Narinig Mo Ba?

The Story So Far

Huy, Mare! Narinig mo ba? — “Hey, friend. Did you hear that?”

Narinig Mo Ba? (Tagalog for “Did you hear that?”) begins behind the counter of a
neighborhood sari-sari store. You serve regulars, hear their conversations, and
gradually discover why an ordinary shift no longer feels ordinary. The game calls
itself “a sari-sorry story”: cozy on the surface, psychological horror
underneath.

You are not just running a shop. Every customer who walks in carries gossip, a
favor, or a warning. The store work and the neighborhood mystery are the same
loop — the details people share over the counter are the pieces you are meant to
put together.

In a community with more than just ambiguous secrets, a desperate act of
survival has set off a chain reaction. And unfortunately for you, the store’s
been left open both ways.

The game was created by VC Studios, a six-person student team, as an entry
for Game Jam Los Baños 2026. After the jam, the team released an updated
browser version with quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes, plus native
builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux. All art was made in-house, audio uses CC0
assets, and the developers note that no generative AI was used. Players rate the
game 4.8 out of 5.

How to Play Narinig Mo Ba?

The game opens behind the counter of the store. Take your place, and the first
customer will walk in almost immediately.

The core loop is simple to learn and easy to miss a step in:

1. Listen — a customer names an item. Read the full request before you move.
2. Find — look along the shelves for the item they described.
3. Serve — pick the item up and carry it back to the counter.
4. Talk — hand it over and let the conversation play out.

In the first shift, a customer named Junjun asks for a stick of coffee.
Similar-looking packages are nearby, so reading the request fully matters even
on day one. The store work is not separate from the story: the questions people
ask and the gossip they share are all part of the mystery.

A first playthrough is best taken slowly, with the dialogue allowed to finish
before you click again.

See It in Action

A community playthrough shows the tone best before you start — cozy store work
first, dread after. This one is in Filipino with English context:

Gameplay video by Patrick Santos —
a community playthrough of the browser build. When you are ready, take your own
place behind the counter above.

Controls

The browser build is played entirely with the mouse:

• Left click — pick up or put down an item.
• Hold left click — return an item you picked up by mistake.
• Right click — check an item’s price.

No keyboard or controller inputs are required. The game is mouse-first, and the
developers have not published an official touch control list yet — the
mobile-friendly version is still in development. On touch devices, players have
reported that the browser build works with a Bluetooth mouse attached.

Mobile Status

Narinig Mo Ba? is not yet available on mobile.

The developers announced in September 2026 that a mobile-friendly version is in
development and expected to be playable on the website in the coming weeks.
They have also explained that they cannot currently publish on the App Store or
Google Play because of licensing and publishing fees, so the mobile experience
is planned as a browser-based one rather than a native store app.

What has been confirmed so far:

• A mobile-friendly version is being worked on — no exact date yet.
• No Android APK or iOS build has been published.
• No official store page or device requirement list exists.

Until the developers release an official mobile version, treat any third-party
“APK” or “mobile download” claim with suspicion — no official mobile file exists.

Download

Desktop builds are available from the developer release page, with
name-your-own-price pricing that includes a free tier.

• Windows — x86-64 and ARM64
• macOS — Intel and Apple silicon
• Linux — x86-64 and ARM64

Open the developer release page to
download. The same page also hosts the browser build, so you can bookmark it for
easy access.

macOS note: the desktop app is not notarized by Apple, so macOS may block
the first launch. Right-click the app and choose Open, or open
System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Tips for New Players

• Read the request twice. Similar packages sit next to each other, and a
  rushed handoff is the easiest way to break the flow.
• Let the dialogue finish. The conversations are not filler — they carry the
  story and the dread.
• Use headphones. Players consistently praise the sound design; the audio is
  where much of the horror lives.
• Stay spoiler-free on the first run. The game is short, and the reveal is
  the point. Finish it before reading story explanations.
• Take your time with the shelves. There is no time pressure in the early
  shifts — the atmosphere is the game.