Your stories,
brought to life.

The ultimate node-based engine for visual novels, interactive courses, and text RPGs. Build, test, and export your narrative without writing a single line of code.

Download for Windows Read Documentation

Built for Creators

Everything you need to craft immersive branching narratives.

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Node-Based Flow Map

Visualize your entire narrative structure. Drag and drop scenes, see branching paths instantly, and maintain control over complex storylines.

⚡

Logic & Variables

Create dynamic RPG mechanics. Track player scores, inventory items, and relationships. Branch scenes automatically based on conditional logic.

💾

Local Workspace Store

A highly optimized local database engine compresses and stores your images securely. Build massive 100+ scene projects without performance drops.

🎓

Interactive Quizzes

Transform stories into learning tools. Embed multiple-choice questions natively within scenes, providing instant feedback for educational courses.

Documentation

Master the DearEnd Engine. From basic scenes to advanced RPG logic.

Welcome to DearEnd Studio

DearEnd Studio is a powerful, standalone narrative engine designed by Finaltime Studios. It allows writers, game designers, and educators to create complex branching stories without programming.

Key Philosophy: Your data stays with you. The engine runs entirely locally. Assets are compressed and stored securely in your workspace's database, ensuring lightning-fast performance and absolute privacy.

What can you build?

  • Visual Novels: Rich dialogue, custom backgrounds, and multiple endings.
  • Text RPGs: Stat tracking, hidden routes, and inventory management.
  • Interactive Courses: Lessons mixed with embedded quizzes and progress tracking.

Managing Projects

The dashboard is your command center. From here, you can create new projects, edit metadata, and manage your library.

The .dearend Format

When you click Export, the engine compiles your entire story—including all compressed background images, characters, and variables—into a single portable .dearend file.

Backup your work! Because DearEnd runs locally, completely resetting the application cache may affect your files. Always export .dearend files to your computer folders to back them up securely.

Sharing your Game

You can share your .dearend file with anyone. All they have to do is open the DearEnd Engine and click Import. The engine will instantly unpack your story, including all images and logic, ready to be played or edited.

Scenes & Choices

A Scene is the core building block of your story. Every project starts with an "Opening Scene".

Writing Dialogue

Use the central textbox to write the narrative. To assign a speaker, type their name in the Speaker input on the right sidebar. You can also predefined characters in the Chars tab on the left to easily click and assign them.

Adding Choices

In the right-hand Tools panel, click + Add Choice.

  1. Write the text the player will click.
  2. Select a Target Scene from the dropdown.
  3. If you select [ END ], the story concludes and generates a Path Report for the player.

The Flow Map

As your story grows, lists become hard to manage. The Flow Map provides a bird's-eye view of your entire narrative architecture.

Using the Map

Click Flow Map in the top navigation bar. Here you can:

  • Click and drag to pan around your workspace.
  • Drag individual scene nodes to organize your logic visually.
  • Follow the red arrows to trace player progression and locate "dead ends".
  • Double-click a node to immediately jump into editing that scene.

Images & Cinematic Filters

Visual presentation is vital. DearEnd allows you to customize the atmosphere of every single scene.

Background Images

In the tools panel, click Upload Image. The engine automatically resizes and compresses your image (max width 1280px) to ensure your project file remains lightweight. The original image is discarded, and the optimized version is saved directly into the local database.

Cinematic Filters

Don't have time to color-grade images in Photoshop? Use our real-time CSS filters to alter the mood:

Noir High contrast black and white.
Grime Desaturated, retro PS1 horror aesthetic.
Dream High saturation and slight hue shift.
Sepia Corroded, old-world paper look.

Variables & State

Variables allow your story to remember player actions. Open the Vars tab on the left sidebar to create them.

Types of Variables

  • Number: Great for stats like courage, gold, or health.
  • Boolean: True or False. Perfect for flags like has_key or met_king.
Variables are global. Once the player alters a variable in Scene 2, that value persists and can be checked in Scene 50.

Conditions & Effects

This is where DearEnd transforms from a simple book into a dynamic game.

Effects (Changing Variables)

When a player enters a scene, you can trigger an Effect. For example, if they enter the "Find Treasure" scene, you can add an effect: gold += 100.

Effects can also be attached directly to Choices, allowing the player to choose their stats.

Conditions (Checking Variables)

Conditions act as gatekeepers. If you set a condition on a Scene (e.g., has_key == true), the engine evaluates it when the player attempts to enter. If the condition fails, the engine instantly skips that scene and pushes the player to the next available route automatically.

Quizzes & Assessments

Building an interactive course? DearEnd supports native quizzing.

In the right-hand Tools panel, check Enable Quiz. This replaces standard narrative choices with a multiple-choice interface.

  1. Type your question.
  2. Add options, and select the radio button for the correct answer.
  3. Provide custom feedback for correct and incorrect attempts.

When the player selects the right answer, the UI flashes green, displays your success feedback, and automatically progresses the story.