What if forgetting a painful memory meant somebody else had to swallow it? That disturbing idea sits at the heart of PRIMA MATERIA visual novel, an upcoming psychological horror story where human consciousness has become a valuable commodity. And in this world, even angels have learned to exploit it.
Developed by Radi Art, the creators of Synergia, and published by Top Hat Studios, PRIMA MATERIA is heading to PC in 2027. However, its most intriguing feature is not the supernatural setting. It is the uncomfortable relationship between two characters who may discover that understanding another person’s mind comes at a terrible cost.
A world where forgetting has become a business
Imagine a place where daylight never fades, yet almost nothing feels alive. That is the Concrete Sea, an apparently endless grey expanse beneath an unmoving sun. Angels rule this strange landscape, although their methods are far removed from traditional ideas of divine protection.
Instead, human consciousness is cultivated like a resource. People are farmed, and their minds are processed over centuries into Prima Materia, a luminous orange substance that can be refined and consumed. The concept turns something deeply personal into a product. Memories, identity and awareness are no longer untouchable parts of being human.
For Battle4Play, this is where the premise becomes particularly unsettling. Many horror stories explore the fear of losing control over the body. PRIMA MATERIA shifts that anxiety toward ownership of the mind itself. If thoughts can be harvested and consumed, what remains of the person who originally experienced them?
PRIMA MATERIA visual novel makes memory a dangerous addiction
At the center of this nightmare is Mana, a woman known as a Mind Digger. Her occupation involves removing emotional burdens that others would rather abandon. Guilt, fear and unwanted memories become something she can extract and eat, allowing her to survive in a society built around the consumption of consciousness.
Then Girin arrives at her door. She is the rebellious daughter of an ancient Angel, and someone wants Mana to repair whatever is considered wrong with her. The payment is extraordinary: an unlimited supply of Prima Materia. For somebody whose existence revolves around hunger, refusing such an offer would hardly be simple.
Yet Girin is not an ordinary assignment. Something ancient and fiercely protective exists within her mind, preventing Mana from reaching its most guarded places. As their relationship grows closer, an apparently straightforward job becomes a dangerous confrontation with secrets neither character can easily escape.
There is also another problem. The deeper Mana explores Girin’s consciousness, the more she begins recovering pieces of her own forgotten identity. Consequently, the central mystery is not simply what Girin is hiding. It is why Mana became someone willing to reduce her existence to eating, working and surviving.
This creates a compelling reversal. Mana makes a living by taking away memories, but her greatest challenge may be accepting her own. Rather than treating psychological horror as a sequence of shocks, the story appears interested in how guilt, attachment and self-preservation shape personal identity.
Why having no choices could make the horror more effective
One important detail separates PRIMA MATERIA from many familiar visual novels: there are no dialogue choices, branching paths or alternative routes. Radi Art is building a kinetic narrative, meaning readers follow a predetermined story from beginning to end.
That decision might disappoint players who enjoy changing relationships through dialogue options. Nevertheless, it could also strengthen this particular premise. Mana’s occupation already raises questions about agency and consent. Removing player decisions may reinforce the feeling of witnessing events that cannot simply be undone.
Of course, this is an interpretation rather than a confirmed design intention. A linear narrative is not automatically more emotionally effective. Its success depends on writing, pacing and character development. Still, a fixed structure gives Radi Art room to control when revelations emerge and how the relationship between Mana and Girin evolves.
The planned script contains approximately 39,000 words, with an estimated reading time of two to three hours. That makes it a relatively compact experience, especially compared with sprawling visual novels featuring numerous character routes.
There is an interesting contrast with other forms of psychological horror. As explored in Battle4Play’s coverage of Mouthwashing’s fragmented storytelling and psychological tension, uncertainty can be more disturbing than conventional scares. PRIMA MATERIA approaches that broader idea through an intimate relationship and the gradual recovery of buried memories.
Radi Art returns with surreal 4K artwork and a 2027 PC launch
Radi Art previously developed Synergia, a cyberpunk visual novel that also explored complicated relationships and questions surrounding identity. PRIMA MATERIA moves into a more openly surreal world, but its interest in the boundaries of personhood provides a recognizable thematic connection.
Visually, the new project combines anime and manga-inspired character illustrations with almost blinding white environments, clear blue skies and angels surrounded by halos. Meanwhile, scenes taking place inside the mind introduce psychedelic imagery. The contrast between seemingly peaceful landscapes and disturbing psychological material could become one of its defining strengths.
The production includes 50 unique CG illustrations and backgrounds presented in native 4K, alongside an original soundtrack. Symbolism also plays a central role in its worldbuilding, with alchemy and self-reflection shaping the wider narrative.
Top Hat Studios revealed the game through a trailer during its Fall Showcase on November 2, 2026. For readers interested in other unconventional supernatural horror experiences, WORLD OF HORROR offers a different approach to unsettling storytelling, as seen in Battle4Play’s coverage of its recent expansion and supernatural themes. Published by Ysbryd Games, WORLD OF HORROR is a separate project unrelated to Top Hat Studios’ publishing lineup.
PRIMA MATERIA is currently planned for PC through Steam in 2027, although its store listing still shows the release date as to be announced. Steam also lists English and Spanish (Spain) text support. No console versions or precise launch day have been confirmed in the supplied announcement information.
Players interested in following its development can check Top Hat Studios’ official Steam publisher page for updates. Meanwhile, Battle4Play’s PC gaming coverage follows other upcoming independent releases.
Ultimately, PRIMA MATERIA visual novel has an unusual opportunity to make its short runtime feel meaningful. Its most frightening idea is not that angels consume human minds, but that someone might willingly surrender parts of themselves just to keep going. Whether Mana can recover what she has lost may be far more important than the secrets she uncovers in Girin.
Would you rather play a visual novel where your decisions shape the outcome, or experience a carefully written story that refuses to let you change its course?
Creator of the website, Pokemon trainer by nature. Trying to report on everything related to the world of video games, series and movies. Yu-Gi-Oh is my weakness, collecting cards since the dawn of time.
