What this game is about?

Shoujo City 2D, Shoujo City 3D, and the new game, Anime City, aren’t sequels or remakes of each other, but new projects built from a scratch around the same core idea. The main difference between these projects is quality and scope, which are increasing with each iteration.

Tokimeki Memorial, one of best known examples of a classic anime dating sim, was my main source of inspiration. In this game, if you want to interact with a girl, first you must improve your skills, e.g., if that girl likes drawing paintings, you should improve your art skills. After that you can ask her out and go on a date to a shrine, amusement park, etc. That’s the core game concept. Gameplay is mostly about reading texts appearing on screen (and making choices), and when it comes to improving you skills (another half of gameplay), you usually click on a button (“do music”, “do sports”, etc.), and your skills change without any further input.

The kind of game I always wanted to play is one built around the same concept, but where you can actually do all of these actions. E.g., if you want to improve your “music” skills to approach a girl from light music club, you’ll actually have to learn playing musical instruments. And when you later go with that girl on a date to a shrine, you actually can try your luck with omikuji, buy candy apples at a food stall, etc.

That’s the main reason why I started making video games and spent over 10 years already developing and refining a formula for a perfect anime school simulator. My main goal always was keeping aesthetics and traditions of a classic anime dating sim, but designing a game with fully interactive gameplay, where you always remain in control of everything you are doing.

Future development

Features that are planned for future updates after first release:

• More NPCs to interact with. The final goal is to add 8 characters who can be asked out on actual dates/interactions (4 boys and 4 girls). Right now there are only 2 girls.
• Full year cycle (affecting weather, foliage, harvestable resources) in addition to day/night cycle.
• At least 2 more school clubs (drama and photography) in addition to those already available (4).
• At least 2 more locations (Buddhist temple and shop for clothes).
• More content for each activity/feature. This goal doesn’t have any specific target numbers, since most features can be expanded indefinitely (e.g., more clothes to wear, recipes to cook, plants to grow, etc.), so new content will be added here within limits of what can be reasonably achieved by a solo developer.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2215410/Anime_City/

After 4 years of development, Anime City is finally approaching the first release on Steam.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2215410/Anime_City/

Update 1.12 for Shoujo City 3D is released on Steam, Google Play, and the App Store. Here is what is new:

• Added tanning booths in the beauty salon (school map), allowing to adjust skin color of player’s character and girlfriend.
• Added more interior details in the beauty salon.
• Replaced most background buildings in apartment, Summer Town, Akihabara, and school maps with higher quality models (12 new designs).
• Added various new street details: water tanks, air conditioning units, electrical cubicles, scooters, etc.
• Fixed an error with missing mikan tree in pot.
• Coloring mini-game now requires 75% accuracy instead of 90%.
• Replaced sound effect for all doors and fixed door stuttering movement while opening/closing.
• Removed fixed camera controller on apartment balcony (now it can be viewed with regular free camera).

Shoujo City 2D (originally released in 2015) was updated, all paid content that in the past could be accessed by buying “Master Key” is now completely free. I would like to thank all the people who bought full version of this game in the past, because that’s what allowed me to continue working on this concept and move on to create next version, Shoujo City 3D. Since there were no content updates since many years ago, the game’s monthly sales became close to zero by now, so I think it is fair to make it completely free to let everybody experience all the content.

Updated version is available on Google Play and the App Store:

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.laikastudio.shoujocity

iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/shoujo-city-anime-game/id1128360282

Update 1.11 for Shoujo City 3D is released on Steam, Google Play, and the App Store. Here is what is new:

• Added various interior items in school (curtains, window blinds, posters, paintings, flowers in pots).
• Added menu in the in-game phone explaining controls (for mobile version).
• New clothes and accessories in the convenience store:

* strawberry hairpins, clover hairpins;
* sunglasses, round glasses, including color variations (7 in total);
* t-shirts (2 designs);
* new plants for house decoration: monstera and dieffenbachia;
* new painting;

• Small interior redesigns in the convenience store (added clothes racks).
• Fixed a few minor texture and sprite issues.
• Removed the event where girlfriend was asking for ice cream. She will just ask for food now.

Update 1.10 is released on Steam and mobile stores:

• PC and Android version: two original dakimakura covers are redesigned with better quality. One new dakimakura cover (sold in Akihabara).
• All versions: New collectible crystal ball (room decoration item). Can be obtained as one of random prizes in the water gun mini-game (Summer Town map).
• iOS and Android version: improved touchscreen controls: camera now can be rotated using entire screen area, scrollbar zoom is replaced with pinch zoom.
• iOS: For devices with notch, black padding on sides of the screen is now enforced.

Update 1.9 for Shoujo City 3D is released on Steam, App Store, and Google Play. Here is what is new:

• New deer in the shrine map. To feed them, buy deer crackers and walk towards deer with a cracker placed in your “hand” slot.
• Generic packages for some food items are replaced with actual 3D models: daikon, carrot, cucumber, shiitake, sweet potato, egg, omurice, fried egg, tonjiru, gyoza.
• New umbrella with cat and dots pattern (sold in covenience store).
• Redesign of mini-PC (one of three PCs sold in the convenience store).
• Added a few small details (signs, cash registers, etc.) in school, Akihabara, and Summer Town map.
• Fixed a bug that prevented girlfriend sitting on a chair to play piano (chairs were too close).
• Corrected a minor error with position of food spawned on tables.

Update 1.8 for Shoujo City 3D is released on Steam, App Store, and Google Play.

• Game engine is updated to Unity 2021.
• All translations are updated according to the game’s wiki.
• Demon horns and demon tail for cosplay (sold in convenience store).
• Advertisement posters in Akihabara. You can obtain a new promotional poster and place it on wall in your apartment room.
• Fixed a bug which allowed girlfriend to sit on chairs or spots already occupied by dakimakura.
• Fixed a bug which allowed placing dakimakura on chair or spot already occupied by other dakimakura or girlfriend.
• Screen resolution settings are now available in “SETTINGS” menu (for Windows and MacOS versions).

The new game I have been working on for over a year already – Anime City – is coming to Steam in 2024. You can add it to your Steam wishlist now:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2215410/Anime_City/

The game is built on the same core ideas as Shoujo City 2D and Shoujo City 3D, and is focused on high school life and building relationships with one of dateable characters you can meet throughout gameplay. But it’s neither a remake nor a sequel to the two previous games: all the assets and gameplay mechanics are being designed from a scratch. Please check the linked Steam page for more details.

EDIT: release is delayed from 2023 to 2024.

Update 1.7 for Shoujo City 3D is released on Steam, Google Play, and the App Store. This is a small patch that contains mostly updated translations. There are also new prizes for water gun mini-game in the Shinto shrine map – daruma and maneki neko; Water gun stalls in all maps were updated to show some of prizes that can be obtained after completing the mini-game.