Help! I'm Turning Into A Mermaid!

Went in just expecting a raunchy gender bender visual novel, and while there's definitely tons and tons of fanservice, the gameplay loop was fun, it had some great puzzles, the subject matter was handled with a great amount of sensitivity and gravitas, the main character was very likeable and I loved watching them gradually find acceptance and joy in their situation, there was some interesting deeper lore, and the cast are all absolutely insane and loveable. Nice, solid length to keep you busy for a week without wearing out its welcome, too. It's game five in a larger series but it's structured to be a great jumping on point since the protagonist isn't from the area and is just as in the dark as a new player would be. It definitely pulled me into the wider Lached Up Games catalogue.

Disclaimer: I don't think the game's title is accurate, I do not believe it accurately represents the overarching story/gameplay as it'd lead someone to believe it would. Despite the above, HITIAM is still an excellent experience in many regards for someone looking for a TG/TF/TSF experience on the less serious and more fantastical side. The music hits (tho can sometimes feel repetitive due to a game environment where you can spend quite a bit of time in one area with one track or the mall area in the freetime sections due to the amount there) and especially the finale pieces. I don't even know any Renpy games that actually have a finale like this one. It's kind of crazy but on the flip side, there's not much else. My main point of comparison for this game is fellow TG renpy game, Student Transfer, which runs a gamut of quality but I would say has managed to use small sprite animations (such as angling a sprite down to reference picking something up, or small movements in similar regards) to better immerse the player into the game. It's such a contrast to not see these consideringly minor animations vs. the entire mini-games, UIs and other things done that make this game stand apart so well from other Renpys in presentation. Likewise I feel that HITIAM lacks a level of introspection that hones in the ramifications of the primary hook for the game. It's literally in the title and yet the protagonist does not do much beyond verbalise their desire to go back/reverse the transformation etc. We never see them discuss or directly experiences the changes in their body that make them feel this way, how their new sense of balance makes them conscious of every step taken, how smoother skin makes rougher clothes feel very different against it. Hell just having longer vs. shorter hair is a pretty massive difference, especially when it gets long enough that you can sit on it. I know firsthand! These kind of introspective trains of thought can really help set up a characters frame of mind and experiences, especially in a medium so inclined to it in visual novels and was one of three things that kept me from getting as fully immersed in this game as I could. Another thing that held me back is the protagonist themselves, partially due to the above perhaps, seems to go from strongly denying their forced transformation, to being completely unbothered by it, to actively trying out even more crazy transformations without any real gradient to it. It's such a major aspect of the TG/TF medium to me, the turnaround and acceptance period and I feel this game treats that like something to be skipped/rushed over to get to what it wants to do. It's a shame, as I utterly adore Hunter in basically every other aspect in this game. They are such a great character and that's probably why my biggest complaint is that I am just lacking the material to better connect and understand them MORE! Gimme that sweet good stuff gurl, lemme get into Hunter's juicy braingoop and suck up those emotions! It'd make those latter scenes hit so much hhhhaarrrddeerrrr. Finally, I really enjoy the concept of the outfit system and the way it could have included the myriad TFs that Axon City offers as part of it's base premise. However it DOESNT! For some ungodly, abyssal reason only the darn furry catgirl gets to work as a TF option *and* wear every possible clothing set in the game! There is a dedicated Foxgirl transformation, including only ears and floofy tail (far less than the full skin replacement of the catgirl thing) and yet for some reason you can't equip any other outfit with it. Sadly this means that for the Foxgirl transformation, you'll rarely if ever get comments on the direct transformation but instead the 'brand' associated with the 'uniform' it comes along with. As a Kyuubi, I must admit I find this representation somewhat lacking. (Also where my Octopus girl transformation at?) Conclusively, I believe that HITIAM is an excellent game that delivers o…

Despite having issues with a select few puzzles and my many presentational criticisms, I had a wonderful time with Help! I'm Turning Into A Mermaid. It's confident in its absurdities and eccentricities, committed to being a truly ridiculous adventure game, and is a captivating continuation of its creator's curious little universe. Pretty much everything I liked about Snell's prior games has been refined here, enhanced by a decade of fresh experience, and I think he delivered something special here. Full Review: https://natalie.tf/2026/07/16/help-im-turning-into-a-mermaid-review/