Horror game PIEN & PAON plus has its monsters labeled as nude by Steam

Japanese solo game developer Tadasumen recently revealed some information regarding the Steam review process for their upcoming horror game PIEN & PAON plus. The review has determined that the PIEN, the monster of the game, is nude. We spoke with Tadasumen to learn more about what this means for the PIEN and the game.

PIEN & PAON plus is a set of two horror games made by Tadasumen that are coming to Steam in one package. The first title is PIEN which features a creature with a face resembling a crying emoji called the PIEN. With its disturbingly yellow figure, it chases players through the game.

The next title is PAON – BEYOND THE PIEN –, which contains an even more terrifying creature called the PAON. The PAON is yellow, scarily so, and it chases players with its muscular form. Both games have an atmosphere of absurdity and a sense of cuteness to go along with the horror. The shape and movements of the PIEN and PAON, which resemble humans wearing body suits, have left a strong impression on the hearts of players and stand as a symbol for the games.

Both of these games are available for free on Tadasumen’s personal website, kusoi.site. PIEN & PAON plus is a new version of the games for Steam that adds extra features, such as being able to attach different images to the PIEN’s face and bonus games to play. This new release also includes improvements to make them easier to play.

However, something unexpected happened when bringing the games to Steam. When the game was going through Steam’s review process, the PIEN was determined to be nude. That is to say, the yellow figure was likely recognized as a naked human character.

近日配信予定のSteam版ぴえん(ぱおん)ですが、審査により｢ヌード｣判定頂きました🥺ぴえんお前……それ裸だったのか……🥺

大人なゲーム｢PIEN-ぴえん- & PAON-ぱおん- plus｣お楽しみに！！！ pic.twitter.com/A44Qwq8EnY

— ただすめん (@tadasumen) November 27, 2022

For a game to be released on Steam, the content of the game must be shared with Valve, the company that runs the Steam platform. Additionally, the actual build of the game must also be handed over to Valve for review to see if it’s fit for release. This review checks various aspects of the game such as the depictions of violence, gore, and nudity. The game is then registered based on the developer’s own report and Valve’s review, and things like search filters are applied. In this case, Valve determined that the PIEN was a nude character, according to Tadasumen.

We were interested in how this determination would impact the game and reached out to Tadasumen to find out. To start, Tadasumen says the PIEN being considered nude “isn’t really a problem.” I (the original author of this article) was relieved to hear that. Additionally, they aren’t looking for a way to avoid the ruling. On the other hand, Tadasumen said, “I’m worried about whether this will disappoint those expecting sexy content.” Those players will just have to make do with the PIEN’s inherent sexiness. That just leaves one question. Is the PIEN actually naked? Tadasumen avoided a direct answer by saying, “It’s a mysterious monster, so it’s a secret.” While Valve has interpreted the character as nude, the truth remains a mystery.

Furthermore, the PIEN being nude doesn’t mean that the game will be restricted from searches in Steam as an adult only game. It contains nudity, but not enough to be considered adult content. In fact, the Steam page’s mature content description just says the game contains “mild” nudity. It also doesn’t look like there will be age restrictions on purchasing the game which is a relief. Tadasumen had the following message for readers looking forward to the game:

“From customization options to bonus games, an assortment of features have been added! I hope those who already played the free versions are looking forward to it as well!”

PIEN & PAON plus is coming to PC (Steam) on December 5.

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-11-29 15:33 JST)