Iwaihime will finally get an official release with English subtitles for the first time. ShiraVN will publish the visual novel internationally on Steam in October 2020 with Japanese voiceovers, as well as Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese subtitles.
Iwaihime is a horror visual novel written by Ryukishi07, who is also well-known for the When They Cry series. The player assumes the role of Susumu Susuhara (voiced by Makoto Furukawa), a second-year high school student who recently transferred to Susuda Prefectural High School. The story will focus on his encounter with Toé Kurokami (voiced by Chinatsu Akasaki), a mysterious schoolgirl who always holds a Japanese doll at all times.
The visual novel was originally released on PCs in Japan on January 29, 2016, through the DMM platform. Nippon Ichi Software later ported it as Iwaihime: Matsuri, which was released on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita on September 7, 2017. The console releases were noted for receiving a CERO Z rating due to the inclusion of gore and imagery that are totally inappropriate for children.
This updated re-release of the visual novel will bring in some of the adjustments to the scenario and illustrations made in Matsuri. The PlayStation ports added an extra route with the Musubihime Chapter that focused on the class teacher Mayu Hinagata; this episode will also be available as a separate DLC.
The new release of Iwaihime, which officially includes English subtitles for the first time, will be available on Steam in late October 2020. The Steam page, which also has the demo version available right now, specifically noted that it will launch on October 23, 2020. In Japan, this re-release shall be known as Iwaihime: Kokusai-ban (International Edition).
