Hello Charlotte EP1: Junk Food, Gods and Teddy Bears is the first episode of the role-playing game maker series, Hello Charlotte. The game was created by independent developer, etherane. The story is about a girl named Charlotte Wiltshire and her life in The House. Follow her as she feeds her mythical Magcat, explore the House, and attend class in this bizarre and disturbing adventure game. The key to finishing this game is socializing with other students!

What is Hello Charlotte about? 

The first episode introduces you to the main protagonist, a soft-spoken but curious girl who spends her time babysitting Felix Honikker - the son of one of the tenants. While babysitting, the son takes her on an adventure by taking her into the dying world of the Pythia. Here, Charlotte is approached by a Masked Man who offers to help her kill a Pythia. The man says that he will save Felix and her ‘puppeteer’s career.’

She realizes that she had an out of body experience and is horrified by what she has seen. The next scene is Felix watching her stuff a bloody item in an incinerator. She keeps her trauma to herself to avoid bothering anyone. By the end of the episode, you should be able to accept an all-powerful being called The Oracle. The catch is that there are nine endings: one sudden end and eight bad endings. 

Like other interactive visual novels, the game is easy to play; you will be presented with a list of options on your screen and you simply need to click one of them. Select the one that you believe will deliver the best outcome, or click randomly to see which ending you’ll land on. While the game is presented in 2D animations, the story tackles themes of mental illness, violence, and gore. 

Simple, well-thought-out visual novel 

Hello Charlotte Episode 1 is a good start to the three-part series. It offers enough information on the characters to leave you wanting more. The main draw of the game is the multiple endings; with so many choices, you will never know which ending you will get. It doesn’t have high replayability, but its easy enough to finish so you can proceed to the next episodes.