Beast-People Barbershop Game 'Kemono-tachi no Kamikiri-ya' Demo Hits Steam
The demo's release during Wholesome Celebration 2026 positions the game within a curated event for wholesome titles, signaling a deliberate marketing push for a niche narrative genre.
Key Facts
- The demo for 'Kemono-tachi no Kamikiri-ya' was released on Steam on August 7, 2026.
- The demo is available during the Wholesome Celebration 2026 event, which runs from August 7 to August 14.
- The game is developed by Safe Flight Games and published by SIGONO.
- The mirror preview mechanic is limited to three uses per customer due to overheating.
- Save data from the demo will not carry over to the full version.
Reporting from 2 sources: 4Gamer.net, Game Spark.
SIGONO began distributing the demo for 'Kemono-tachi no Kamikiri-ya' on Steam on August 7, 2026, timed with the Wholesome Celebration 2026 event running from August 7 to August 14. Developed by Safe Flight Games, the narrative adventure casts the player as Faydi, a barber in a multi-species city of beast people. The core loop pairs haircutting with conversation: customers talk about daily worries, romance, work, and prejudice, and the barber must infer what they truly want. A mysterious mirror, tied to a demon's contract, can preview hairstyles by combining front and back hair, but it overheats after three uses per customer. The demo's save data will not carry over to the full version. The full game is planned for PC via Steam. The story branches based on haircut results, affecting customer episodes, tip income, and the outcome of a deal with a demon who appears at the shop, offering a wish in exchange for a satisfying cut. The contract eventually connects to the protagonist's unresolved past.
- The demo launched at 2:00 JST on August 7 and runs through 2:00 JST on August 14, matching the Wholesome Celebration 2026 window on Steam.
- After closing, players check haircut results, customer reactions, and tips from a smartphone, along with news about the city and hints about the next customer.
- Progress unlocks shop redecorating and special events, turning the barbershop into a gathering place.
- Customers range from those who order clearly to those who speak indirectly, change their minds mid-cut, or cannot put their wishes into words.
- The mirror, tied to a demon's contract, reflects more than hairstyles as the story progresses.
- Successful cuts unlock deeper stories and new styles; failed ones can end some storylines on the spot, with endings framed as different life paths rather than simple good or bad outcomes.
- Game Spark's coverage places the game alongside other wholesome titles in the event, which features "healthy and gentle" works.
- 4Gamer.net notes the mirror can temporarily reflect what the barber is imagining, and the preview combines front and back hair before cutting.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.