{"id":66171,"date":"2026-05-04T17:32:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T08:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=66171"},"modified":"2026-05-04T17:32:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T08:32:44","slug":"robot-hospice-is-a-wholesome-japanese-indie-game-in-which-you-care-for-five-robots-in-their-last-moments-coming-to-steam-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/robot-hospice-is-a-wholesome-japanese-indie-game-in-which-you-care-for-five-robots-in-their-last-moments-coming-to-steam-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Robot Hospice is a wholesome Japanese indie\u00a0game\u00a0in which you\u00a0care for five robots in their last moments, coming to Steam\u00a0in 2026\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0ever felt a pang in your heart as you disposed of an old music player or another\u00a0trusty\u00a0inanimate object, chances are\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0be able to relate to\u00a0Robot Hospice<\/strong>. Developed by Buttercup Garden,\u00a0a Japanese indie game circle led\u00a0by\u00a0Dokokashira Doko<\/a>, this short adventure game puts you in the shoes of new employee Midori as she takes care of five\u00a0formerly\u00a0cherished\u00a0robots as they spend their final days in the titular Robot Hospice.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a similar vein to Thunder Lotus\u2019s Spiritfarer, Robot Hospice has you interacting with the terminally ill. Along the way, you\u2019ll learn more about each robot\u2019s past, as well as any final requests that will (hopefully) make their passing easier. While death is inevitable, your choices and actions determine how you will say goodbye. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a Game*Spark interview<\/a> with Dokokashira Doko, Robot Hospice was inspired by Kazuo Ishiguro\u2019s dystopian science fiction novel Klara and the Sun, where a robot named Klara goes through great lengths to ensure the happiness of her sickly owner, Josie.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the\u00a0initial\u00a0plan was\u00a0to\u00a0set\u00a0Robot Hospice in a future where humans and robots were at war, Doko was inspired to make the game more warm-hearted after hearing\u00a0No Case Should Remain Unsolved<\/a>\u00a0creator Somi\u2019s talk at the 2024 Indie Developers Conference. Upon hearing\u00a0of Somi\u2019s internal struggle\u00a0over\u00a0creating a sad game in an era that stokes anger and hatred, Doko changed the game\u2019s tone to reflect\u00a0his\u00a0directing style.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Told within the backdrop of nostalgic pixel art and 8-bit music, Robot Hospice will take you\u00a0roughly one\u00a0to two hours to complete. The game is set to release for free in 2026 for Windows (Steam<\/a>), with\u00a0plans for a free web browser version<\/a>. A\u00a0free demo<\/a>\u00a0is also available\u00a0on Steam.\u00a0Note that Buttercup Garden has\u00a0disclosed use of AI for generating some in-game scripts and translations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:\u00a0How Steam\u2019s refund policy can harm short games \u2013 we asked hit Korean indie dev Somi<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robot Hospice is a 2D pixel adventure game in which you take on the role of new hospice employee Midori, coming to Steam in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":66174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-66171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indie-games","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nRobot Hospice is a wholesome Japanese indie\u00a0game\u00a0in which you\u00a0care for five robots in their last moments, coming to Steam\u00a0in 2026\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Robot Hospice is a 2D pixel adventure game in which you take on the role of new hospice employee Midori, coming to Steam in 2026.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/robot-hospice-is-a-wholesome-japanese-indie-game-in-which-you-care-for-five-robots-in-their-last-moments-coming-to-steam-in-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Robot Hospice is a wholesome Japanese indie\u00a0game\u00a0in which you\u00a0care for five robots in their last moments, coming to Steam\u00a0in 2026\u00a0 - 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