
Sigh of the Abyss: Shadow Bonds
A downloadable game for Windows
Shadow Bonds is the standalone introduction to the world and characters of Sigh of the Abyss.

You have been chained to a stranger, a boy foolish—or brave—enough to flee the gilded cage where magi are kept docile and pliant.
The curse will kill you both unless you find a way to break it. Anyone else would already be dead, but not you—for you hear the ancient voice of the Abyss, and have been blessed—or cursed—with powers dark and terrible.
Did the Abyss bestow upon you supernatural strength and agility? Do you have the power to manipulate the shadows and see what they see? Perhaps your dark gift is prying open the minds of others only to break them and have them do your bidding.

The four humors color the tone of your responses and your personality: will you be the carefree sanguine, the thoughtful phlegmatic, the anxious melancholic or the fiery choleric?
Will you stay friends or seek something more? Learn more about your companions, see how they react to the curse placed upon you, accept or reject their aid. Shadow Bonds will give you a glimpse into the friendship and romance system of Sigh of the Abyss.
- A self-contained introduction to the characters and setting of Sigh of the Abyss
- Customize the protagonist's name and skills
- A branching narrative with hard choices and terrible consequences
- Three endings with several variations each
- Sample what the romance interests have to offer, or stay friends
- Learn more about the rich setting of Sigh of the Abyss through codex entries
Status | Released |
Platforms | Windows |
Rating | Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars (63 total ratings) |
Author | Rascal Devworks |
Genre | Visual Novel, Interactive Fiction |
Made with | Unity |
Tags | amare, Dark Fantasy, Female Protagonist, Lesbian, LGBT, Meaningful Choices, Otome, Romance, Story Rich |
Average session | A few hours |
Languages | English |
Inputs | Keyboard, Mouse |
Accessibility | Subtitles |
Links | Steam, Kickstarter |
Install instructions
Unzip the folder and double click the Sigh of the Abyss Shadow Bonds executable inside to run the game.
Development log
- June/July update82 days ago
- FULLY FUNDED! And... stretch goals?Apr 11, 2023
- New LIMITED tier: a trip to Carolise!!Apr 01, 2023
- Support Sigh of the Abyss on Kickstarter!Mar 15, 2023
- Shadow Bonds is now available on itchio!Mar 07, 2023
- Meet the VA cast + KS announcementFeb 24, 2023
- 'Tis the season of giving!Dec 19, 2022
- Subscribe to the newsletter!Jul 18, 2022
Comments
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CANNOT WAIT πππ
Aw, thank you β¨π
I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THIS IM SO HAPPY TO HAVE FOUND IT AGAIN AHHAHSAD
πβ¨
SOOO GOOD, I love Sylas so much πππ
So glad you liked it β¨β¨
omg I forgot this was in demo! until The Warden was in my ROOM!! like OMG, CANNOT WAIT!!
So glad to hear you liked it β¨
Thank you!!
reminds me of ebon light. can't wait to play the entire game!
That's a huge compliment, thank you πβ¨
Will there be a version compatible with Mac?
Hey there :)
I don't own a Mac, so testing macOS builds is impossible for me. If there's enough demand, it's something I would definitely look into it, but the price point makes it tricky...
For Shadow Bonds, an emulator like Wine should work :)
This is a really lovely demo! The art is *chef's kiss* and I love the worldbuilding y'all have done so far. Can't wait to see more of it!
Also...Ornell is so cute, so babie. He must be protected. I just couldn't kill him or have him kill me lol I hope we get to see how he's doin later.
Thank you so much, I'm happy you liked the demo π
I can confirm that Ornell will show up in the main game as well!
The only part that sucked about this was that I didn't realize it was a demo until it ended. Fantastic artwork and story, and the characters are all so easy to like and fall for. Great work! I can't wait to play more!
Thank you! I'm glad to hear you liked it β¨
I tried to make it as standalone & self-contained as possible despite it being a demo!
loved the demo and i especially adore sylas. going to buy the game on steam and support on kickstarter! (made an acc on itch.io just for this)
Thank you so much for the kind words β¨β¨
is it... ever going to be released for... android? π₯π₯π₯
Hello! An Android release is highly unlikely & bordering on impossible, I'm afraid π
don't tell me that I'll literally cry I only have my phone and a dream π
awww, "They have dream!!" -the little duckling from Repunzul
I quite enjoyed this demo. Well-written, amazing art and intriguing story. The relationship between the MC and Ornell was cute. As another poster said, like having a little brother-- one you can't get rid of, lol! I actually wanted them to be stuck together a little longer. It's fun to be able to choose your skills, and great to be able to opt out of the type of romances you're not comfortable with. Well done, and I look forward to the full release!
The dynamic with Ornell is indeed very sibling-like, I wanted it to be wholesome π
Thank you so much for the kind words!!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS DEMO!!!! everything abt this game is truly wonderful. you can see how well made it is, and im really excited for the whole game to be released!!
Thank you for the kind words!! I'm happy you liked it π
Omg!
This is so interesting! And Ornell is so cute! I can't be mean to him. It's like the protagonist has a little brother now.
But I wonder what will happen next. This kind of reminds me of Dragon Age.
Thank you for the kind words π I'm glad you liked the prologue!
I love Dragon Age—the series is a very big influence of mine (2 especially, despite how controversial it is even among fans)!
I really enjoyed playing this and can't wait to play more as it grows! I love the ace representation and the variety of characters! I wonder if the protagonist will have non-sexual romance choices for the other routes as well? Amazing job!
Thank you for the kind words :D I'm happy you liked it!
The other non-Sylas romances will always prompt a choice when it comes to exploring the sexual side of the relationship. How much that weight also depends on the character—Alpheon and MaranΓ© will take things slowly as opposed to Malec.
This looks awesome! I can't wait to see it develop :) Is there any chance it could be available for macOS in the future?
Hey there :) thank you for the kind words!
I don't own a mac, so testing macOS builds is impossible for me. If there's enough demand, it's something I would definitely look into it, but the price point makes it tricky...
For Shadow Bonds, an emulator like Wine should work :)
Thank you!
So glad you like it :D
Amazing cant wait for more
Thank you! Happy you liked the game :D