Heart of the Woods

Heart of the Woods

Released Feb 2019

A fantasy yuri visual novel filled with magic, fairies, and a ghost girl. When Maddie and her best friend, Tara, journey to a remote forest village to investigate rumors of the supernatural, they find a whole lot more than they bargained for.

94% positive · 983 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence

Where to buy

Steam $4.64 $14.99 −69%
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Evaluation

Heart of the Woods launched on February 15, 2019 as a complete visual novel. In the weeks following release, Studio Élan shipped two quick patches (versions 1.1 and 1.2) addressing bugs, typos, and minor content additions. The studio then released two soundtrack DLC packs on February 16, 2019 and an official artbook DLC on September 3, 2020 — which represents the last piece of paid add-on content for the game. Since the artbook's release, there have been no new DLC offerings and no announcements of additional story content. The developer has continued to maintain the game with technical updates: version 2.1 in February 2023 added controller improvements and ARM Linux support, version 2.1.4 in October 2023 brought further controller navigation polish and Apple Silicon support, a Steam Deck compatibility fix in January 2024, and most recently versions 2.1.6 and 2.1.7 in August 2025 optimized the install size and refined localization and accessibility features. These ongoing patches reflect Studio Élan's commitment to keeping the game running well across new platforms and hardware — not the addition of new story or gameplay content. All three DLC items are released. There is no unreleased DLC, no announced future content, and no roadmap pointing to expansions. The news posts from 2025 that appear in the game's feed are announcements for entirely separate Studio Élan titles (A Tithe in Blood and Lock & Key: A Magical Girl Mystery), not new content for Heart of the Woods. The game is a complete, finished product. Anyone waiting for all content can play it in full today.
Evidence
Official Artbook DLC released — the last of three DLC items for the game, all of which are now released with none remaining unreleased
dlc listing · Sep 3, 2020 source content shipped
high
Both soundtrack DLC packs (Snowfall and Moonlight) released on launch day
dlc listing · Feb 16, 2019 source content shipped
medium

Content

3 of 3 released · no outstanding content

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Studio Élan
Achievements
12
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Not rated
Players
Single-player

About this game



Heart of the Woods is a fantasy yuri visual novel about paranormal investigation, ancient mysteries, and a love between two girls that transcends life and death.

Maddie Raines has had enough. After years of serving as manager, editor, and general business-handler for her best friend Tara's popular paranormal vlog channel, she's finally ready to move forward with her own life. But when she agrees to take one last trip with Tara to the mysterious village of Eysenfeld, she's suddenly swept up in a dangerous supernatural crisis that will change the course of both of their lives forever. A strange young woman named Morgan has promised them undeniable proof of real paranormal phenomena, and what she has to offer eclipses anything they’d ever seen before.

However, out of all the strange occurrences the three of them bear witness to, one in particular captivates Maddie in a way she’s never been before: the ghost of a young woman. This woman is Abigail, the victim of a centuries-old injustice now bound eternally to the forest surrounding Eysenfeld. Drawn to Maddie in a way she can’t explain, Abigail reveals herself to another person for the first time in more than 200 years.

While Tara and Morgan investigate the mysteries surrounding the village itself, Maddie begins to form a bond with Abigail that grows to be more intense than any bond she’s felt before. As she learns the truth about Abigail’s death and imprisonment, she realizes that it falls to her and her friends to break the curse that has ruled over Eysenfeld for centuries. But more importantly than that, it falls to her to finally free the woman she loves.





A part-time manager, part time video editor, and full-time babysitter, Maddie has the thankless job of handling the absolute whirlwind that is her best friend.

She’s professional, meticulous and intellectual; the first person to turn to when a problem needs solving. But when their investigation entangles her in an ancient curse, she's forced to confront phenomena beyond her comprehension, and more importantly, her own self doubt.



For the last two centuries, the ghost of a young woman has haunted the forests of Eysenfeld. That ghost is Abigail, a kind and playful soul forcibly bound to the forest as part of an ancient curse.

Two hundred years of wishing for a life cruelly denied to her have led to a feeling of crushing loneliness and one overwhelming desire: to finally have someone to talk to.



One of the world’s most popular paranormal vloggers (according to her), Tara is unfailingly charismatic and bursting with limitless energy. She’s brash, intrepid, and always seeking something new. That often makes her a magnet for trouble: whether it’s from relentless flirting, minor criminal activities or just plain pig-headedness, things around Tara have a tendency to end in chaos.



A loyal Taranormal viewer and the daughter of Eysenfeld’s mayor, Morgan is… different. When not running her small and mostly empty antique shop, she’s known to disappear into the woods for days at a time. That, combined with her resistance to traditional social standards, has caused her to develop a bit of a notorious reputation in the village.

However, this resistance is not just an act of rebellion: Morgan knows that there’s something sinister deep within Eysenfeld, and she’s not going to stop until she tears it out at the roots.


  • Incredible character and CG art from Rosuuri
  • Full English voice acting
  • Approximately 130,000 words with multiple endings
  • Fully original backgrounds and soundtrack
  • Ending theme from In Love With A Ghost
  • Multiple accessibility options
  • F​ully translated to Traditional Chinese (繁體中文), Simplified Chinese (简体中文), German (Deutsch), and Spanish (Español)
  • Steam trading cards
  • Extra features including a music room, CG viewer, and guest art gallery
  • At least one really, really gay ghost


Maddie Raines - Allie Goodell
Abigail - Heidi Tabing
Tara Bryck - Stephanie "Teffi" Arata
Morgan Fischer - Kira Buckland
Evelyn Fischer - Tara Langella
Fairy Queen - Emaline Tuck
Fairies - Anairis Quinones, Lisa Reimold, Tina Kim
Last evaluated Jun 27, 2026
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