Monkeys!¡ Launches on Steam November 17 With English and Chinese Localization

Monkeys!¡, HARUKAZE's high-tempo romanti-slapstick visual novel, now has a release date for its international version. Publisher Shiravune has confirmed that the game will launch for PC via Steam on November 17, 2026, featuring English alongside Simplified and Traditional Chinese text.

The release brings a story originally launched in Japan in 2021 to a wider audience. Players follow Saruyoshi, a delinquent from an endangered boys' school who takes on the identity of “Julia” and infiltrates an elite girls' school as part of an unusual plan: improve the students' perception of boys, push the schools toward coeducation and save his own school from closure.

Quick Summary

• Title: Monkeys!¡
• Format: visual novel
• Steam genres: Adventure, Casual, Simulation
• Style: romanti-slapstick comedy
• Developer: HARUKAZE
• International publisher: Shiravune
• International platform: PC / Steam
• Steam release date: November 17, 2026
• Status: unreleased
• Steam price: unannounced
• Demo: available
• Demo content: first chapter
• Mode: single-player
• Steam Cloud: supported
• Text language: English
• Text language: Simplified Chinese
• Text language: Traditional Chinese
• Full voice: Japanese
• Japanese text on Steam: not listed for interface/subtitles
• Protagonist: Saruyoshi
• Disguised identity: Julia
• Target school: Garasunomiya Girls’ School
• Major character: Karasu Tsukishima
• Saruyoshi's goal: save his boys' school
• Strategy: convince Garasunomiya to become co-ed
• Central obstacle: poor perception of boys among its students
• Themes: crossdressing, school comedy, romance, friendship
• Steam structure: single-ending visual novel
• Story content listed by Steam: 2+ hours
• Creative team: staff associated with Marco & The Galaxy Dragon and The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart
• Original planning / scenario: Hato
• Original character design: cake
• Original Japanese release: October 29, 2021
• Original developer: HARUKAZE
• Original Japanese package price: ¥10,780 including tax
• Original Japanese download price: ¥8,800 including tax
• Original Japanese rating: 18+
• Steam App ID: 3883050
• Steam demo App ID: 4795630
• Steam localization announced: June 2026
• International release date announced: September 2026
• Current status: demo available, full release scheduled for November

Steam, Key Art and Monkeys!¡ Screenshots

Saruyoshi Becomes Julia to Save His School

The central setup of Monkeys!¡ starts with a serious problem delivered through deliberately exaggerated comedy.

Saruyoshi is a delinquent attending a boys' school that faces closure. One possible path to survival is to establish a coeducational arrangement with Garasunomiya Girls’ School, an elite institution attended by young women from prestigious families.

Unfortunately, the students of Garasunomiya do not have a particularly favorable view of boys.

With the assistance of Karasu Tsukishima, a wealthy girl bored with her everyday life, Saruyoshi enters the school disguised as a girl named Julia.

His mission sounds simple: convince the students that boys are not as hopeless as they believe.

In practice, that means solving problems around the school, maintaining his identity, building relationships and gradually becoming increasingly convincing in his behavior as a refined young lady.

High-Tempo Comedy From the Team Behind Marco and Noratoto

Steam describes Monkeys!¡ as a “wacky high-tempo” visual novel, a phrase that aligns closely with HARUKAZE's established style.

Shiravune also highlights the connection to the creative team behind Marco & The Galaxy Dragon and The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart, better known in Japan as Nora to Oujo to Noraneko Heart.

The original Japanese production credits Hato with planning and scenario duties and cake with character design.

Its presentation frequently uses rapid visual changes, exaggerated expressions and comic-panel-like framing to keep conversations moving at a fast pace.

Comedy is the immediate hook, but Saruyoshi's situation also creates room for ideas about friendship, the identities people present to others and the lengths someone will go to preserve a place tied to important memories.

Steam Brings English and Two Chinese Localizations

Accessibility is one of the biggest differences between the 2021 Japanese release and the upcoming Steam edition.

Steam currently lists English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese for interface and subtitles, while all voice acting remains in Japanese.

Japanese itself is not marked as an interface or subtitle language on the international Steam listing even though the original work is Japanese and retains full Japanese audio.

That configuration makes Shiravune's release primarily a localization for readers outside the original domestic market.

Shiravune describes itself as a Tokyo-based localization team focused on bringing Japanese games to new audiences in English and Chinese.

The Free Demo Includes the First Chapter

Players do not need to wait until November to see how the visual novel handles its story and comedy.

Shiravune released a free Monkeys!¡ demo through Steam in June 2026. The publisher states that it includes the entire first chapter.

The demo uses the same general language configuration planned for the full release: English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese text with Japanese voice acting.

The full game can also already be wishlisted on Steam.

A final Steam price has not been announced in the verified storefront information.

The Original Japanese Version Released in 2021

November 17 is not the first release of Monkeys!¡ as a work.

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Steam Frame

HARUKAZE launched the original Japanese edition on October 29, 2021, after opening its official website and preorder campaign earlier that year.

The original release carried a price of ¥10,780 for the package edition and ¥8,800 for the download edition, with an 18+ rating.

HARUKAZE also offered a range of launch and retailer bonuses including a booklet, full-theme-song CD, tapestries and other store-specific items.

The Shiravune Steam release is a separate international localization. Noisy Pixel additionally reports that an optional 18+ patch will be distributed through Johren, while the international base game itself is being marketed on Steam.

November Ends the Wait That Began With the June Steam Reveal

Shiravune opened the international Steam page for Monkeys!¡ in June 2026.

At the time, the publisher announced the localization and demo but stopped short of revealing the full release date. Steam simply listed the project as To be announced and allowed users to wishlist it.

The September 29 announcement finally fills that gap with a November 17, 2026 release date.

Some cached Steam pages retrieved during verification still display the older “To be announced” metadata. The November date comes from Shiravune's latest release announcement as reported by media following the announcement.

Pricing and an exact global unlock time therefore remain unannounced until the storefront receives further updates.

Why This Matters

1) Another HARUKAZE visual novel is receiving a broader official localization

English and both major Chinese text variants make a previously Japan-focused title accessible to a significantly wider readership.

2) Its premise immediately separates it from a conventional school rom-com

Saruyoshi does not infiltrate the girls' school simply in pursuit of romance; his initial motivation is saving his own school by improving the reputation of boys.

3) The demo makes its specific comedy style easy to evaluate

The first chapter is already playable, which is especially useful for a visual novel built heavily around pacing, dialogue and humor.

4) The November date completes the announcement that began in June

After several months with only a Steam page, wishlist and demo, the full localization now has a concrete launch date.

Game Information

For now, the additional important information currently known includes:

• the official game title is Monkeys!¡
• the developer is HARUKAZE
• the international publisher is Shiravune
• Shiravune is based in Tokyo
• the international version launches through Steam
• the latest release date is November 17, 2026
• that date was confirmed in Shiravune's latest announcement reported on September 29
• cached Steam results retrieved during verification still display To be announced
• that difference appears to reflect storefront metadata lag in the crawled version
• the Steam price remains unannounced
• no paid Steam preorder is available in the verified listing
• Steam wishlisting is available
• a free demo is available
• the demo contains the first chapter
• the full game's Steam App ID is 3883050
• the demo App ID is 4795630
• the game retains full Japanese voice acting
• English interface and subtitles are supported
• Simplified Chinese interface and subtitles are supported
• Traditional Chinese interface and subtitles are supported
• Japanese text is not marked for interface/subtitle support on the international listing
• Indonesian is not supported
• the game is a single-player visual novel
• Steam Cloud support is listed
• Steam Family Sharing is listed
• store genres are Adventure, Casual and Simulation
• Steam describes the release as a single-ending visual novel
• Steam lists 2+ hours of story
• the protagonist is Saruyoshi
• his disguised identity is Julia
• he infiltrates Garasunomiya Girls’ School
• Saruyoshi attends a boys' school threatened with closure
• his broader plan is to make the institutions coeducational
• Karasu Tsukishima assists Saruyoshi
• he attempts to improve the girls' view of boys
• his increasingly convincing Julia identity also confuses his friends back home
• the original Japanese version launched October 29, 2021
• HARUKAZE developed and published the original edition
• Hato handled planning and scenario
• cake handled character design
• the original package version cost ¥10,780 including tax
• the original download version cost ¥8,800 including tax
• the original Japanese edition carried an 18+ rating
• HARUKAZE included Amazon among its official package-edition retailers
• the original Amazon Japan listing uses ASIN B09CRKJB3Q
• Shiravune also publishes Marco & The Galaxy Dragon internationally
• Shiravune announced the Monkeys!¡ localization in June 2026
• the full release date followed in September 2026
• no final Steam price has been announced at verification time
• no exact worldwide unlock hour has been announced
• international information is available through Monkeys!¡ on Shiravune
• the storefront is available through Monkeys!¡ on Steam
• original information is available through the Monkeys!¡ Official Japanese Website
• original release details are available through the HARUKAZE Original Announcement
• demo and localization information is available through the Steam Community Announcement
• the latest release-date report is available through Noisy Pixel

Closing

Monkeys!¡ now has a firm international release schedule after its Steam page and demo first appeared in June. Shiravune's localized edition is scheduled for November 17, 2026, with English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese text alongside full Japanese voice acting.

Several commercial details still await storefront updates, particularly price and exact unlock time. With the first chapter already playable as a free demo, however, players can try HARUKAZE's high-tempo comedy before the full release arrives.