Tiny Bunny needs no introduction. This Russian visual novel has long captivated gamers, intriguing them with its gradually unfolding tale of strange happenings in a small village. Over the course of four episodes, fans theorized and speculated about how the story would end. And now, the final, fifth episode has arrived, setting the record straight. In this review, we’ll find out whether the developers managed to wrap up all the plot threads to their satisfaction.
- Developer: Saikono, Sokar
- Publisher: Serenity Forge, Game Art Pioneers
- Platforms: PC
- Release date: December 5, 2025
“Zaychik” traces its roots back to 2015 , when Dmitry Mordas wrote a short story of the same name, blending 90s nostalgia with folk horror. The gripping story meshed perfectly with the visual novel format , and in 2020, the game’s first demo was released, immediately capturing the attention of its audience.
Three episodes of the novella were released in 2021, with the fourth episode following in 2023, and the fifth episode had to wait until 2025. This long wait inevitably affected the hopes of fans, who came up with numerous theories and possible endings. This is why the ending of “Bunny” sparked a storm of indignation in the community: despite the developers coming up with two dozen endings, not all fans were satisfied. However, even a player encountering the work for the first time will likely notice a number of inconsistencies in the plot.
The game revolves around Anton Petrov, a twelve-year-old schoolboy who moves to a small village in the taiga with his parents and sister, Olya. The Petrov family is in turmoil: due to problems at work, his father constantly argues with his mother, and it seems they’re heading toward divorce, which, of course, affects the siblings as well. On top of that, on his first day at school, Anton gets into a fight with bullies. All of this unfolds against a backdrop of strange events: children have recently started disappearing in the village, and mysterious figures, either wearing animal masks or half-human beasts, are frolicking in the forest.
Tiny Bunny tackles many sensitive topics: family issues, school bullying, and teenage love. The scenes are vividly depicted, without coy attempts to dim the screen during fights or romantic kisses. At the same time, the game doesn’t shy away from showing shocking content: “Bunny” is rated 18+ for a reason; scenes of dismemberment, cannibalism, and other gore are par for the course, and don’t be fooled by the game’s focus on children. Tiny Bunny is definitely not recommended for sensitive players; there are enough terrifying images to give you nightmares.
Since this is a visual novel, gameplay mechanics are minimal. The player is primarily asked to read text and look at images , sometimes static, sometimes animated . Minigames pop up occasionally: playing a console, frying cutlets, or playing a melody on the guitar—nothing too complicated, but it does add a bit of fun to the gameplay. The voice acting is well-chosen; the actors play their roles diligently, without sounding out of place or overacting.
Throughout the adventure, you have to make decisions that drive the plot in one direction or another. Choices made in the first episode can have consequences much later, and there are numerous such forks, significantly increasing Tiny Bunny’s replayability . Fortunately, the developers have given you the ability to rewind previously viewed scenes, so you won’t have to reread dialogue or click around to skip past episodes.
You’ll probably want to replay the game, as “Bunny” offers a whopping twenty different endings! However, not all of them are happy, and it’s not just that almost every ending promises the heroes either a horrible death now or an equally horrific outcome later. Achieving a relatively happy ending is quite challenging; you’ll need to carefully plan your actions, and you don’t always have to act according to logic.
But even ignoring the utter hopelessness and utter nonsense of the endings, the plot flaws are still glaring. Some plot lines are left unfinished and unfinished. Certain plot twists, unlocked by decisions made in the fifth episode, directly contradict everything that has happened so far. This includes the unexpected opportunity to choose a new romantic interest for Anton, which is handled so clumsily that it’s simply unbelievable.
Many endings are practically independent of the player’s actions, seemingly designed solely for the sake of extreme brutality. And frankly, such a large number of endings somehow devalues the entire purpose of completing the plot: when you have so many possible outcomes, and most of them can be achieved with minimal effort, choosing the canonical one is simply impossible.
The confusing endings sparked righteous indignation among fans of “Bunny,” who slammed the game’s Steam rating . The developers promised to rectify the situation: rewrite the script for the fifth episode, redraw the backgrounds that players disliked, and fix bugs. And, apparently, they’re seriously committed to improving the game based on fan feedback.
However, Tiny Bunny remains at its best in everything but the final episode, and frankly, Chapter 5 also contains several powerful scenes, so the criticism is perhaps exaggerated. The game is confident in the realm of social drama, skillfully building suspense, and knowing how to shock the player. And, tellingly, the “Bunny” universe doesn’t end there: comics based on the series are available in bookstores , and an anime series is set to debut on streaming services in the foreseeable future .
- A very good story that raises many sensitive issues.
- There’s a lot of violence, the game is not suitable for sensitive people.
- The decisions made by the player influence events
- High-quality voice acting and a good soundtrack
- Optimal duration
- The fifth episode has a weak logic of events.
- Not all endings are created equal.
- There’s too much brutality in some places.
