Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-04-18 10:42 JST)

Japanese solo game developer Ryu Sakamoto has opened a Steam page for Kemono Friends Cellien May Cry. According to the page, the game will be available in May of this year. The game contains spoilers for the Kemono Friends anime series.

Kemono Friends Cellien May Cry is a free fangame based on Kemono Friends and takes place in Japari Park, where animals with human-like forms called “Friends” happily spend their days. This 3D action-adventure game sees these Friends battling against the aggressive creatures known as “Celliens.”

The game puts players in control of a serval cat named Serval and tells a story that takes place after the Kemono Friends anime. The goal is to battle Celliens across various areas of the park while rescuing the other Friends. Serval can jump, attack with her claws, and dodge enemy attacks. Attacking or dodging attacks consumes the stamina gauge which will need to be managed during combat. Players can aim for weak points to deal heavy damage and use last-second dodges to restore stamina while clearing the park of Celliens. It’s also possible to strengthen your character through gaining experience points and buying stat enhancements at the shop.

Players will receive a reward when they rescue the Friends scattered around the park. In addition, some of these friends will become allies and fight alongside you when a certain item is used. There are over 30 friends that can become allies in the game, each with their own unique attributes. There are also boss Celliens in over 10 of the game’s areas and 4 difficulty levels to choose from.

In a video posted to Niconico in March of 2017, Ryu Sakamoto, the game’s developer, said if nobody was going to make a Kemono Friends game then they would have to do it themselves and began developing the game in Unity. Using MMD models, Sakamoto developed the game over 4 years, releasing it for free in February of 2021. The game left an impression for having solid action game fundamentals while paying respect to the source material.

As an aside, there are also guidelines from the Kemono Friends Project regarding derivative works. While commercial use (even as a free product) with high business feasibility and directly using official assets is prohibited, illustrations, doujin magazines, and the like are allowed. While it’s unknown if Kemono Friends Cellien May Cry has been judged as such, it probably falls under these guidelines considering it’s a free game.

Kemono Friends Cellien May Cry can be found here on Steam.