Sym.Bios: Torn Asunder

Sym.BIOS: Torn Asunder is a visual novel set in a future shaped by the aftermath of climate change and social and economic unrest. You make decisions for its seven main characters, seeing their immediate effects and the consequences that ripple through the story. Its illustrated settings range from the Sistine Chapel in Rome to colonies in outer space, and its stories touch on love, friendship and grief, with jokes about hats along the way.

The city of Tosca

In 2364, the wounds of World War III have healed, but its scars remain. Radiation still slowly kills in the Rome area, or what remains of it. Min-Joon Watal, an extremely wealthy philanthropist and heir to the Watal Industries empire, builds Tosca, an underground sanctuary city intended to shelter people from the radioactive waves poisoning the Lazio region.

Watal’s project faces resistance from locals who distrust him because he comes from the Colonies: artificial satellites where the rich and famous fled Earth and its agony, filth and brutality. Conspiracy theories about Tosca spread, and civilian militias form to attack the construction site.

The Harcos team

To defend Tosca, Watal assembles a team of Harcos pilots, who maneuver giant combat robots. Galanos, a taciturn and talented veteran, leads the operation. Oli is a reserved negotiation expert; Joa is a medic with a degree of paranoia, and his wife Chrys is rough around the edges and with her enemies.

RoKo, an artificial intelligence, supports the team and tries to make them laugh with corny jokes. RoKo’s creator, Thomas, is sensitive and has an innocent, charming smile.

Choices and consequences

Choices shape the story through to its ending, and even small decisions can have dramatic consequences for the outcome. The theme runs through the characters’ situations, from Oli’s chronic indecisiveness to the responsibility Galanos carries whenever he makes a decision for the team.