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This article contains the following triggers: suicide, cults, ocd compulsions
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| ―etherane[1] | ||
Heaven's Gate is a short visual novel that takes place in an alternate universe of the Hello Charlotte Series. It is not part of the main storyline.
Summary[]
Heaven's Gate is a visual novel that takes place from Charles' perspective. It details the story of his childhood from elementary school up until he graduates from high school, and how his relationship with Vincent changed as he grew up. He meets Henrietta "Anri" Warhol in middle school, and their friendship is shown throughout the visual novel.
Heaven's Gate contains a bonus diary that is written from the point of view of Anri, describing her life in the True Realm of Hello Charlotte 3 and how her relationship with Charles changed over time.
Story[]
The following content contains spoilers for Heaven's Gate.
- #1 Vincent Fennell
The game starts with Charles talking to Vincent about the ants Vincent is watching. Charles finds the bugs "yucky", but Vincent breaks the ant's wings off and says that humans must be like gods to ants. Charles is terrified by this action, saying that his mother thinks all life has value, while Vincent's mother says that bugs are gross. Vincent leaves after Charles threatens to report him to the teachers. After this incident, Charles decides he does not like Vincent Fennell at all.
- #2 Tazos
All of the young children are trading Tazos, a recent fad. Vincent has a very rare collection of tazos and allows other classmates to have them in exchange for less rare ones. Charles is unable to join in as his mother does not allow him to eat chips, and he, therefore, has none to trade. He becomes annoyed that Vincent is more popular than him just for having tazos, and drops the box holding the class turtle, which he blames on Vincent.
- #3 Mother
In #3 Mother, Charles and his mother move into a dirty flat with cockroaches. Charles becomes more withdrawn due to his mother telling him to be quieter, and at one point she has a breakdown over unsorted clothes in the drawers. Charles doesn't understand fully why she is so upset but tries to apologize.
- #4 Concert
Charles' school is having a concert to celebrate autumn, and he has to read a short poem. He speaks quietly. Vincent gets a longer poem, and Charles believes it is due to the fact the nurses think he is the smartest. Vincent is always the last to get picked up and sometimes is forced to go home by himself. When Charles informs his mother of this fact, she becomes surprised, saying that a child shouldn't go home by themself.
- #5 Valentines Day
On Valentines Day, Charles throws up and goes to the nurse's office. Vincent is at the nurse's office too due to a scrape on his knee which he seems unbothered by. Charles tries to ignore him and gets picked up by his mother quickly. After this incident, Charles stays home for a whole week.
- #6 New Stage
Charles' kindergarten graduation album is filled with pictures of kids running around. His favorite one is one where he is in medieval clothing, but he refuses to admit it. Charles and Vincent now go to different schools, and Charles tells himself that it doesn't matter because he didn't like Vincent anyways.
- #7 Friends
Charles finds elementary school boring due to the fact he excels in class. He tries to make friends by buying others food but still ends up being ignored. Eventually, he gets beaten up after school because he snitched on someone else who cheated on a test. He doesn't understand why others hate him for doing this, as he believes he is just doing what is right. After a while, he stops talking to others and turns into a class ghost.
- #8 Reunion
Once Charles goes to middle school, he and Vincent reunite. Vincent is frailer than Charles remembers him and also smiles constantly. The two do a class project together which Vincent works diligently on. Charles is surprised by Vincent's hard work, and surprisingly enjoys working in a group with Vincent.
- #9 Weakling
While running in PE class, Vincent passes out due to his health complications. Other students joke about Vincent dying early due to his conditions which shocks Charles.
- #10 Henrietta Warhol
Henrietta Warhol gets bullied into staying behind after class while Charles decides to stay after because he doesn't trust others to clean his desk. Charles tries to give her advice on how to clean, which annoys her, and when he offers to take over for her, she refuses because she doesn't want her bullies to think she's slacking off. After the two finish cleaning, Charles gives her a piece of candy. At first, she is suspicious but eventually thanks him. Weeks later, they begin to talk during lunch breaks. Anri decides to help Charles get rid of his acne by giving him a skincare regimen.
- #11 Past
Mother doesn't talk about Charles' father to him and instead cries often. Charles worries about her and begins to develop stronger handwashing compulsions.
- #12 Interlude: Alone
This interlude takes place in Charlotte's Mind Library. Charlotte does a "friends" homework diligently, which Frei criticizes her for. Charlotte continues to do this work because she doesn't want to be left alone, and Frei thinks it's because she wants someone to make her feel better about herself.
- #13 School Trip
During a school field trip, Charles decides to sit with Vincent on the bus. Charles awkwardly tries to make conversation but gives up. Vincent falls asleep and Charles tries to listen to music. Charles gets a room with three other boys who ignore him, and Charles spends the night sketching comics.
In the morning, Charles decides to sit with Vincent and discovers that Vincent was drinking the previous night. Charles laughs at the idea of Vincent drinking alcohol and mentions that he only becomes sleepy when drinking to such a degree that others may think he is dead.
Anri gets lost during a trip to the art museum, and Charles finds her. Anri doesn't let go of his shirt until they return to the group.
Charles' new hotel room is less optimal due to the fact a boy is making out with his girlfriend in front of him. Annoyed with this, Charles escapes with his jacket past curfew. He almost sleeps on the hotel stairs until Vincent wakes him up. The two talk and Vincent mentions that he enjoys the silence because he no longer has to wake up to yelling. Charles doesn't know how to respond, and the two eventually go back to their rooms.
- #14 Passwords
Vincent and Charles eat together outside because Vincent likes it quiet. Charles decides to discuss the education system's flaws, saying that students don't actually learn subjects, they just learn keywords. Vincent says that the entire world uses keywords and says things they don't mean.
- #15 Puberty
Charles finds others more obnoxious the older they get. Charles finds Vincent annoying as well, thinking that Vincent should stop talking about politics so often. Anri is also annoying, but Charles seems to enjoy being badmouthed by her, and the two share the same taste in anime. Charles asks Anri if she wants to make a dating sim with him, but she tells him not to speak so loudly about something so embarrassing and refuses.
The first "broadcast" about Heaven's Gate is shown, and Charles texts Vincent about the emerging web cult. Vincent tells Charles that he helped write the story as a prank. He says it's meaningless, just like how the Heavenly Kingdom doesn't exist. Charles thinks it may be dangerous, but Vincent brushes off his worries.
- #16 Interlude: Rationality
Interlude:Rationality features Bennett and Felix. Bennett asks Felix if he would be more rational without feelings, and Felix believes that one cannot be rational if they have no feelings. Felix chastises Bennett for consuming so much soap and recognizes that Bennett would find eating a cookie and killing him morally equivalent.
- #17 Trust
Charles is caught writing in front of Vincent, who becomes curious about what Charles is writing. Vincent launches into a speech about bearing one's mind and soul to their readers, saying that the vulnerability makes the writing more authentic. It would also leave him in control, as the author has chosen what to reveal to the world. Charles decides that he'd rather be anonymous, and realizes just how intense Vincent is about writing. They continue to eat their lunch, and Charles plans to give Vincent his notebook in a week.
The two join the school council in their senior year after Vincent convinces Charles to join. They walk for an hour around a park after a meeting, and Charles goes home re-energized.
- #18 Social Media
Anri and Charles are sitting quietly in school, and Charles complains that social media is too vapid for his taste. Anri pinches his nose in response, saying that he doesn't have the right to judge what is worthwhile and what isn't. If he wants something more profound he should read a book or talk to Vincent, she suggests. Charles explains why he likes Vincent and says Anri is jealous, causing Anri to tell Charles to go fuck himself. Charles tells her that Vincent would say "Would you kindly back off", to which Anri comments that they are essentially the same thing and that Vincent simply has high self-control.
- #19 Possessions
Vincent goes to Charles' house for a school project and arrives after Charles has cleaned his house thoroughly. Vincent mentions that he doesn't have many personal possessions, and Charles tries not to press on that subject. Charles awkwardly mentions that he still has many of his old toys due to sentimentality while Vincent only bought popular things regardless of his feelings about them, throwing them away when they became useless. Vincent's expression becomes unnerving to Charles and tries to move on.
- #20 Uncertainty
Anri is staying over at Charles' house, as she does during the weekends. She and Charles talk about how her brother is only good at video games but is lazy in every other regard. Anri complains that she has to get part-time jobs to pay for her brother's hobbies and has no money left for herself.
Anri then asks if she and Charles are dating, listing off all of the things that Charles does for her. He thinks these are just things a decent person would do. Anri wonders what they should call their relationship, causing Charles to bring his philosophy into the discussion, annoying Anri. Charles tells her he isn't sure what to call it, and she tells her she feels the same. Anri kisses Charles, who doesn't enjoy the experience. He mentions that he isn't comfortable with physical contact, and wonders if there is something wrong with him. Anri tells him that it's not his fault and that he should stop worrying about it.
- #21 Paralysis
Charles wakes up with a headache and can only move one side of his face. He is taken to the hospital by his mother and gets diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. He misses a month of school before exams. Anri texts him out of worry but ends up not visiting him in the hospital. Anri brings things to his house, including a notebook from Vincent with notes for his class. This concerns Charles, as he doesn't want to be a burden.
- #22 Care
Vincent is writing in his notebook and talks about two ways to go about writing. To be in power or to give power to your readers. Charles decides he'd rather give power to his readers, allowing them to become co-creators. Vincent's grades are very high, while Charles blew his chem and math grades and wants to sleep his life away. Charles' mother is doing much better and notes that she used to be more violent while not hitting him. Charles notes that he used to threaten suicide if she didn't calm down, and Vincent smiles at the idea not being foreign to Charles. Charles gets curious but decides not to press further and Vincent says that he would hate being pitied.
- #23 Visit
Anri visits Charles to return a book. She mentions that the place where he lives is a hellhole, and is attacked by someone as she enters his building. She screams for help and gets stabbed and manages to get to Charles' house. She worries about getting blood everywhere, but Charles tries to tell her not to worry about it. He tries to help bandage the wound until she can get into the hospital, and once she gets to the hospital, she becomes angry at the world and the fact that she has to be so scared all of the time.
- #24 Interlude: Wound
Felix examines Bennett and discovers that Bennett's bruises will likely never heal unless he is skinned and replaces the tissue completely. Such an operation would be incredibly painful. Bennett feels so desensitized to violence that he is no longer saddened or shocked by it, and believes he can no longer feel anything. Felix says that humans are incredibly adaptive, and Bennett tries to leave. Felix asks if Bennett hates being sober so much, and Bennett says that he has thoughts when he's sober. Bennett says that he'd rather not think, and leaves. Alone in the lab, Felix implies that he is aware that he will die soon.
- #25 Love
Charles and Vincent are strolling in the park again, it is raining but they have an umbrella. Vincent has a bandage on his throat which Charles doesn't ask about. Vincent asks Charles to read a novel he is producing, called the Aether Almanac, which he says he loves. Charles accepts happily, saying that nothing Vincent writes could be bad. Despite saying this, Charles postpones reading it in fear that his idea of Vincent would be ruined.
- #26 Interlude: Aether Almanac
The Aether Almanac Interlude is merely Vincent's book. In this book, a Scientist from the Land of Eternity travels the world and grows weak. One day, a creature known as the White Queen picks her up, and it offers to grant the Scientist a wish, and the Scientist asks to have the White Queen remain by her side. The White Queen cannot grant that wish. Instead, it tears off her finger and creates an identical copy to be the Scientist's companion.
Charles dreams of falling into a pit of identical corpses and wakes up in a cold sweat.
- #27 Different
Anri stays over at Charles' house and seems to be relatively unaffected by her stabbing. She mentions that Vincent is popular online, and gets surprised when Charles complains that he didn't like Vincent's stories. Anri notes that the criticisms Charles has seem to reflect how he views the world in general, and calls him dense.
Another broadcast is shown about Heaven's Gate, this time about suicides that numerous members have committed. Vincent is missing from school for a few weeks and reappears smiling.
- #26 Interlude: God
Felix and Bennett are sitting in the morgue, fully aware that Felix is about to die. Everyone is trying to stay awake using soap, including Florence. Felix is aware that he will be replaced with a clone, but Bennett is upset that it wouldn't be Felix. Huxley is mentioned to have gotten ill, likely from his dementia. Bennett promises not to be friends with the next Felix, and Felix smiles, saying that it's a promise.
- #29 Exams
Charles and Anri pass their language exam, but he and Vincent have drifted apart. Charles imagines that Vincent secretly hates him, but tries to ignore that part of him. Charles invites Anri to a cafe to discuss his issues with Vincent and confesses that Vincent wrote the Heaven's Gate texts. She tells Charles that Vincent is dangerous and that he should be more careful around Vincent. Eventually, Anri decides to let the two of them figure it out, and tells Charles to talk to Vincent when he gets the chance.
- #30 Graduation
Graduation day arrives, and Charles and Anri are both dressed formally. She says that she looks good and that he does too. Charles complains that he looks like his father, and she asks him if he hates it. She eventually leaves to talk to her other friends, telling Charles to go have fun. He looks for Vincent and notes that Vincent looks tired.
Charles eats alone, not wanting to bother his two friends. Vincent leaves to take a walk but forgets his coat, and Charles chases after him to return it. They take a walk together and reach the top of a hill. Charles feels like this situation is familiar, and feels sick as a result. Charles complains that Vincent talks about nothing that matters, and Vincent asks if he should say things that would please others.
Vincent talks about how alone he feels to others despite his desire to connect with others and feels as though there's a wall between himself and others. He wonders if he is still the same child who laughed as he tore wings off of ants. Charles tries to say that it can't all be fake, as Vincent has become more of a person than he was as a child.
Vincent confesses that he tried to commit suicide, saying that it was all hopeless for him. The only reason Vincent decided not to was that he hadn't returned Charles' notebook. Charles tells Vincent that despite it all, he wants Vincent to live, and history repeats.
They grab hands, and congratulate each other on graduating.
End of spoilers.Characters[]
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- To see more characters, visit Category:HG Characters.
Game Details[]
- Quiet linear visual novel
- Length: Est. 30-40 min.
- Fully illustrated coming-of-age story
- Parallel universe setting with a focus on True Realm characters
- Optional art pack accessible if bought with $1.50 on itch.io
- Bonus diary included with Steam purchase or $1.50 itch.io purchase.
- Available in Chinese, English, Russian, and Korean
All of the gameplay is composed simply of scrolling through text.
Trivia[]
- Some sections of Heaven's Gate imply that Charles has some degree of remembrance of the events of Episode 3, be they subconscious or conscious. The most obvious clue to this being how he feels as though history is repeating when Vincent climbs to the top of a hill and looks as though he might commit suicide.
Notes[]
- For information on Heaven's Gate the organization, check this page.