Lament

Lament is a visual novel set in modern Japan, where you guide a 19-year-old man through a cruel world as he searches for answers about human nature, rules and monsters. He lost his family and hometown in an unexploded-ordnance accident and is left with deep emotional scars. On his way home, a cave-in traps him; when he wakes, he is in the basement of a mansion filled with scenes of slaughter. He wants to return to his empty home, where no one is waiting.

Story

The protagonist is the viewpoint character, and you accompany him as he explores the mansion and faces hardship. He is introverted and deeply self-aware, and continually questions what it means to make the right decision. He has also recently been troubled by auditory hallucinations.

The story examines the depths of the human mind and asks what you would choose if you were free to live as you wished. It presents human nature as something that cannot be explained by a single side, even as the protagonist seeks one answer.

Your choices

You influence the story through a range of choices, guiding the protagonist toward what you believe is the right ending. Your decisions determine whether he escapes the mansion or confronts the source of what is happening.

Five endings

The story has five possible endings. One playthrough takes about 3–4 hours; seeing every ending takes around 5–6 hours.