Tiny Bunny (Зайчик) is a Russian-language Horror Visual Novel developed by Saikono in 2021, based on the short story of the same name by Dmitry Mordas.
The story follows Anton, a Russian schoolboy who has moved with his family to an unnamed village because of his father's history with thugs. While in his new place, Anton notices strange things, such as a creepy owl that goes on to frighten his sister Olya, and a pack of dancing animals that know they are being watched.
There are also children going missing in the village, and Anton decides to help the police find one of the missing boys in order to get a reward and fulfill his and Olya's dream of going to Disneyland. Anton is not particularly welcome at his new school, except for one girl, Polina, but an encounter with mysterious Alisa, who wears a fox mask, may turn his life in a way he might not expect.
It stood out from a number of Russian-language visual novels and gained popularity thanks to its artwork, high level of interactivity, full voice-over with the involvement of professional voice actors (which was unprecedented for the Russian VN field), and competent integration of post-Soviet realities of the late 90s and early 2000s into the horror setting.
The novel is being developed episodically: as of April of 2024, four of the five planned episodes have been released, and the final episode is expected to come out in the second half of the year.
Tiny Bunny provides examples of:
- Alpha Bitch: Katya.
- Animalistic Abomination: The true form of the animals.
- Bad Santa: In Episode 4.
- Baphomet: Though Forest Master is more like The Fair Folk than Satan, his appearance is based on this.
- Bland-Name Product: The candy bars that the children get at the Santa's palace are branded "Wilky May", "Tvixy" and "Spickers".
- Butt-Monkey: Even if Anton joins the animals, he is obviously the weakest among them and is commanded around and threatened by the others.
- Child Eater: The animals seem to have a preference for young meat, though they hold no bias for an occasional adult.
- Coming of Age Story: Anton takes responsibility for his younger sister amid his parents' crumbling marriage and faces supernatural evil. Depending on the player's actions, he also finds his first love and learns to stand up to abusers.
- Counting Song / Creepy Children Singing: 'One, two - time to play with you...''
- Creepy Mascot Suit: The animals.
- Deal with the Devil: Forest Master offers Anton to join his pack so that he can be free of being ordered by adults, free from the need to grow up, and free to do as he pleases. The only thing required to cement the pact is to eat some of his candy. Naturally, this will render him into a perpetually hungry abomination, obedient to someone else's whims. In case Anton chooses to refuse, the sweets that were offered will turn out to be pieces of human flesh, disguised by his animal inner-self.
- Deliberately Monochrome: The entire game is in monochrome, except when Anton hangs out with the animals.
- Downer Ending: The earliest ending and the only one obtainable before the final episode's release. If you choose to pursue Polina without taking her amulet, Roma (either out of jealousy or because of Anton's betrayal, depending on the player's choices) will eventually track Anton down and murder him. During the end credits, his family grieves and is seen standing at his grave.
- Fat Bastard: Semyon.
- Genki Girl: Olya is usually cheerful and boisterous, and enjoys playing harmless pranks on Anton. Massively subverted with Alisa at the end of the fourth episode.
- Growing Up Sucks: Forest Master tries to lure Anton into the pack on this premise. Alisa also hints at this.
- Horns of Villainy: Forest Master, whose design is based on a goat.
- Magical Flutist: Forest Master uses a flute made out of bone to keep the unbridled nature of the other animals in check.
- Missing Child: Multiple cases, complete with posters at the school.
- Never Grew Up: Played with. The animals are this in a cruel, twisted form.
- Psycho Knife Nut: Either after being verbally humiliated by Polina or after Anton choosing to start a relationship with her over developing a friendship with him, Roma becomes this by the middle of the fourth episode. And he will succeed at killing Anton, in case the player decides not to take Polina's amulet.
- Shout-Out:
- Anton's dad to the Gigachad meme.
- Alisa to the eponymous Fox from The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino.
- Starting a New Life: It is implied that the family had to flee to the remote village because Anton's dad got into trouble with The Mafiya.
- The '90s: The novel takes place around the very end of Russia's '90s. For foreign players (and domestic, but not of the era due to their age), the creators have provided a glossary, which is updated as the story progresses.
- The Bully: Roma, Byasha and Semyon.
- The Cutie: Olya.
- Tsundere: According to the official midquel manga, Katya had a crush on Anton, and all of her mean-spirited behavior towards him was merely an attempt to etch the feeling of being in love. It did not work.
- Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey: Roma and Byasha are this, but only in case the player decides to pursue Polina.
- Villainous Rescue: Alisa saves Anton from being eaten at the end of fourth episode by convincing the Forest Master to have him deliver meat instead.
- Wham Episode: Episode 4. For the first three episodes, the story is enigmatic and eerie, but quickly devolves into all-out horror in the fourth. The game even saw its rating increase to 18+ after the episode came out.
