H₂O: Footprints in the Sand is a Japanese adult visual novel by Makura that was released on June 23, 2006 for Windows 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 Kira Inugami, was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten‘s Comp Ace between 2007 and 2008. A 12-episode anime by the animation studio Zexcs aired in Japan between January and March 2008 on the Fukui TV television network. Several music albums have also been released. 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.

Story

H₂O’s story revolves around Takuma Hirose, a blind young male junior-high school student, though the cause for his blindness is undetermined. After his mother died unexpectedly, it left a deep emotional scar on him, which caused him to become very lonely and reserved. Due to this, Takuma and his uncle move from the city out into a rural area and Takuma is enrolled into a new junior-high school. At his new school, he meets several new girls, though three of whom he gets to know the most out of anyone else; the firm and obstinate Hayami Kohinata, the kind and obliging Hinata Kagura, and the cheerful and mysterious Otoha. As Takuma interacts with these girls, his medical condition gradually begins to heal and he fully recovers.

H2O: Footprints in the Sand
H2O original visual novel cover. Depicted are the three heroines (from left to right): Hinata, Hayami, and Otoha.
Game
Developer	Makura
Publisher	Makura (PC) Kadokawa Shoten, Regista (PS2)
Genre	Eroge, Visual novel
Platform	Windows, PlayStation 2
Released	June 23, 2006 (Windows) April 24, 2008 (PS2)
Manga
Written by	Makura
Illustrated by	Kira Inugami
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Magazine	Comp Ace
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	January 26, 2007 – February 26, 2008
Volumes	2
Anime television series
Directed by	Hideki Tachibana
Produced by	Tomoko Kawasaki Tsuneo Takechi Seiichi Hachiya Makoto Chiba Tomoko Suzuki Ryōsuke Hiramitsu Yuka Harada
Written by	Jukki Hanada
Music by	Junpei Fujita
Studio	Zexcs
Original network	Fukui TV
Original run	January 4, 2008 – March 21, 2008
Episodes	12 (List of episodes)
Sequel
Root After and Another