Ah, I remember when VR Kanojo first came out. Developed by Japanese eroge studio ILLUSION, the game’s English language release dropped on Steam in 2018 and quickly wowed the gaming community.
As the name implies, VR Kanojo is a VR-only experience. The game lets players interact with a realistic-looking Japanese school girl named Sakura Yuuhi. Immersive adult-oriented VR gameplay is the major selling point with VR Kanojo, as an 18+ patch offers players the opportunity to have VR sex with the girl-next-door character (to be clear, the Steam Store page for the game states Sakura is an adult).
“You’ll practically feel her breath on your cheek and the warmth of her fingers on your arm as you laugh and talk the day away,” the VR Kanojo page says. “Better yet, VR controllers simulate your hands in-game, letting you interact with her more directly. Just imagine all the possibilities!”
Oh, the possibilities indeed. VR Kanojo definitely convinced many lewd gamers to go ahead and pick up their first VR headset. Or as one Steam user commented after playing the game for around two hours, “Gooner activities were comitted [sic].” Now, it seems that Steam fan will be able to commit more gooner activities in VR. Just not quite yet.
‘VR Kanojo’? No, this is ‘VR-Kanojo’
If you’re familiar with the Japanese adult gaming industry, then the name “ILLUSION” likely gave you pause. The (in)famous h-game developer shuttered in August 2023, seemingly taking VR Kanojo down with it — given the studio’s new iteration ILLGAMES has focused on spiritual successors to Koikatsu Party, HoneySelect 2, and Artificial Academy 2 instead.
Things changed for VR Kanojo fans in 2024. That April, a new company named ILLUMINATION sprung from ILLUSION’s ashes. Five months later, ILLUMINATION launched a crowdfunding campaign on Campfire for a game called VR-Kanojo.
According to a translation of VR-Kanojo’s fundraiser, the VR h-game is being led by the original producer behind VR Kanojo, Yuna Yuna. Other members on the team include 18-year ILLUSION veteran Genz, who worked as lead character artist and art director for VR Kanojo, as well adult writer Rei Takanami.
VR-Kanojo’s September campaign started with a goal of 2 million yen, or roughly $13,660 USD at the time. By the end, it raised over 23.3 million yen from over 800 backers, earning the studio approximately $155,990 USD in funds.
As for gameplay? Sakura Yuuhi returns (this time confirmed to be “over the age of 21”), and players can expect to give her cake, take a bath together, and even watch a film. A preview screenshot shows Sakura’s outfits will be customizable, as players will be able to put her in a bunny suit or change her bra. And yes, immersive VR-oriented sex scenes return, complete with jiggly breast physics. There’s even a realistic fluid simulation system in place. Clearly for bathtime and nothing lewder, right?
Sorry, your VR girlfriend isn’t ready to come over yet
Just don’t expect to get your hands on VR-Kanojo right away. Originally, the game was planned for winter 2024. Then VR-Kanojo was delayed to February 2025, after which it was delayed yet again due to “extensive modifications required for Steam approval.”
Fans expected the game to launch on April 24th, just a week from today. But now? The game has been delayed once again, this time after an April 2nd trailer showed Sakura in action. Japanese and English-speaking fans alike criticized Sakura Yuuhi’s appearance in the video, believing VR-Kanojo’s star girlfriend had outdated texturing and modeling work. ILLUMINATION heard fan feedback, and agreed that Sakura (and the overall graphics behind the game) were not up to par. As a result, the team decided to push the game back to “summer 2025.”
“After careful internal discussions, we have concluded that additional development time is needed to meet expectations and deliver a higher-quality experience,” ILLUMINATION wrote on Steam. “We sincerely apologize to everyone who has been looking forward to the game, and appreciate your understanding and continued support.”
‘VR-Kanojo’: Worth the wait, or just go on ‘VRChat’?
So, will VR-Kanojo be the most immersive girlfriend simulator ever? Will it provide some of the greatest VR sex gameplay you could possibly imagine? I don’t think so. VR Kanojo was incredible when it first came out, but the adult VR space has advanced beyond the minimal interactions ILLUSION’s VR sex sim provided. Today, anyone can hop into VRChat, download an ERP-ready avatar, and go looking for a VR hookup. Why buy a VR sex simulator when having VR sex with another person is arguably cheaper?
Then again, AI ERP chatbots, sex dolls, and dakimakuras are all popular for a reason. There’s something very indulgent about having your own fictional girlfriend, a partner who will do whatever you want, whenever you want. So I get the appeal, even if I worry VR-Kanojo might inevitably show its age.
But VR-Kanojo can still win me over if ILLUMINATION truly improves Sakura’s model. C’mon, Genz, give me a 3D girlfriend with detail beyond compare. Design something that would be far too taxing for VRChat to handle. If Sakura truly looks like a 20-something woman, right down to the intricacies of her skin and hair physics, then I’ll be on board for VR Kanojo’s sequel.
Regardless? I’ll probably end up picking up VR-Kanojo anyway. If not to try the sex sim aspects, least to review the game and compare it to the rest of the lewd VR gaming sphere.
The post Remember That VR Girlfriend Game? It’s Getting a Sequel… Eventually appeared first on VICE.
