Article Lead Image

Hatoful Boyfriend Kickstarter to make pigeon plushies smashes funding goal

This is how you know a game is popular.

 

Imad Khan

Internet Culture

Posted on Nov 20, 2015   Updated on May 27, 2021, 3:08 pm CDT

Are you more of a Kazuaki or a Yuuya type of girl? If you know what that means, you’ll be happy to know that a new Kickstarter for the game Hatoful Boyfriend: A School of Hopes and White Wings has surpassed its initial goal—by a lot.

Hatoful Boyfriend is a Japanese dating simulator in which your goal is to date a sentient pigeon. In a sign of its intense popularity, the Kickstarter campaign to start producing Hatoful Boyfriend plushies far exceeded its goal, surpassing $110,000 after setting a $25,000 target.

Dating simulator games are decently popular in Japan, and some have made their way across the Pacific. Hatoful Boyfriend is one of those games.

The game earned a cult following when it was released in Japan in 2011 and in the West in 2014. With its ridiculous premise and funny scenarios, it received a decent amount of praise from gamers and critics alike.

Hatoful Boyfriend is meant to parody many dating sims and otome-style games. Otome-gemu translates to “girl games.” Each of your potential suitors fall into certain stereotypical archetypes. There’s the rich Tsundere, someone who on the outside is very cold but in reality has feelings for you. And there’s the supportive childhood friend. But again, these are all pigeons.

If you want your own adorable pigeon plushy, you’ll need to drop at least $16. And if you want to see what it would be like to date a sentient pigeon, the game itself is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Playstation 4, and PS Vita.

H/T Destructoid | Photo via .Jocelyn./Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Share this article
*First Published: Nov 20, 2015, 9:00 am CST