Hyouka Author’s Novel The Season of Books and Keys Gets Game Adaptation
Shueisha Games has announced a game adaptation of Yonezawa Honobu’s mystery novel The Season of Books and Keys (本と鍵の季節), with an announcement trailer released to showcase the project’s world. The author is best known for Hyouka and the “Small Citizen” series. Titled a “drama-like adventure,” the game adapts the original novel’s scenarios with colorful illustrations and full voice acting, and is slated for release this winter on Nintendo Switch and PC platforms. The adaptation also includes a brand-new episode written specifically for the game.
The story follows a pair of male high school library committee members who solve puzzling cases brought to the after-school library — mysteries that seem trivial at first but conceal someone’s secrets or lies. Players take the role of Horikawa Jiro, a trusting student with sharp insight, who investigates alongside his cynical, mature partner Matsukura. Cases include an unopenable safe brought by a cheerful senior, the theft of test questions, and the last book read by a senior who took their own life, eventually leading to the partner’s own hidden secret.
Beyond the original novel’s scenarios, the game includes a newly written episode titled “Used Kitan” (ユーズド奇譚), created specifically for this adaptation. Main character designs come from Tanji Yoko, who illustrated the original novel’s key visual. The title is described as a new form of adventure that fuses the experience of reading text with watching a story, letting players immerse themselves in the narrative through all five senses like a drama. The game will support Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.
The Season of Books and Keys is being developed by iMel Co., Ltd. and published by Shueisha Games, with a release planned for this winter on Nintendo Switch and PC. The game supports a single player, with pricing and age rating yet to be determined. Given the acclaimed author’s track record and the addition of a brand-new episode, this adaptation looks like one to keep an eye on for fans of literary mysteries — especially with Chinese language support confirmed for international players.
