Genre: Drama, Psychological, Romance
H2O: Footprints in the Sand is a Japanese adult visual novel by Makura that was released on June 23, 2006 for the PC as a DVD; a version playable on the PlayStation 2 under the title H2O + followed on April 24, 2008 with adult content removed, but in its place will be additional scenarios and graphics not seen in the original release. H2O is Makura's first game; a sequel named Root After and Another was later produced in October 2007. The gameplay in H2O follows a plot line that offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the three female main characters. There are two modes of gameplay, the Blindness Effect and Normal Effect, where the former plays on the fact that the protagonist is blind, and the latter mode removes the added element of gameplay the Blindness Effect has. The story is broken into three parts: the original introduction and meeting, following by a separation and reunion, and finally ending with the protagonist choosing one of the girls and spending the rest of the game with her.
A manga adaptation, drawn by Japanese artist Kira Inugami, started serialization in the seinen manga magazine Comp Ace on January 26, 2007, published by Kadokawa Shoten. An anime by the animation studio Zexcs began airing in Japan on January 4, 2008 on the Fukui TV television network. The maxi singles containing the game's opening and ending themes were released at Comiket 70 in August 2006. The game's original soundtrack came bundled with the original game as a pre-order bonus. The name H2O comes from the first letter of the three main heroines: Hayami, Hinata, and Otoha. Footprints in the Sand comes from a poem; the first part of this poem appeared in episode one of the anime and the second half in the final episode.
