Shueisha Games and iMel announced the visual novel adaptation of Honobu Yonezawa’s critically acclaimed mystery novel, Seasons of Books and Keys for Nintendo Switch and Steam. Currently set to release Winter 2026, the game will adapt the first volume of the Toshoiin series, with a brand new episode, “Vintage Strange Stories” written for the game by Yonezawa. In addition the character art is drawn by Yoko Tanji, the illustrator for the original novel’s key visuals.
Seasons of Books and Keys is described as a coming of age mystery you experience with all five sense. After‑school, small mysteries slip quietly into the library, innocent at first glance, yet steeped in secrets and lies. Join two high‑school library committee members as they unravel each case through sight, sound, and story, turning every clue like a page in a book.
About Seasons of Books and Keys
A bittersweet, atmospheric narrative adventure that blends the experience of reading with the feeling of watching a drama.
Two male high school library committee members find themselves drawn into a series of unlikely cases: a safe that refuses to open, the theft of exam questions, the last book read by an upperclassman who took their own life, and a secret their own partner has been keeping. What begins as small mysteries tucked into ordinary school days slowly opens the door to someone’s secrets and lies.
Players step into the role of Jiro Horikawa, one half of the duo, listening to each request that comes into the library and threading the small inconsistencies together until the door to the truth opens.
The truth behind each client, the secret his partner keeps, and where the friendship between the two boys finally leads: it all waits inside.
Characters of Seasons of Books and Keys
Jiro Horikawa (Voice: Kazuki Ura)
People are forever bringing him their problems, and he tends to believe them. Beneath that easygoing manner is a sharp eye for detail. Ever since he started spending time with Matsukura, he keeps finding himself tangled up in strange situations.
Shimon Matsukura (Voice: Yuichirou Umehara)
Sardonic, and older than his years in the way he thinks. Tall and good-looking, he stands out in any room. Ever since he started spending time with Horikawa, he somehow keeps finding himself tangled up in one strange case after another.
What to Expect from the Seasons of Books and Keys Adaptation
Shueisha Games and developer iMel describe Seasons of Books and Keys as a ‘Drama-like adventure’ that blends the narrative storytelling of a novel with the visuals, voice acting and immersive investigations for a unique experience.
You take it in with your eyes, listen with your ears, and move it forward with your own hands, feeling the narrative through every sense as if you were watching a single, self-contained drama. The aim is to keep the lingering resonance of the printed page while giving it the immediacy of film, so that the smallest shifts in a character’s heart come through as something you feel rather than simply read.
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