].Montreal, Canada]].
* AmnesiacDissonance: In the GoldenEnding, it's revealed that [[spoiler:Emily was part of an organization known as "Empty S" that originally created the Dating Game for scientific reasons, but was forced to forget about that when she became a participant]].
* AfterTheEnd: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:it's revealed that the world has flooded due to global warming, with the entire game taking place on an "island" that used to be Mont-Royal, a mountain in
* AmnesiacDissonance: In the GoldenEnding, it's revealed that [[spoiler:Emily was part of an organization known as "Empty S" that originally created the Dating Game for scientific reasons, but was forced to forget about that when she became a participant]].
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* DeadAllAlong: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants are actually [[RoboticReveal robotic duplicates]], with the original versions of everyone (save for Emily) having died over a hundred years ago]].
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* DeadAllAlong: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:all of the current Dating Game participants are actually [[RoboticReveal robotic duplicates]], with the original versions of everyone (save for Emily) having died in Ending A over a two hundred years ago]].ago]].
* DisabledLoveInterest: Emily, one of the main characters, lost her hearing and sight, and is constantly wearing a headset and faceplate that are meant to repair them. [[spoiler:Truthfully, her senses are fine, and are being impaired by the devices until the Dating Game reaches a desired outcome.]]
* DisabledLoveInterest: Emily, one of the main characters, lost her hearing and sight, and is constantly wearing a headset and faceplate that are meant to repair them. [[spoiler:Truthfully, her senses are fine, and are being impaired by the devices until the Dating Game reaches a desired outcome.]]
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* GroundhogDayLoop: Whenever a BadEnding is reached, Simon wakes back up in the subway car he began in. [[spoiler:It later turns out to all be a simulation that keeps resetting.]]
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* GroundhogDayLoop: Whenever a BadEnding is reached, Simon wakes back up in the subway car he began in. [[spoiler:It later turns out to all be a simulation that keeps resetting.repeating.]]
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* KillEmAll: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:copies of Simon and Emily are the only two to survive, with the original Emily dying of old age, Simon blowing up a reactor, and everyone else (even the Dating Game winners) erased by Emily]].
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* KillEmAll: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:copies of Simon and Emily are the only two to survive, with the original Emily dying of old age, the most recent Simon blowing up a reactor, and everyone else (even the Dating Game winners) erased by Emily]].
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* OffWithHisHead: In the [[ButThouMust default ending path]], [[spoiler:Simon ends up beheaded by an elevator door]].
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* OffWithHisHead: This is the fate of anyone that loses the Dating Game. In the [[ButThouMust default ending path]], [[spoiler:Simon ends up beheaded by an elevator door]].door]].
* OminousVisualGlitch: After obtaining the first ending, the title screen occasionally glitches out, depicting the title as "DEAD AS Code" and showing a character with their head misaligned to represent [[OffWithHisHead the cost of losing the Dating Game]].
* OminousVisualGlitch: After obtaining the first ending, the title screen occasionally glitches out, depicting the title as "DEAD AS Code" and showing a character with their head misaligned to represent [[OffWithHisHead the cost of losing the Dating Game]].
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* RoboticReveal: The GoldenEnding reveals that [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants, including Smiley, are easily-reproduced simulacra created by Emily for the purpose of engineering a very specific outcome]].
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* RoboticReveal: The GoldenEnding reveals that [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants, participants past the first iteration, including Smiley, are easily-reproduced simulacra created by Emily for the purpose of engineering a very specific outcome]].
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* TitleDrop: A double-example in the GoldenEnding, as the phrase "head as code" refers to [[spoiler:Emily making android duplicates of Simon from the original after he was beheaded]], while a capitalized "AS" refers to [[spoiler:Emily's designating each "timeline" with a letter, with the original Simon's beheading as the first (A), and the final chain of events as the nineteenth (S)]].
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* TitleDrop: A double-example in the GoldenEnding, as the phrase "head as code" refers to [[spoiler:Emily making android duplicates of Simon from the original after he was beheaded]], while a capitalized "AS" refers to [[spoiler:Emily's designating each "timeline" with a letter, with the original Simon's beheading as the first (A), (Ending A: Head), and the final chain of events as the nineteenth (S)]].(Ending S: Code)]].
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* ButThouMust: All of the StoryBranching is locked until the player reaches the first ending.
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* ButThouMust: All of the StoryBranching is locked until the player reaches the first ending. Additionally, in the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon takes control from "God" and refuses to forgive the mastermind, whether or not the player chose to do so]].
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* ShoehornedAcronym: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:the android models designed by Emily are designated as "Electro-autonomous Memory-driven Informal LibrarY", just so she could also call them EMILY]].
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* ShoehornedAcronym: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:the android models designed by Emily are designated as "Electro-autonomous Memory-driven Informal LibrarY", [=LibrarY=]", just so she could also call them EMILY]].
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* ButThouMust: All of the StoryBranching is locked until the player reaches the first ending.
* OffWithHisHead: In the [[ButThouMust default ending path]], [[spoiler:Simon ends up beheaded by an elevator door]].
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* SignificantAnagram: In the GoldenEnding, the mastermind reveals that an odd sentence encountered early on, "None Smiile Withine My Mask", is an anagram of the only way to truly win the Dating Game: [[spoiler:Simon with Emily makes nine]]. Simon calls them out on how obtuse and undecipherable that is to a regular person.
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* ShoehornedAcronym: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:the android models designed by Emily are designated as "Electro-autonomous Memory-driven Informal LibrarY", just so she could also call them EMILY]].
* SignificantAnagram: In the GoldenEnding, the mastermind reveals that an odd sentence encountered early on, "None Smiile Withine My Mask", is an anagram of the only way to truly win the Dating Game: [[spoiler:Simon with Emily makes nine]]. Simon calls them out on how obtuse and undecipherable that is to a regular person. There's also a second anagram in the form of [[spoiler:the true identity of "Smiley" being "Emily S"]].
* SignificantAnagram: In the GoldenEnding, the mastermind reveals that an odd sentence encountered early on, "None Smiile Withine My Mask", is an anagram of the only way to truly win the Dating Game: [[spoiler:Simon with Emily makes nine]]. Simon calls them out on how obtuse and undecipherable that is to a regular person. There's also a second anagram in the form of [[spoiler:the true identity of "Smiley" being "Emily S"]].
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* TitleDrop: A double-example in the GoldenEnding, as the phrase "head as code" refers to [[spoiler:Emily making android duplicates of Simon from the original after he was beheaded]], while a capitalized "AS" refers to [[spoiler:Emily's designating each "timeline" with a letter, with the original Simon's beheading as the first (A), and the final chain of events as the nineteenth (S)]].
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* AfterTheEnd: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:it's revealed that the world has flooded due to global warming, with the entire game taking place on an "island" that used to be a mountaintop]].
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* AfterTheEnd: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:it's revealed that the world has flooded due to global warming, with the entire game taking place on an "island" that used to be Mont-Royal, a mountaintop]].mountain in Montreal]].
* AnyoneCanDie: As part of the nature of a DeadlyGame with MultipleEndings, there are various branches where different characters perish, including Simon himself.
* AnyoneCanDie: As part of the nature of a DeadlyGame with MultipleEndings, there are various branches where different characters perish, including Simon himself.
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* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true mastermind of the Dating Game is [[spoiler:Lucy, albeit a ''much'' older version of her]].
* AGoodWayToDie: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Lucy's scientifically-enhanced lifespan is coming to a natural end before she can make another iteration of the Dating Game, and she passes away peacefully when Simon forgives her past self]].
* AGoodWayToDie: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Lucy's scientifically-enhanced lifespan is coming to a natural end before she can make another iteration of the Dating Game, and she passes away peacefully when Simon forgives her past self]].
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* DeadAllAlong: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants are actually [[RoboticReveal robotic duplicates]], with the original versions of everyone (save for Emily) having died over a hundred years ago]].
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true mastermind of the Dating Game is[[spoiler:Lucy, [[spoiler:Emily, albeit a ''much'' older version of her]].
* FirstPersonPerspective: The entire story is told from Simon's perspective.
* AGoodWayToDie: In the GoldenEnding,[[spoiler:Lucy's [[spoiler:Emily's scientifically-enhanced lifespan is coming to a natural end before she can make another iteration of the Dating Game, and she passes away peacefully when Simon forgives her past self]].
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true mastermind of the Dating Game is
* FirstPersonPerspective: The entire story is told from Simon's perspective.
* AGoodWayToDie: In the GoldenEnding,
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* HeroicSacrifice: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon sets the reactor powering the Dating Game to blow, taking himself and the original Lucy's corpse with it]].
to:
* HeroicSacrifice: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon sets the reactor powering the Dating Game to blow, taking himself and the original Lucy's Emily's corpse with it]].it]].
* KillEmAll: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:copies of Simon and Emily are the only two to survive, with the original Emily dying of old age, Simon blowing up a reactor, and everyone else (even the Dating Game winners) erased by Emily]].
* KillEmAll: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:copies of Simon and Emily are the only two to survive, with the original Emily dying of old age, Simon blowing up a reactor, and everyone else (even the Dating Game winners) erased by Emily]].
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* MustMakeAmends: This turns out to be the mastermind's motivation. [[spoiler:The original Lucy got the original Simon killed, and has been trying to recreate the circumstances that originally bonded them in order to be forgiven. However, she's had to repeatedly kill other simulated lives in the process, and Simon refuses to make amends with what she's become.]]
* MyFutureSelfAndMe: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon meets a version of himself that was allowed to grow up with a copy of Lucy, but didn't quite fit what the original Lucy wanted, leading to more Dating Game iterations]].
* PlayerAndProtagonistIntegration: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:the player is referred to as "God", and the reason why the current Simon remembers his predecessors' deaths. Trying to make Simon forgive Lucy has him outright refuse to, no longer wanting "God" to control his life; in the original version, this also prevented the player from restarting the game after his HeroicSacrifice]].
* RoboticReveal: The GoldenEnding reveals that [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants, including Smiley, are easily-reproduced simulacra created by Lucy for the purpose of engineering a very specific outcome]].
* ThatManIsDead: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon "forgives" the Lucy he had originally met, but makes it clear that she's ''not'' the same as the Lucy that has been running the Dating Game. This is still enough for Lucy to make peace with in her final moments]].
* MyFutureSelfAndMe: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon meets a version of himself that was allowed to grow up with a copy of Lucy, but didn't quite fit what the original Lucy wanted, leading to more Dating Game iterations]].
* PlayerAndProtagonistIntegration: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:the player is referred to as "God", and the reason why the current Simon remembers his predecessors' deaths. Trying to make Simon forgive Lucy has him outright refuse to, no longer wanting "God" to control his life; in the original version, this also prevented the player from restarting the game after his HeroicSacrifice]].
* RoboticReveal: The GoldenEnding reveals that [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants, including Smiley, are easily-reproduced simulacra created by Lucy for the purpose of engineering a very specific outcome]].
* ThatManIsDead: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon "forgives" the Lucy he had originally met, but makes it clear that she's ''not'' the same as the Lucy that has been running the Dating Game. This is still enough for Lucy to make peace with in her final moments]].
to:
* MustMakeAmends: This turns out to be the mastermind's motivation. [[spoiler:The original Lucy Emily got the original Simon killed, and has been trying to recreate the circumstances that originally bonded them in order to be forgiven. However, she's had to repeatedly kill other simulated lives in the process, and Simon refuses to make amends with what she's become.]]
* MyFutureSelfAndMe: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon meets a version of himself that was allowed to grow up with a copy ofLucy, Emily, but didn't quite fit what the original Lucy Emily wanted, leading to more Dating Game iterations]].
* PlayerAndProtagonistIntegration: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:the player is referred to as "God", and [[RippleEffectProofMemory the reason why the current Simon remembers his predecessors'deaths. deaths]]. Trying to make Simon forgive Lucy Emily has him outright refuse to, no longer wanting "God" to control his life; in the original version, this also prevented the player from restarting the game after his HeroicSacrifice]].
* PointAndClickGame: There are multiple sections in which the player is meant to explore a room, finding objects and solving puzzles in order to make progress.
* RippleEffectProofMemory: There are some locks in the story's flowchart, mainly on the path to the GoldenEnding, that can only be broken by reaching different endings and have Simon remember details for the next iteration of the GroundhogDayLoop.
* RoboticReveal: The GoldenEnding reveals that [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants, including Smiley, are easily-reproduced simulacra created byLucy Emily for the purpose of engineering a very specific outcome]].
* SignificantAnagram: In the GoldenEnding, the mastermind reveals that an odd sentence encountered early on, "None Smiile Withine My Mask", is an anagram of the only way to truly win the Dating Game: [[spoiler:Simon with Emily makes nine]]. Simon calls them out on how obtuse and undecipherable that is to a regular person.
* SpiritualSuccessor: This work shares multiple similarities to the ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'' series; a DeadlyGame in which participants are forced to wear an object that will only be removed upon death, [[PointAndClickGame room escape fragments]], MultipleEndings organized on a flowchart that factor into a larger plot through RippleEffectProofMemory, use of a SignificantAnagram, [[spoiler:hidden Science Fiction elements]]...
* ThatManIsDead: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon "forgives" theLucy Emily he had originally met, but makes it clear that she's ''not'' the same as the Lucy Emily that has been running the Dating Game. This is still enough for Lucy Emily to make peace with in her final moments]].
* MyFutureSelfAndMe: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon meets a version of himself that was allowed to grow up with a copy of
* PlayerAndProtagonistIntegration: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:the player is referred to as "God", and [[RippleEffectProofMemory the reason why the current Simon remembers his predecessors'
* PointAndClickGame: There are multiple sections in which the player is meant to explore a room, finding objects and solving puzzles in order to make progress.
* RippleEffectProofMemory: There are some locks in the story's flowchart, mainly on the path to the GoldenEnding, that can only be broken by reaching different endings and have Simon remember details for the next iteration of the GroundhogDayLoop.
* RoboticReveal: The GoldenEnding reveals that [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants, including Smiley, are easily-reproduced simulacra created by
* SignificantAnagram: In the GoldenEnding, the mastermind reveals that an odd sentence encountered early on, "None Smiile Withine My Mask", is an anagram of the only way to truly win the Dating Game: [[spoiler:Simon with Emily makes nine]]. Simon calls them out on how obtuse and undecipherable that is to a regular person.
* SpiritualSuccessor: This work shares multiple similarities to the ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'' series; a DeadlyGame in which participants are forced to wear an object that will only be removed upon death, [[PointAndClickGame room escape fragments]], MultipleEndings organized on a flowchart that factor into a larger plot through RippleEffectProofMemory, use of a SignificantAnagram, [[spoiler:hidden Science Fiction elements]]...
* ThatManIsDead: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon "forgives" the
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* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon is aghast with Lucy's constant disposal of copies of their former friends, as he sees them all as real as the originals]].
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* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon is aghast with Lucy's Emily's constant disposal of copies of their former friends, as he sees them all as real as the originals]].originals]].
* YouWakeUpInARoom: The Dating Game's participants, including Simon, wake up in an abandoned subway train and are forced to escape a metro system-turned-DeadlyGame.
* YouWakeUpInARoom: The Dating Game's participants, including Simon, wake up in an abandoned subway train and are forced to escape a metro system-turned-DeadlyGame.
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* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The game is set in the close-to-release-date year of 2022. [[spoiler:Except it actually takes place a few hundred years later, and Simon is in a simulation of that date.]]
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* AGoodWayToDie: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Lucy's scientifically-enhanced lifespan is coming to a natural end before she can make another iteration of the Dating Game, and she passes away peacefully when Simon forgives her past self]].
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'''Head AS Code''' is a PsychologicalThriller {{Horror Visual Novel|s}}, and the first installment of developer Miracle Moon's "Abime" series. The original version was released in 2018, but a remastered version was made available in 2021.
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'''Head AS Code''' is a PsychologicalThriller {{Horror Visual Novel|s}}, and the first installment of developer Miracle Moon's "Abime" series.series, which also includes ''Birth ME Code''. The original version was released in 2018, but a remastered version was made available in 2021.
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* RoboticReveal: The GoldenEnding reveals that [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants, including Smiley are easily-reproduced simulacra created by Lucy for the purpose of engineering a very specific outcome]].
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* RoboticReveal: The GoldenEnding reveals that [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants, including Smiley Smiley, are easily-reproduced simulacra created by Lucy for the purpose of engineering a very specific outcome]].
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* UnwinnableByDesign: It's eventually revealed that the Dating Game was set up to create a ''very'' specific outcome, and should it be "won" in any other way, [[spoiler:the participants are all erased and restarted]].
to:
* UnwinnableByDesign: It's eventually revealed that the Dating Game was set up to create a ''very'' specific outcome, and should it be "won" in any other way, [[spoiler:the participants are all erased and restarted]].restarted]].
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon is aghast with Lucy's constant disposal of copies of their former friends, as he sees them all as real as the originals]].
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon is aghast with Lucy's constant disposal of copies of their former friends, as he sees them all as real as the originals]].
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/head_as_code_header.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Smiley, operator of [[DeadlyGame The Dating Game]].]]
'''Head AS Code''' is a PsychologicalThriller {{Horror Visual Novel|s}}, and the first installment of developer Miracle Moon's "Abime" series. The original version was released in 2018, but a remastered version was made available in 2021.
Simon Fournier woke up. He instantly realized something was amiss. That day was April 22, 2022 and he finally finished his exams! He was going home in a train with his childhood friend, Jasmine, and his roommate, Marco. However, when he woke up, he realized he was not in the train. He was somewhere else. But where? In the company of friends, strangers and foes, he has no choice but to play this dangerous game introduced as the Dating Game. It's not a joke; it's '''dangerous'''. If they failed, they would '''die'''. It is a merciless environment where tensions rise from seemingly nothing, where no one is safe. Any misstep could get you '''killed'''.
One question quickly became two, then five, then twenty. What is Smiley's real identity? Who really are the other participants? Is Smiley really among them? What is the purpose of the Dating Game? And most importantly...Who will be making the sacrifice?
!!Tropes:
* AfterTheEnd: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:it's revealed that the world has flooded due to global warming, with the entire game taking place on an "island" that used to be a mountaintop]].
* DeadlyGame: The titular "Dating Game" is one of these.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true mastermind of the Dating Game is [[spoiler:Lucy, albeit a ''much'' older version of her]].
* GroundhogDayLoop: Whenever a BadEnding is reached, Simon wakes back up in the subway car he began in. [[spoiler:It later turns out to all be a simulation that keeps resetting.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon sets the reactor powering the Dating Game to blow, taking himself and the original Lucy's corpse with it]].
* MalevolentMaskedMen: The person running the Dating Game, "Smiley", is a robed cultist who's always seen wearing a hexagonal-shaped helmet that covers his entire face, with his name and a toothy smile painted on the front.
* MultipleEndings: The story has a total of nineteen endings, only some of which must be viewed in order to unlock the GoldenEnding.
* MustMakeAmends: This turns out to be the mastermind's motivation. [[spoiler:The original Lucy got the original Simon killed, and has been trying to recreate the circumstances that originally bonded them in order to be forgiven. However, she's had to repeatedly kill other simulated lives in the process, and Simon refuses to make amends with what she's become.]]
* MyFutureSelfAndMe: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon meets a version of himself that was allowed to grow up with a copy of Lucy, but didn't quite fit what the original Lucy wanted, leading to more Dating Game iterations]].
* PlayerAndProtagonistIntegration: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:the player is referred to as "God", and the reason why the current Simon remembers his predecessors' deaths. Trying to make Simon forgive Lucy has him outright refuse to, no longer wanting "God" to control his life; in the original version, this also prevented the player from restarting the game after his HeroicSacrifice]].
* RoboticReveal: The GoldenEnding reveals that [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants, including Smiley are easily-reproduced simulacra created by Lucy for the purpose of engineering a very specific outcome]].
* ThatManIsDead: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon "forgives" the Lucy he had originally met, but makes it clear that she's ''not'' the same as the Lucy that has been running the Dating Game. This is still enough for Lucy to make peace with in her final moments]].
* TheEndingChangesEverything: The GoldenEnding recontextualizes nearly everything about the story, turning it from a regular Psychological Thriller into [[spoiler:Science Fiction]].
* UnwinnableByDesign: It's eventually revealed that the Dating Game was set up to create a ''very'' specific outcome, and should it be "won" in any other way, [[spoiler:the participants are all erased and restarted]].
[[caption-width-right:350:Smiley, operator of [[DeadlyGame The Dating Game]].]]
'''Head AS Code''' is a PsychologicalThriller {{Horror Visual Novel|s}}, and the first installment of developer Miracle Moon's "Abime" series. The original version was released in 2018, but a remastered version was made available in 2021.
Simon Fournier woke up. He instantly realized something was amiss. That day was April 22, 2022 and he finally finished his exams! He was going home in a train with his childhood friend, Jasmine, and his roommate, Marco. However, when he woke up, he realized he was not in the train. He was somewhere else. But where? In the company of friends, strangers and foes, he has no choice but to play this dangerous game introduced as the Dating Game. It's not a joke; it's '''dangerous'''. If they failed, they would '''die'''. It is a merciless environment where tensions rise from seemingly nothing, where no one is safe. Any misstep could get you '''killed'''.
One question quickly became two, then five, then twenty. What is Smiley's real identity? Who really are the other participants? Is Smiley really among them? What is the purpose of the Dating Game? And most importantly...Who will be making the sacrifice?
!!Tropes:
* AfterTheEnd: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:it's revealed that the world has flooded due to global warming, with the entire game taking place on an "island" that used to be a mountaintop]].
* DeadlyGame: The titular "Dating Game" is one of these.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: The true mastermind of the Dating Game is [[spoiler:Lucy, albeit a ''much'' older version of her]].
* GroundhogDayLoop: Whenever a BadEnding is reached, Simon wakes back up in the subway car he began in. [[spoiler:It later turns out to all be a simulation that keeps resetting.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon sets the reactor powering the Dating Game to blow, taking himself and the original Lucy's corpse with it]].
* MalevolentMaskedMen: The person running the Dating Game, "Smiley", is a robed cultist who's always seen wearing a hexagonal-shaped helmet that covers his entire face, with his name and a toothy smile painted on the front.
* MultipleEndings: The story has a total of nineteen endings, only some of which must be viewed in order to unlock the GoldenEnding.
* MustMakeAmends: This turns out to be the mastermind's motivation. [[spoiler:The original Lucy got the original Simon killed, and has been trying to recreate the circumstances that originally bonded them in order to be forgiven. However, she's had to repeatedly kill other simulated lives in the process, and Simon refuses to make amends with what she's become.]]
* MyFutureSelfAndMe: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon meets a version of himself that was allowed to grow up with a copy of Lucy, but didn't quite fit what the original Lucy wanted, leading to more Dating Game iterations]].
* PlayerAndProtagonistIntegration: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:the player is referred to as "God", and the reason why the current Simon remembers his predecessors' deaths. Trying to make Simon forgive Lucy has him outright refuse to, no longer wanting "God" to control his life; in the original version, this also prevented the player from restarting the game after his HeroicSacrifice]].
* RoboticReveal: The GoldenEnding reveals that [[spoiler:all of the Dating Game participants, including Smiley are easily-reproduced simulacra created by Lucy for the purpose of engineering a very specific outcome]].
* ThatManIsDead: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler:Simon "forgives" the Lucy he had originally met, but makes it clear that she's ''not'' the same as the Lucy that has been running the Dating Game. This is still enough for Lucy to make peace with in her final moments]].
* TheEndingChangesEverything: The GoldenEnding recontextualizes nearly everything about the story, turning it from a regular Psychological Thriller into [[spoiler:Science Fiction]].
* UnwinnableByDesign: It's eventually revealed that the Dating Game was set up to create a ''very'' specific outcome, and should it be "won" in any other way, [[spoiler:the participants are all erased and restarted]].
