Hatoful Boyfriend Spreads Its Wings

"So the joke is it's a dating simulator, but all the romance options are pigeons?" they'll ask, bewildered. "Yes. Only it's not really a joke. In fact, it got remade for a western audience because of how popular it was." you can now reply, smiling a little too wide.

The world's most popular pigeon dating simulator Hatoful Boyfriend is now out in a form that doesn't require fan translation patches, if that's your sort of thing. If you're somehow uninitiated, it's the tale of the only human student (you!) going to "St. PigeoNation's Institute, a school for talented birds." You'll chat with and, presumably, up the other fine feathered students in search of true love.

Rock, Pigeon, Shotgun's previous coverage of the game has mostly come from Mr. Meer, who was introduced to the original release in 2011. Of that time he now says "it depressed me even though it was about pigeons kissing." I can empathise. You can grab a demo of that version here, from creator Hato Moa.

Porters Mediatonic and publishers Devolver Digital have put in more effort than needed for what could have been a simple publicity stunt. It's got a new ending, another scenario and "updated visuals" - whatever that means for a game that is mostly drawn classrooms with superimposed pictures of birds. You can watch a dreadfully unfunny launch trailer or you go grab it on Steam or GOG. Why don't you just stop pretending you're here for any reason other than the inevitable pun thread and get to it?