
USSR, 1986. A girl goes missing in the closed city of Vorkuta-5, yet not a soul seems to be concerned. Uncover the mystery behind her disappearance and transmit your signal to the universe.
Revenue comes from in-game items and microtransactions, which our price-based model doesn't estimate. The player count below is how many people own it, not what they spent.
About
USSR, 1986. When Ira Grachevskaya goes missing in the closed city of Vorkuta-5, not a soul seems to be concerned – except for the quiet outcast Asya Shubina, that is. Uncover the mystery behind Ira’s disappearance, transmit your radio signal to the universe and learn why a bird flies past the window.
Meet the cast.

A problem child and a truant, Ira doesn't have the best reputation. Her standoffish demeanor makes her difficult to talk to, especially for someone as meek as you. There is a rumour she's been meeting with an older man.

Marina's carefree personality makes her quite popular among her classmates. Adults don't seem to like her very much, probably due to poor grades. Despite the girl's outgoing nature, her worldview is rather cynical.

A boy with an unpleasant sense of humour. Likes picking on people weaker than him, namely you. His family has been a little out of it the past few weeks.

You. Not worth writing about.
Z.A.T.O. is a linear visual novel with roughly 7-8 hours of playtime. There are no choices. The ending is predetermined. Sit back and enjoy your time in a town that doesn't exist.
DISCLAIMER: the game contains strong language, loud noises and flickering images.
Genres
Stats
Languages: English
Engagement
Reviews
Themes across 1849 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
Reviews
the heavy beat in the music during ira's early scenes is funny to me
Really putting the "novel" in "visual novel". Z.A.T.O. is barely a video game, as there is zero gameplay. Think of it purely as a story with pictures and sounds. If you do, you're in for a ride, as this is quite the touching, heartfelt and pretty unique tale, with an expert amalgamation of art and royalty-free music to complement it. All this for the criminally low price of FREE (this is genuinely unfair, buy the art pack). I didn't expect it, but it was one of my favourite experiences this year so far. Vorkuta-5 is a closed-off city in the USSR. Life there is pretty normal, all things considered, but when local problem child Ira Grachevskaya goes missing, seemingly to no one's concern, ripples start to spread in the otherwise dull and quiet existance of the inhabitants. The only one who seems to care is our protagonist, Asya Shubina, a sensitive and quite strange girl who keeps to herself. What follows is a story that's part mystery, part sci-fi and part dissertation on mental health and illness. It's got many surprises up its sleeves. The central mystery is quite compelling, and the pacing is great, mixing plot with slice-of-life character moments that contribute to major themes without you knowing it until way later. The characters are few, but charming - even the bully, who doesn't go through the clichés you'd expect (not entirely, at least). The underlying philosophy of the game is quite thought-provoking, and I thought it offered very interesting ideas to chew on. Leave it to Eastern-European devs to craft existential gut punches that stay with you. The aesthethic of Z.A.T.O. is extremely appealing. Character design is very Omocat and obviously inspired by anime, but there is a certain expressiveness that sets it apart. The color choice, the subtle details, it all contributes to a very personal declination of that style, which isn't easy, as Omocat's designs are super recognizable. It's all paired with lo-fi, crunchy backgrounds of post-processed real-world locations, which instill both familiarity and alienation, especially when they get more distorted for plot reasons. This is a quality I find infinitely charming about art made in the Soviet block or in other "developed-but-not-Western" countries: there is a society that's similar to what I'm familiar with, but it stems from completely different social and historical conditions, and as such there's a profound "otherness" that's so intriguing. To top it all off, the game makes spectacular use of a completely royalty-free soundtrack, showcasing impressive ingenuity, as the tracks fit the atmosphere to a T, enhancing it even on multiple occasions. Overall, this was a surprising gem I found entirely at random. I was completely absorbed in the plot, got attached to the character and was even moved by the ending, which instilled a profound sadness but also a sense of hope and faith in the beauty of the world. Thank you, Ferry. "I am my own parabolic antenna. The strength of my signal is decided by my own levels of gratitude. It's a matter of resolve. It's a matter of admiration. It's a matter of dedication."
Media

Related
Related
Price dynamics, follower growth, revenue and sales trajectories with interactive tooltips
This and every other Pro feature is free until October 20, 2026. A free account is all it takes.
Hours played at review time, across 1.9K reviews with recorded playtime.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,
a good game. ir eccomemnd it didnt change my life but rather helped me realise how pathetic i am
A.S.Y.A. // I Love the Ira and Everything In Marina
oh wow man this was awesome i like how each character is written dnfhfgaghbfh 10/10 i recommend
this is how it feels to be on withdrawal from your psychosis. 10/10
An amazing visual novel, something about the soviet era always resonates with me. The soundtrack is so reminiscent of maidcore-esque stuff, Truly wonderful use of royalty free music. The characters are beautifully written. I feel dirty for getting this for free, so I decided to buy the digital art pack because that seemed like a more fair price than COMPLETELY FREE. Thank you for making this ferry, I look forward to seeing your next projects.
This is an okay novel. There were many interesting ideas but the execution could have been better. The pacing towards the end is rushed, as if the game had to be finished soon, so they just kinda added in all the stuff explaining the town's anomalies and called it a day.
This visual novel is amazing. I randomly came across it while scrolling through steam a while ago, saw that it was free, and added it to my library. I then forgot about it for 3 or 4 months. I can't remember. About two weeks ago, I finally decided to install and play it. It took me about 2-3 weeks to finish, I usually read it on Friday nights for a few hours. It motivated me to continue to write, It inspired me to write another story, bleh im too lazy to continue typing here its free and a pretty good psychological horror vn go get it I Love the World and Everything In It
Active players
Estimated daily and monthly active players (DAU/MAU) modeled from peak concurrency.
Players by region
Where this game's players are, estimated from review languages.
Players also reviewed
The games this title's players most often review too — audience affinity.
Related
| Game | Estimated lifetime revenue | Reviews | Review score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.8M | 6.7K | 95% | $24.99 | |
| — | 0 | — | — | |
| $0 | 273 | 98% | Free | |
| — | 0 | — | — | |
| $148.7K | 1.2K | 98% | $7.99 | |
| $93.8K | 905 | 92% | $7.99 |