Kodansha released the live-action romance sim Sweet Hamster Days on July 17 for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
In a somewhat bizarre departure from your typical romance game, Sweet Hamster Days puts you in the role of a protagonist who has been reincarnated as a literal hamster. From a hamster’s perspective, you spend your days being doted on by three beautiful sisters after they take you in as a pet.
The game was actually announced back in August 2025 with an original release window slated for the same year. However, a couple months later, Kodansha announced that due to various circumstances, it had become difficult to release the game on Steam, with the store page subsequently delisted. Now that the game is out, AUTOMATON sat down with the developers to find out more about the issue and how they overcame it. (This article is part two of a two-part series, for more about how Sweet Hamster Days leverages Japanese gravure culture and people’s desire to “become small and helpless,” be sure to check out part one.)
—Could you tell me more about what happened last year, when the game’s initial Steam release got shelved?
Oda:
When our submission was rejected, we didn’t know the specific reason. Based on Valve’s guidelines, we assumed it was likely due to one of two issues – either the use of real people, or restrictions related to sexual content. That said, live-action games feature actors performing roles, so they aren’t simply appearing as “real people.” That left sexual content as the most likely cause, but Sweet Hamster Days itself is actually quite mild, and Steam already sells plenty of games with much stronger sexual depictions than ours.
We still don’t know exactly how the platform saw things, but after revising details such as the age rating settings and re-submitting the game, it was eventually approved.
Sakurai:
This is purely my personal speculation, but whenever platform regulations become a topic of discussion, players often speak out in favor of freedom of expression. Perhaps those voices from users also helped push things in our favor.
—Did you end up having to make any major changes to the game’s footage or other content?
Oda:
No, we didn’t make any changes to the game’s actual content or expressions.
—I see that users now need to be logged in to view the Steam store page.
Oda:
Yes, it’s not an 18 plus game by Japanese standards, but I also wouldn’t call it suitable for all ages. We see it as something intended for players around 15 and up. In Valve’s eyes, it seems to be positioned somewhere closer to adult content.
Sakurai:
There are certainly moments in there that “make your heart race,” but by FRIDAY (Kodansha’s gravure magazine that participated in development)’s own standards, the content in Sweet Hamster Days is actually quite restrained.
—Looking beyond the game’s launch, how would you like to nurture this new title and the live-action game genre in general?
Sakurai:
I think it would be exciting if live-action games became established in Japan as a legitimate form of expression that other companies could also explore. In fact, on July 18, we’re planning to hold an event focused on live-action games together with TV Asahi.
While this title happens to revolve around romance and sexy elements, I believe that expanding the use of live-footage can broaden the possibilities of the medium – as we’ve seen in serious games like Her Story – allowing all kinds of new titles to emerge.
Katayama:
I also think the live-action genre has tremendous potential. For example, Sweet Hamster Days frequently uses low-angle shots, which reminded me of the dignified style of Yasujirō Ozu’s cinematography. Granted, the contents of our game are quite… different (laughs).
I feel that the live-action medium could open up entirely new forms of visual expression that traditional games have not explored so far. That’s why I’d love to see more developers enter the space, like TV Asahi did with “Roommates, Romance, and Ringing Hearts” and Wave Corporation did with “Love Starts Again.” I really hope live-action games continue to gain momentum in Japan.
—In that sense, I think Sweet Hamster Days stands out as a “live-action game made by professionals from the gravure industry.” Having people who regularly photograph gravure idols involved in production seems like a significant selling point.
Sakurai:
To begin with, I think nobody would ever expect FRIDAY’s gravure photography and video games to come together (laughs).
Oda:
I personally wasn’t very familiar with FRIDAY’s gravure culture, but I visited nearly every shoot, and when I saw the footage that came back, I was struck by the sheer attention they paid to presentations.
Even when shooting similar material, there were countless moments when I found myself thinking, “This feels completely different.” Sakurai was the same way, and the photographers paid extraordinary attention to direction, experimenting with camera angles even for straightforward shots. I really made me realize how professional they were.
The head of our photo and video department once told me, “When it comes to making women look cute on camera, we’re experts.” And well… he was absolutely right.
Katayama:
Since this is our first attempt at the genre, I think there are bound to be some rough edges, particularly with things like the UI. But overall, the game is filled with the passion of Sakurai, Oda, and everyone in the photo and video department (laughs).
—I think I’d like to see a live-action game based not on gravure, but on FRIDAY’s investigative scoops some day too.
Sakurai:
I’d definitely like to try something like that… though just the thought of it alone is making me nervous (laughs).
Katayama:
There have already been discussions within Kodansha, including the Game Lab team, about creating entirely new genres of games that make use of the unique insights of a publishing company, so we’d love to take on that challenge.
—Thank you very much.
Sweet Hamster Days is out now for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
