South Korean three-person indie dev circle KiwiSaurus is currently working on Doomed Otaku, a comedic thriller-style visual novel with adventure game mechanics scheduled to launch for PC via Steam and Itch.io. The title recently got a demo for both platforms.
Doomed Otaku follows Da-Yeon Jin, a hardcore otaku shut-in who’s obsessed with the Japanese idol game Idol☆Star. Upon hearing that a limited-edition Idol☆Star perfume will be launching in Japan, Da-Yeon and a group of fellow weebs decide to pool money to import it, with the protagonist in charge of handling everyone’s money. However, being terrible with money, she ends up impulsively spending every penny, and is forced to scrape together $5.000 in just 14 days, when she’s due to place an order for the perfume.
As you navigate Da-Yeon’s crisis, you’ll spend time in the dreaded “real world” – which is entirely black and white – and the joyous and vibrant world of the Internet. In the real world, Da-Yeon can do worldly activities like helping her landlord manage the apartment building and getting close to other residents in hope of receiving help, as well as working a part-time delivery job and exploring the town for items that may be worth money. Since Da-Yeon is a shut-in, however, she will have to earn SP (Social Points) in order to go outside.
In the digital realm, the protagonist gets to spend time and play minigames with her beloved idols Ikeman, Neketsu and Shotaro, participate in trivial otaku fandom discourse and controversies (which Da-Yeon, who is revered as an Internet celeb, ironically acts as a judge for), and earn Idol☆Star in-game currency to convert into real-life cash.
Interestingly, Doomed Otaku also comes with an affinity system. You’ll be able to build connections with NPCs both from the real world and the Internet, with possible relationships including not only romance, but business partnerships and toxic rivalries too. Based on your choices, the game offers 20 different endings.
Doomed Otaku is an indie project built around the idea of a dark comedy twist on Korean otaku culture. The game’s style draws influence from Omori and Needy Streamer Overload, while the writing is inspired by Buried Stars, The Black Room, and Dark Moon: The Grey City.
Doomed Otaku is scheduled to release on October 16, 2026 for PC via Steam and Itch.io. A demo is out now for both platforms.
