Hatoful Boyfriend came into existence in 2011 as a Japanese visual novel, a type of interactive fiction. It was a romance story with a twist: Everyone in it, except you, is a pigeon. A bit strange, perhaps, but it attracted quite a fan following, enough to earn a translation into English and even a sequel. And now Devolver Digital has announced that a full-on remake is coming from Mediatonic later this summer.
I'm not a big fan of straight-up copying press releases, but I think this part is enough of a winner that it deserves some attention. "As the only human in St. PigeoNation's prestigious school for birds you'll encounter a feathered cast of characters and choose a suitable love interest all while managing elective school classes," it says. "Follow your heart as you choose your path and go on romantic dates you but be wary of fowl twists and turns along the way that could turn your love life upside down."
I'll readily admit that I don't get it, but Devolver Digital has a pretty solid record of picking indie winners and it seems pretty confident that Hatoful Boyfriend will be a hit. "Our research shows that consumer fatigue for space marines and dragons is at an all-time high—gamers are ready for something new and fresh," Devolver Digital CFO Fork Parker said in a statement. "Semi-realistic pigeon dating simulations are the next great frontier in videogames."
The game will be playable at E3 (by appointment only—sorry, gatecrashers) so we can expect more information to flow forth from that. If you're curious in the meantime, you can read more about the game and its creator, Hato Moa, in this very interesting (and slightly weird) interview at Gamers With Jobs . Hatoful Boyfriend is slated to come out this summer for the PC and Mac on Steam, GOG, Humble and other fine digital distributors.
