The Empathy Algorithm

About this game

Latest news

• Announcements·4 May 2026Official

  Final Version and Post Mortem

  Hi there,today I’m releasing Version 1.11, which marks what I consider the final version of The Empathy Algorithm. This update focuses on polishing the experience and making the game accessible to more players around the world.What’s new in 1.11Improved performance (this should reduce issues on slower PCs causing the game to "stutter")Added Japanese fan translation (done by "RabbihornRhino" / らびりの)Various minor fixes and stability improvementsLooking back - a "Post Mortem"When I started working on The Empathy Algorithm, I just wanted to create a small little game to learn coding and "get my feet wet". I haven't expected how much fun I had creating it and I'm really happy with the final product and with what I have learned. Also it feels great to have people from all around the world playing my game and giving feedback. 500+ downloads in the first two month (from Ghana, Vietnam to Bolivia...) 38 reviews / 86% positive about 25% of players did a second playthrough What went well:The core concept resonated with players more than I expectedI gained a huge amount of skills and learned so much, thanks to a great community and incredibly useful feedback! Thanks to everyone!The atmosphere and writing landed the way I had hopedI had incredible help from passionate voice actors (Lauren Pak, Soli Adna, Elissa Park and Nao Yuudai) and with a japanese translation (Rabbihorn Rhino / らびりの). This game wouldn't be the same without them! What didn’t go as planned:I wish I had spend more time with planing ahead. Underestimating how long polish and bug fixing would takeI really need better time managementNot all parts of the creation process are fun Thank youI want to thank everyone who played the game, left a review, reported bugs, or simply spent time thinking about it. This project means a lot to me, and seeing people engage with it made all the difference.What’s next? ----> GRIDBREAKER!Currently I am working on my next game, "Gridbreaker" Right now, I am learning Godot. ("The Empat...
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• Patch Notes·1 May 2026Official

  Final Version! Japanese translation and better performance

  Glad to announce the final version of "The Empathy Algorithm". There are two main changes: - you can chose to play in japanese language (text, VA is still english) - performance should be about 40% faster now I'll work on my next project "Gridbreaker" from now on. Thanks for showing interest in my first game and please wish me luck!
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• Announcements·18 Apr 2026Official

  Japanese Translation / Final Version / Next Game!

  First of all, thanks to everyone who took part in the survey! It helped a lot to find issues and your kind words were a boost of motivation! If you missed the survey and played the game, you'll still find it here: https://forms.gle/NCLMS9T3uKcVuJda7Feedback would be much appreciated! -------------------------------- JAPANESE TRANSLATIONThanks to translator らびりの (Rabbihorn Rhino), there will be a japanese translation soon! Since currently over 50% of downloads come from english speaking nations (TOP 5 are USA - 36,2% / Germany 10,2% / Canada 6,1% / UK 6,1% and Australia 3,6%) and there are only 0,6% of downloads from "the motherland of visual novels" Japan, I'm glad that we can overcome language barriers and can offer this little story to a broader audience. PS: If you want to make a fan translation for another language, DM me or comment and I'll be in touch! ---------------------------------- FINAL VERSION In about two weeks, the "final version" (or version 1.1) will be released. It will fix some minor bugs and typos, fix performance issues, you'll be able to switch between english and japanese language and will have a new song. If you have some suggestions for (small) features or changes, let me know (or take the survey above and drop them there...) ---------------------------------- NEW GAME: GRIDBREAKER I'm happy to give a sneak peak at the new game I'm currently working on... STORY: 2097 - Hamburg, Germany: Kiara "White Rabbit" Denker is a cybercriminal hacker, infiltrating hostile networks and trying to make a living. Until you find out, that a friend you believed to be dead nine years ago, maybe isn't that dead. Can you hack the nodes, uncover the conspiracy, battle a rogue AI and - maybe - resurrect your friend? And should you? GAMEPLAY: Gridbreaker will be a hybrid game. 50% visual novel, 50% tactical turn-based roguelite stealth dungeon crawler. Each run confronts you with distinct ICE security programs, each with its own behavioral patterns, forcing you to...
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• Announcements·24 Mar 2026Official

  Numbers and Survey

  Hi there, last month I released "The Empathy Algorithm". Since this is my first game, I consider it a success regardless of the numbers. (807 wishlists, 403 downloads, 31 recensions, 83% positive, in case you want to know...) However, while recensions/reviews are great, I wish I could get better, more precise feedback. This is why I made a small survey with google forms. If you have played it, it would help me a ton if you took some minutes and fill out the survey! It takes about 10 minutes and is a great way to help a solo dev improve. I want to start working on my second game soon and would like to know where to improve, what to avoid and what to cultivate/do again... Thank you so much! LINK TO SURVEY: https://forms.gle/B6DPLQTFMgyoe4P59
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• Patch Notes·4 Mar 2026Official

  Mac-Version online! Update 1.1 planned...

  Mac Version online!Two weeks after release "The Empathy Algorithm" is finally playable on Mac / Apple.Also I am gathering feedback and want to make a final, optimized version 1.1. So if you have any feedback or suggestions, please let me know.At the moment, I am working on the UI for a game jam project called "Stellar Confluence". Also, all the positive feedback motivated me to start my second game soon, currently I am in the concepting and planing phase. Watch out for future announcements!Positive Feedback, Wishlists, DownloadsI want to thank you for playing and giving feedback. Currently, this game is at 678 wishlists, 284 downloads and 25 recensions (84% positive). For my first ever game, I'll consider this a success.So if you have any ideas how to make this game better or tips for future projects, let me know!
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