Village in the Shade: Nippon Ichi's new game announced
A sunny farming simulator, but one that hides a dark secret
Publisher NIS America announces Village in the Shade, a title developed by Japanese studio Nippon Ichi, known in its home country as Honogurashi no Niwa. On the surface, it's a bucolic farming simulator, where players can live a peaceful life immersed in the mountain community revolving around the village of Kagatsu, a picture enhanced by a charming hand-drawn graphic style.
Beneath this reassuring surface, however, lies a much darker reality. A code, a series of rules passed down from generation to generation, governs the community: those who violate them could face a terrifying fate... At night, the evocative landscapes become sinister settings. Village in the Shade thus blends two souls: on one hand, that of farming sims, with agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, and so on, and on the other, it takes on a horror tint.
When and where Village in the Shade will be released
NIS America will publish Village in the Shade in fall 2026. The game will be released on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, and PC (Steam). On console, in addition to the Standard version, two special physical editions will also be available:
Deluxe Edition
- The game
- Mini artbook
- Digital soundtrack
Limited Edition
- The game
- Artbook
- Soundtrack on CD
- Collector's box
- Pins
- Stickers
- Acrylic block with artwork