CIRCLEMATE: The pixel art SLG surpasses 30,000 copies

Steel Nyanko is an emerging band and their most ambitious project has already surpassed 30,000 copies sold in retail stores. doujin. CIRCLEMATE doujin game is a fully animated 2D pixel art sex training SLG, distributed via download and reserved for those over 18 years of age.

The game’s listing is dated July 17, 2026, with a price of 2,530 yen including tax and versions for Windows 11, iOS 18.0 or later, and Android 10.0 or later. It confirms voice acting and animation, and offers a demo version.

Portada de CIRCLEMATE juego doujin de Steel Nyanko con sus tres heroínas

CIRCLEMATE doujin game: top-down pixel art

In the doujin game CIRCLEMATE, the studio’s first decision is also the most noticeable: there are no static illustrations alternating with pixel art. The interface, environments, and conversations all share the same pixel art treatment, and the backgrounds invite you to linger. The bookshelf, the computer, or the whiteboard in the club’s classroom hold details between lines of dialogue.

The H-scenes are presented as large-screen pixel animation. The game takes liberties here, as the camera can be manipulated at will.

Pixel art sex training scene by CIRCLEMATE

Seven days of training and three heroines

The protagonist of the doujin game CIRCLEMATE lost his parents a month ago and lives in seclusion, his routine reduced to eating, sleeping, and masturbating. While browsing a fan site for a uragaka joshi—a secret photo and video account—an ad appears offering gentle sex training for those who don’t get along with women. With his recent inheritance and his sense of money thrown off, he signs up almost on impulse.

The program spans seven days. The journey begins with explicit verbal support and progresses towards increasingly physical practices until the protagonist’s first time, with situations that change in setting and tone.

Screenshot of a conversation with one of the heroines
Dialogue with Kasumi, the game instructor

In the doujin game CIRCLEMATE, Kasumi is the instructor: friendly, with a lascivious air, and sessions held at her home. Sumika is the only girl in the circle and a university student, keeping a low profile, and contact with her is concentrated in the association’s classroom. Tomi is the gyaru-style uragaka joshi who publishes her own material and whose account is accessed from the computer in the room.

Meeting with Sumika in the club classroom

All three share the same voice actress: Akiyama Haruru, who has experience in dramatic audio. The dubbing is complete and the recording is binaural, with whispers in the ear and voices coming from only one side, so headphones do half the job.

First day of the pixel art program
Publication of Tomi's secret account seen on the computer

The script is signed Nidone no Hito, a name known for the detail of her paizuri descriptions. The text exceeds 100,000 characters and relies on a relentless succubus slang.

Training session at the instructor's home

Peeping Tom mode, free camera and flowchart

In the doujin game CIRCLEMATE, there’s a second storyline that’s more than just window dressing: Kasumi, Sumika, and Tomi look remarkably alike, and the protagonist becomes obsessed with finding their shared trait. This is where the “peeping Tom” mode comes in, allowing the player to examine the heroine mid-conversation and note details like the position of a mole or the shape of a gesture.

Animated scene with the camera zooming in on the heroine

Each match noted increases the percentage of “probability of being the same person” and opens up different outcomes. It’s the part of the game that rewards looking twice before answering.

Detail of the classroom backgrounds drawn in pixels
Peeping Tom mode with the heroines' features and the percentage of match

Within the H-scenes of the doujin game CIRCLEMATE, the camera responds with zoom in and out, panning, and free framing. It also features an ejaculation countdown and the ability to jump to the moment before climax, as well as a flowchart that organizes routes and allows players to track individual scenes and endings.

Training sequence with instructor Kasumi
Animated pixel art sex scene by CIRCLEMATE
Flowchart screen with the routes and game endings

A new circle with 30,000 copies

Steel Nyanko presents itself as a newcomer to the scene, and that’s the most significant factor in the figure: in the case of the doujin game CIRCLEMATE, 30,000 copies isn’t a ceiling for an established franchise, but it is a serious mark for a debut title competing in a saturated market. The figure comes from the doujin retailer and doesn’t specify the timeframe in which it was accumulated.

The demo for the doujin game CIRCLEMATE is still available, allowing you to check out the pixel art and voice acting before making a decision. The frame-by-frame animation, full voice acting, and extended storyline are the three key elements that keep it interesting, beyond the sales figures.

Moment before climax with the countdown active

It remains to be seen whether the mystery of the three women and the voyeuristic aspect will hold up after seven days of repetition. Is it worth revisiting each scene just for the sheer pleasure of moving the camera around?

Nighttime encounter with one of the three women

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