Robot Hospice, a Game About Caring for Robots at End of Life, Released Free on Steam
The game's all-positive early reviews and free release model suggest a niche but receptive audience for emotionally weighty, non-combat robot-themed storytelling in the indie space.
Reporting from 2 sources: Automaton, Game Spark.
Developer Buttercup garden, operated by doko, released the 2D pixel-art adventure game 'Robot Hospice' for free on Steam on June 10. The game is set in a near-future facility where robots that have outlived their human families spend their final moments. The player takes the role of a new staff member named Midori, who interacts with five robots, each with distinct personalities, pasts, and memories. In one day, Midori can only talk to one robot, and repeated conversations build trust. The robots sometimes present difficult choices with no easy answers, and the player's role is to decide what is best for them to meet a peaceful end. There is one ending, but how the player parts with each robot depends on their choices. The game uses simple 2D dot-pixel art and Famicom-style music. As of the article's publication, about 10 Steam user reviews had been submitted, all positive. A browser version is planned for release around July. Doko cited childhood feelings toward pet robots and robot vacuum cleaners, and the novel 'Klara and the Sun' by Kazuo Ishiguro, as inspirations for the game's theme of hoping for a happy end for robots.
The game is the first title released under Buttercup garden, doko's personal game development circle. Doko is also involved in the wizard adventure RPG "Hisa to Yomi" (Chapter 1 currently available) under the group teamAimaigo. The release date of June 10 was chosen to coincide with "Robot Day" in Japan, with the game going live at 10:00 PM JST.
Game Spark has published a developer interview with doko, who cited the game "MOTHER" as an influence. In the interview, doko described the game's guiding principle as having "only one rule: 'kindness.'" The developer also stated they are "happy to have been able to release it with the help of many people" and that they "sincerely hope this game reaches those who need it."
The estimated playtime is 1 to 2 hours. A browser version is planned for release around July. As of publication, approximately 10 Steam user reviews had been submitted, all of which are positive.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.