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A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux

Buy Now$11.99 USD or more

Please check out my Patreon page for the most up-to-date version of the game (v0.21b) as well as detailed walkthroughs for the 16 characters and other bonus content!

The Game


"Element-174" is an adult sci-fi visual novel with a focus on choices and how our decisions cause ripples in our story. You play the role of the main character, a man who has just been accepted into Branchfield University. As he meets the various students and faculty, a mystery unravels which will change him and those around him forever. "Who will you choose to be?"

This game is designed around a deep and engaging story. Every choice you make will lead you deeper into the narrative with no early "game overs." There are 16 possible character routes available that play out simultaneously and even interconnect. Your choices will influence which characters will open up to you or may become your enemies. Due to these branching paths, this game will meant to be replayed in order to experience everything. Each "episode" of the story will consist of 7 in-game days with 4 episodes planned.

Note: All characters depicted in game and on this page are 18 years of age or older.

Also note: The free version here includes the first part of the game known as "Episode 1."

StatusIn development
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux
Rating
Rated 4.2 out of 5 stars
(84 total ratings)
AuthorKnottyGames
GenreVisual Novel
Tags3D, Adult, NSFW, Sci-fi, Singleplayer
LinksSteam

Purchase

Buy Now$11.99 USD or more

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $11.99 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Element174-0.20f-pc.zip 1 GB
Element174-0.20f-mac.zip 1 GB

Download demo

Download
Element174-0.13b-pc.zip 732 MB
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Element174-0.13b-mac.zip 715 MB

Development log

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Comments

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(1 edit)

Hello, It took me a while to find contact with you, KnottyGames. I posted comments in Steam about the HeartBreaker achievement. I have read the guide on Steam and your answer that you have to take the path of Katy, Madison and Caroline but there is a problem. On day 1, there are two choices for the route between Katy or Madison. If I take Katy, Madison Road is closed for week 2. If I take Madison, Katy Road is closed. It is not possible to have all 3 in week 2

Not sure how to do spoiler formatting here, so I'll link to the Steam forums that describe the choices there.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1288920/discussions/0/3370405364914823761/

Hey bro, I was wondering if you are going to keep the game free for people who can't pay for it, I mean, the last version available for someone like me and like many other people was the 0.21 if I remember correctly, or it's just that we won't see the developing of the history with our favorite girls because we can't pay the game? Hope you'll answer and nice game, I love Zoey.

(+2)

Glad you're enjoying it! As much as I would like to have the game free and available to folks, this project is now my job basically. In order to keep it going, I need to keep the lights on. That doesn't mean that it won't be free in the future or at a significantly reduced price, but for now there'll be some sort of cost attached to it.

i found a few bugs, if you want to fix them.

in my last playthrough i "dated" ash and chloe day 14 in the morning, the part with fingering and licking Chloe, you once used a picture of her wearing only her bra, before she put her sweater off. in the next picture she's wearing it again

and i actually watched out to never even meet emma this time, but when "he" left his house because of zoeys call on 14th night, it says he watches emma before leaving his house.

Thanks for the bug report. I believe the Chloe bug was patched in my test build for the next version, but I'll have a look at the Emma bug. What was the last scene you saw right before he leaves to see Zoey on Day 14?

I was on day 14 morning visit with chloe and at home after that. 


And my gf tried the game too, really liked the story too and found another bug.

SPOILER ALERT AHEAD:

Ash only story, got a handjob from penny, didn't even had the chance to follow her after 14th night, so stayed with Zoey but it changed to the "where did Penny go?" ending the next morning. 

After the game crashed a few times with the ash in the arcade hall scene

Hmm... I'm going through my code and I think those issues (Emma and Penny) were fixed for the next update too.

The Ash scene shouldn't be crashing, though. What line of dialogue is the last before it crashes?

Don't know because she played it. 

I'll try it myself later and if i too get this error, I'll tell you and make a screenshot of the error itself

i assume (and hope) the story isn't finished yet, with version 0.2

just finished the 2nd week.

awesome story dude. just a bit predictable who's the enemy.

if i buy it now, will i get future updates? or do i have to buy them again and again? and why isn't it on steam for my country? when i google it, i keep finding steam links, but it's not available in germany. why tho?

That's correct. Week 3 is currently in development and future updates will be available on Patreon. Buying the version on Itch and Steam will only include Weeks 1 and 2 (with 3 and 4 being future purchases once completed). As for why it's not available in Germany, the only info I can come find is that I think Steam blocks all "adult only" games.

Glad you enjoyed the story! And yeah the identity of the Stranger was pretty easy to figure out. I didn't want to "subvert expectations" just for subversion's sake, and basically gave all the clues needed as long as people were paying a tiny bit of attention.

i thought i'd get a mail when you answer me, is there a way to activate that? i don't wanna miss the 3rd week update no matter what!

Damn i'm still flabbergasted (i hope i took the right word, had to google some words^^) of that ending, like 24 hours later. seriously dude, i like interactive novels but i've never seen one with such a stunning story. even if i don't mind all the sex scenes xD

That's exactly the reaction I was hoping for with this game. Thanks!

As for emails on Itch, try going to account settings, then email notifications. You can select to receive them on projects that you follow on here and I'll post an update once the next major update is ready for release. Unfortunately it's going to be at least a year before week 3 complete, but you can still play each day as they come out on my Patreon.

A whole year? D:  why tho?

Can I do anything to help you with this? I'm a programmer myself. 

Yes, day for day on Patreon sounds pretty good. 

Your game would definetly be worth the biggest pack and more, but i don't have that much money unfortunately. 

which pack is required to be able to play the new days just after you uploaded them?

It just takes a long time for me to write the scenes and then render them. I'm finicky about making sure the dialogue isn't terrible and there's hundreds of renders per update.

I understand regarding the money situation. On Patreon, the next update will be v0.21 and will featuring Day 15. After that, I'm going to add animations for weeks 1 and 2 and release it as v0.22. That update will be on available on Itch/Steam, but won't include the Day 15 content. All new content is unlockable at the $3/5 USD tier level on Patreon.

how will purchaseing weeks 3 and 4 on itch and steam work exactly will they be sold as dlc or as an update for existing users?

Weeks 3 and 4 will be available as DLC on itch and Steam once they are released. The price point hasn't been determined yet since it will be partly based on the amount of new content compared to weeks 1 and 2.

thank you for the quick reply loving the game so far!

Deleted 1 year ago

I'll try that and see if it helps visibility.

The pathing for this game is very confusing.  For some of the 'lower priority' characters, you apparently need to make the correct choices to even see their paths, make the correct choices to start their path, start the path of another unrelated 'correct' character to even see their events and be able to continue their path, and reject the paths of other unrelated characters who will invisibly lead you 'astray' from the path you want to follow.

I've played through multiple playthroughs, and I can't figure out how to intentionally follow several of the characters and see their story.  This is incentivizing me to not be paying attention to the story but skipping through scenes making random experimental choices to see if I get scenes I haven't seen before.

Maybe players should be able to see more than 1/8 or so of the characters and their story on any given playthrough.  I really liked the story, and the pathing is getting in the way of my enjoying it.

You're not the first person to cite that issue regarding complexity. However, in the current version of the game a new feature was added called "Walkthrough Mode." When its enabled, during each choice a portrait is displayed above each selection which indicates which route the choice leads to. Here's an example.


Cool!  I look forward to seeing it!

pregnancy?

(+1)

Probably not. Most of the game takes place in the span of about a month. That's not to say some won't become pregnant, just that they couldn't tell.

epilogue?

Yeah, definitely for a few of them.

(-1)

is it possible to port the game to android? (it is more comfortable for visual novels)

i love Madison and want more of her story 

(+1)

Glad to hear that! There'll be plenty more of her in the future and some satisfying things to come!

im looking forward to it 

1. Chloe remains an unclickable ? in the memories screen even after unlocking (AFAIK) all her scenes.

2. Attempting to do Emma's Day 13 evening event results in an exception right at the end:

  File "game/script2.rpy", line 56845, in <module>

NameError: name 'flag_emma_backdoor_decline' is not defined

Presumably flag isn't defined because I didn't decline?

3. Speaking of, said event only seems to happen if you spill the beans to Emma at the very first opportunity.  Unsure if this means failing to do so ends her as a prospective romance in spite of her story appearing to continue for some ways (including getting a second chance to spill the beans) or does it mean there is a branch in her story?)  AFAIK romances typically fail at the end of the week, which would presumably be after the 14th day, not the 13th.  She even has a (possible) lewd scene earlier that day.

P.S. Line 56845?  Not sure if that's some sort of odd restriction in the renpy engine, but no source file should EVER be that long.

There were a few bugs in the previous build that were patched in the current build (v0.20). I might just go back and make a patched version (v0.19c) that excludes all the new content while fixing those bugs. I'm not a great coder and it's a small miracle that the game runs as well as it does given its complexity!

Does this game have a discord server if so where can I find it or is the discord server only for patreons?

Yeah, the discord server is available through Patreon.

Great story so far, easily 10 out of 10

I'm currently only interacting with Zoe(I'm on her love path more or less) , Jules and Penny as I find them most interesting although I have a weird feeling about Penny(hope this is not a spoiler and that it's just me chasing ghosts) but I feel like she's pretending to be so oblivious, I don't know man it feels like there's some shit lurking under the surface.. she could possibly be the masked chick hunting Zoe and the Mc.. Maybe I'm looking too deep into things but some minor details and occurrences has lead me to this conclusion.. I hope I'm wrong tho 

Glad you've enjoyed the story so far and there's some exciting stuff coming up! Also those are some interesting theories you raise...

I played through it again and I must say I did not expect that the game can change so much depending on who u choose to interact with, Chloe, Rachel and Madison got pretty interesting stories and I never even knew Chloe was a character u could pursue.. Love the character depth bro, each of these girls got their own crazy shit going on

Lol we got a superhero, an alien, a possessed camgirl, a girl with memory loss, a cursed chick, a conspirist, an android and I don't know what's going on with the other girls yet but I'm sure it's something crazy as well 

Is there any way to play through all the girls stories in one game tho?.. It seems u have to choose, it's like I can only play at least 3 girls stories in one game, 4 with Zoe but she's a given no matter what

(+1)

It isn't really possible to see all the girl's routes in one playthrough, but many of them share routes so you can try to aim for about 2-3 at a time. Some shared routes are Trish-Caroline, Zoey-Rachel-Katy, Chloe-Jules, Sarah-Isabella, Ash-Jenna and a bunch other different combos.

I love this story. I binge played and now I need more. When is the next up date?  5 star

(+1)

V0.19 will be uploaded here once v0.20 is completed for Patreon. Since it's the episode 2 finale, v0.20 contains a ton on content but will hopefully be done soon!

sounds good. I’m super excited wish I could afford patreon but I’m just surviving. Thank you for a great story. I’m totally in love with Zoey. She’s my favorite character 

(+1)

OH MAN. More please. This story is intense!!!

I've started on Chapter Two just now...this twist has me....flustered but in a good way. You're telling a very good story here. Just as I thought maybe I had messed up on a route that I that I wanted to take...nope....WHATA TWIST!! I've become heavily intrigued and if I were to try to play this all in one go...I'd never get any sleep tonight! Easily Top Five VN for me. Thank you for the hard work you've put into this! 

I like how you've explained things, it's all very believable, and true to the Sci-Fi narrative, it feels like a lot like the classics back from the 70s and 80s novels I've read, which is a compliment. I also feel that cliché but enjoyable anime theme you've put into it, it's made this a very unique story unlike anything I've ever read. 

Feels Good bruh! 

I do have one complaint, it feels so far like the beginning of Chapter Two has way less choices than Chapter One did, but it doesnt hurt the story at all, even if they were not important, it would have been nice to have a few more choices than what we got, something to make it feel less linear. 


(+2)

Glad that you've been enjoying the game! I've tried to make an adult story that keeps the player's interest and it seems folks have appreciated it!

As for the reduction in choices during week 2, I think that's a result of the number of potential routes being whittled down. Once you start interacting with less characters, that only leaves choices inside their actual scenes. For week 3, I'm hoping to add more of these types of choices and they will definitely have an influence on the final week as well as the endings. Thanks for the feedback!

(+1)

AH! I didnt think about that! I did end up heavily limiting the number of characters I could interact with so it makes sense to me now...which makes me retract my complaint! 

Hello!  Great game, I am a fan.  However, just downloaded and extracted v0.18 and it keeps looping me through the same day instead of giving me any new content.  Did I do something wrong?  Do I have to restart?

The game should bring you to a screen that tells you it's the end of all available content. What day is displayed before the loop, what time of day and what was the last scene viewed (which girl)?

Thanks for the assistance, but I fixed it.  It was stuck on a loop going into day 12 from day 11.  Replayed all the events from 11 on day 12, then went back to start of day 12 after going to sleep.  I actually subbed to your patreon and downloaded from that link and it fixed it.

When will version 18 be available to the public?

(+1)

Soonish. The most recent update (v0.19) is taking a while to produce. When it's released on the Patreon, then v0.18 will be uploaded here.

(+2)

Ok thank you for letting me know :)

(+2)(-1)

I downloaded this game and decide to check it out briefly to see if how it is, only to be taken back and how good of a story unfolding before me that I played the whole thing in one sitting.  I really enjoyed this and am now in shock just like a series TV finale and I got to wait for the next lol.

I had to chuckle on the power girl transformation, but I loved it nonetheless, though I wish she had a slicker outfit, all leather because she is so awesome, hopefully no ill intended critique its wonderful as is :)

Thank you KnottyGames for this wonder story so far, when I finish this post you got my Patreon pledge!  I dont know if you offer custom photos, but my waifu Zoey, she has stole my heart <3

~Joey

(+1)

Thanks for your kind words and your support on Patreon. It's always great to read how much folks like this passion project of mine and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story!

(+2)

Might just be missing all the right choices, but where does the lab girl run off to? Never got to figure out the rest of the quiz.

(+1)(-1)

Nowhere in particular. She's just leaving out of embarrassment. For plot purposes, the only question that affects the story is the one about order/chaos. All the others are mostly just flavor.

(+1)

********spoilers*********

Really enjoying, but I do find it a bit annoying that Zoey seems completely oblivious that she appears to be a viable part of the "solution" (and quite probably intended as such by the resistance that sent her) So I'm hoping Zoey's "solo" path, once the MC has chosen her, at least does something to explain why she previously ignored/overlooked that possibility, perhaps something like:

After things "settle", MC confesses to her, says he doesn't want anybody else.

She says that's impossible, she'd be a dead end as she has to go back.

He points out the entire point is to prevent her version of the future from ever happening, so unless she fails it was always just going to be a one way trip for her.

She says it still doesn't matter, he has to spread the cure to as many women as possible, he can't just be with her, and she doesn't think she can handle being somebody who "shares", so it's best for everyone if they just keep sticking to her plan.

He asks why the resistance chose her.  Was she the best fighter, or best infiltrator, or what?  She grimaces and admits that she didn't think she was a good choice and didn't even volunteer or anything because she was at best merely average, so when they approached her and asked her to do it she asked them that very same question, and they said it was because of her personality.  They said they wanted her to go because it was more important to pick somebody he would form an attachment with, somebody he would be able to trust.

He laughs, she gets an offended look.

He says, "Zoey, you've been played.  They sent you on a high stakes blind date on a cosmic scale. They didn't choose you to send back so I would fall in love with my pimp.  They chose you so I could fall in love with my wife."

*her mouth drops*

"But they told me..."

"A lie?  Seems that way.  If they had told you the truth, would it have worked?  Of 'course not. You said it yourself.  The primary route for transmission is by having kids. Relying on the viral properties with "repeated injections" of the gene was always just a riskier backup plan.  The resistance looked into that crystal ball of theirs and discovered I never had sex because there was no one here suitable for me, so they decided they had to send somebody here who was. And you know me well enough now to know I'm not the type of person who would jump into the sack with some random lady from the future showing up on my door step looking to get knocked up  to save the world.  And there's certainly no way you would have come had they told you the plan was for you to try to seduce me. They scoured who knows how many different possible time lines to find you, my perfect person, and misrepresented their plan in the way they knew they had to in order to get you to agree to go.

"And I, for one, am glad they did.  Because now you are here, and I love you. So, Zoey Gardner, Will you be my perfect person?"

(she jumps on top of him kissing him)

"I'll take that as a yes."

*Just before penetration*.

She lightly stops him and He asks what's wrong.

She replies that they are still just in college and with everything happening she never even thought to start taking the pill...

He chuckles and says that's ok, they have time.  he'll pull out... this time.

(H Scene)

(credits)

*Denouement*

MC narrating:

Now, I'm not gonna say that if you had tested Zoey a few weeks later she would have still tested negative for the gene, but I WILL say we waited until after we had graduated before we started actively trying for kids.

And it turns out it's a good thing we did, as the money from our jobs, matched with Zoeys ability to scan the time lines, allowed us to rapidly make a lot of money from some very profitable investments.   Money that we very quickly needed as we discovered the resistance had hedged their bets in more ways than one.  I wasn't the only one with special genes. Zoey was blessed with a rare genetically inherited condition the doctors called hyperovulation.  Which meant that while most couples have kids 1 at a time, we and our descendants tended to have them in twos and threes.

*picture of an older Zoey/MC (mc face presumably covered by some kids hand) in front of a large house with a whole bunch of twins/triplets/nannies/support staff/etc. around them.

Preventing the disease was all but assured.


(What, can't this be an H-game that still has a "wait until you're out of school to have kids" moral in it?)

Thanks for playing the game. It seems like you've really enjoyed it so far. I liked reading your version of the Zoey route endgame. Some of the ideas you touched on are used in hers or other routes, as well as some of the plot holes that have yet to be filled. I hope you enjoy what is in store for her endings!

Bro why'd u have to go and do that!! ...this shit right here is perfect would be really awesome if this was the main story, would be a waaay better story than having him bang every chick to save humanity (plus if u on the Zoe love path she later admits that she's fallen in love with you so your story would make sense) 

(+2)

Very well done, a very enjoyable experience. You took a not so normal route of making the women classier. So that even Penny who is presumably meant to have a sluttier appearance retains her sexual appeal and still looks decent. This makes things more realistic in my opinion, and it hits home because of it.

Then there's the romantic angle, which most who play these sorts of games don't care for since they just want to get their rocks off. Which is understandable. It's really nice. I actually care about whether or not something bad happens to a certain someone who "looks like she doesn't belong". And the feeling that this someone has a particular interest in the player is also nice.

The mystery as well, It's got me paranoid as to who could be behind what. And the anime-esque music choice lol, I liked that too. Very well done overall, a worthwhile experience for sure.

However, the more you grow a liking for something, the more worrisome you become for its consistency.

This is your game. Your vision. And not to mention, your generosity that's allowed me to indulge in the experience for free in the first place. I can't tell you how to run your story. 

But I figured that you knowing that there's someone out there who enjoys the music selection, the approach taken towards creating the women, and the romance angle. Not to mention the action, amongst other things. That maybe that would serve as a reminder that those things don't go unnoticed, and are well appreciated. And would be missed, just as well.

And with that, that you wouldn't overlook the value of such things whilst in future development.

I know I sound like a neckbeard when I say these things. But this game has genuinely left a lasting impression on me, and if your mission was for me to care for the story and the characters alike, then mission accomplished. 

I also understand that the weight of my opinion is of a lower echelon since I haven't made a paying contribution to the project, but I wanted to to try and reach you anyways. In the hopes that seeing my appreciation for such things, would extend their longevity.

Thank you either way, regardless of what you choose to do.
And best of luck.

(+2)

Thanks for the kind words. It really makes my day to see that people are enjoying this game as much as they are. I spend a lot of time working on this project, so to see such responses really makes me feel that I'm going in the right direction with it. Thanks for the feedback and I hope you'll enjoy the remainder of the story!

Deleted 3 years ago

Strange. When I try to open it in a private browser it seems to download fine. It must be something from itch.io's end. Perhaps try again sometime later?

Deleted 3 years ago
(+1)

Very well written and engaging so far.  Visuals are well done!  Looking foreward to see this develop.


1 downfall that is just my opinion is the MC 15 inch cock which for me just jars you out of the narrative and the pleasant visuals.  

Doesn't open on my iMac.

Hmm, unfortunately I don't own any Macs to test it on so I have no way to find out what could be the problem. I believe most Mac users were able to open it (or if they weren't, they haven't spoken up). 

(+1)

yeah same for me :(

love the game so far, but how much percentage of the game can i see in v0.15 ? is there much more comming?

The current public version is always 1 in-game day behind (currently on Day 9).  The Patreon release goes up to Day 10. Each day contains about 12 route scenes plus a few smaller ones in between.

Interesting game, needs multiple playthroughs to get the different scenarios. I'm really enjoying it.

Glad you're enjoying it! There's definitely a lot of content to see across all the playthroughs

it be great to add "skip for next time of day" button. Especially when both options in choice lead to event with girl and you are not interested in any of them. I know I could make some bad decisions in conversations with particural girls  to lower their interest in me but i like being nice for most of the girls even if I already chose the one which I want to romance. 

Starting with Day 8 (v0.14) the paths become more focused and you only start getting options for the girls you have the most points with. Also, a lot of the girl's stories are interconnected or they need to be introduced early on as they become side characters on main routes.

ok. but some choices may lead to sex scenes... with girl i'm not interested in or  to voyerism scene... or to some specific fetish related scene ... 

I think I get what you're saying. There were already plans to decline certain fetish scenes when they come, perhaps I'll add an option to decline a whole sex scene in the future.

that was... interesting

some attractive women... and they are romancable

it's not bad begenning for something bigger

Glad you liked the women in the game! Admittedly, the story is still early but there are some really great things in store. I'm sure you'll enjoy the game and the ero scenes that unfold soon!

(3 edits)

The renders are nice, and i especially like that the women don't have the all too common beach-ball tits.  I went to your Patreon, and the fetish list seems a bit vanilla / milquetoast for me...

Are there any plans to include mind control / transformation / futa / vampire / fantasy content in the future?

(+1)

Glad you like the renders and breast sizes! As for the fetish selection, I didn't want to give away too much of the plot in the fetish list, but yes there will be at least transformation and fantasy content. I'll update the list accordingly.

Sweet :) 
I will keep an eye on this, if it heads in the direction of my tastes i will patreon :)