Hanafuda Otome Game ‘Hana Awase New Moon’ Gets October Release Date in New Trailer

Dramatic Create has shared a new trailer for Hana Awase New Moon. While the video is a promotional reel for Mizuchi Volume, the first one in the series, it reveals the four individual games will be out on Nintendo Switch on October 26, 2023. This will be the first time these otome visual novels with a hanafuda motiff receive English translations as the publisher will release them worldwide.

Hana Awase tells the story of Mikoto, a young woman who’s fascinated by card games as well as cooking and sewing. Once she gets to know the Kasen game, a special Hanafuda variation, she is allured by its depths but isn’t skilled in it. However, as part of a special academy focused on the game, she’ll have the chance to become a Minamo, a maiden who brings inspiration to the top male students known as the Gokou.

Part of the appeal of Hana Awase is its inspiration in classic Japanese poetry, with characters inspired by historical poets and poems. There are four games (Mizuchi, Himeutsugi, Karakurenai/Utsutsu, and Iroha), each of which has one or two main characters but they also include other short routes.

Each volume offers a different universe with slight alterations to characters’ personalities, traits and functions. Despite that, it’s still better to play them by release order to get the most out of the experience. The games also include a hanafuda minigame which has been updated for this new release.

Check out the new trailer: