A story about the self—and about others. A toy factory, several cursed dolls, and a horror novel… This quiet seaside town throws Noele's love life into chaos and dredges up the old wounds she has tried for years to forget.

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About This Game

Game Overview

This is a first-person psychological narrative game. Your choices shape the story, reveal the heroine's past, and open a path toward the people around her.

Story

Noele is a police officer whose biggest monthly expense is treating her chronic neck pain at a massage parlor.

Late in the fall, a strike erupts at a toy factory. Cursed dolls begin appearing in an abandoned tower…

And a reunion with her ex-girlfriend completely upends her life.

A lecturer from a no-name college.

A blind massage therapist.

A glamorous entrepreneur.

Which one of them is The Flayer?

Main Characters

Noele *First-Person POV*

The heroine. A small-town police officer—practical, analytical, and not great at reading people.

Her day-to-day work ranges from mediating neighbor disputes to dealing with murders, arson, and even AI dogs getting stuck in trees.

Nil

Lecturer in experimental art, Noele's current boyfriend. Gentle and easygoing.

His biggest worries are publishing, getting promoted... and navigating his relationship with Noele.

Will

Massage therapist at AAA Massage Parlor. Visually impaired.

Thinks in odd, unpredictable ways.

Seems to have nothing more than a straightforward client-therapist relationship with Noele.

Grace

Works in new media. Noele's ex—and a mother.

Confident, smart, ambitious.

Claims she calculated Noele's misfortune this year using her birth chart, and she seems interested in getting back together.

Flint *Unavailable Route

Freelance writer. Noele's college friend—though that changed later.

Dog *Loyal Companion

Noele's partner at the station. A personalized AI canine who has a knack for picking up on the strangest things people say.

Key Features

Over 100,000+ words of story and 2–5 hours of gameplay.

Three romanceable characters, four branching routes, and seven endings.

A unique, colorful paper-craft visual style blending nostalgic retro textures with modern tech aesthetics.

100+ expressive CG illustrations and 30+ original character portraits.

A modern soundtrack created by two artists, each bringing a distinct musical style to deepen the emotional experience.

Interact with the map to trigger special story events.

Make choices that influence Noele’s attitude, shape the narrative, and lead to different endings.

After completing your first playthrough, additional story content will appear at the beginning of the game.

Player Advisory

Neck Stiffness is not a lighthearted AVG. It includes the following content, which may be uncomfortable for some players. Please review before playing:

The story is set in an oppressive survival environment. These depictions are intended to trigger psychological conflicts within the characters through extreme scenarios; they serve a specific narrative purpose and do not represent normative social values.

This work has no intention of exploring grand narratives, nor does it purport to represent any specific group or collective.

Flawed Characters: Every major character carries emotional burdens and personal biases. Their choices may be irrational or deviate from typical expectations.

LGBTQ+ Themes: The story includes diverse expressions of gender identity, sexuality, and relationships.

Character Views ≠ Developer Views: All dialogue, behavior, and worldviews depicted in the game represent the characters—not the development team.

Mental Health Depictions: Includes portrayals of anxiety, depression, trauma, and emotional distress, which may trigger PTSD.

No Traditional “Happy Ending”: Relationships tend to be complex, ambiguous, and difficult to define.

Religious Elements: Contains references to religious beliefs and practices.

Fictional Setting: This work is purely fictional and bears no connection to any real person, group, or organization.

If any of the above may cause discomfort, please consider carefully before continuing the game.

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

This game contains mature content, including depictions of alcohol use, extreme violence, immoral and criminal behavior, and suicide.

System Requirements

Windows
macOS
SteamOS + Linux
    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: win7/win10/win11
    • Processor: Intel Core i5/6400 or AMD FX 8320
    • Memory: 2 GB RAM
    • Graphics: NVDIA GTX 960
    • Storage: 1 GB available space
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    Minimum:
    • OS: 10.6+
    • Processor: 2.0 GHz 64-bit Intel compatible
    • Memory: 2 GB RAM
    • Graphics: OpenGL 3.0
    • Storage: 1 GB available space
    Recommended:
      Minimum:
      • Memory: 1 GB RAM
      • Storage: 1 GB available space
      Recommended:

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      Overall Reviews:
      Very Positive (220 reviews)






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