Yamasen-Chan has a problem. Two, actually. She’s a hikikomori (“hermit who shuts themself off from the world to live in isolation”) and her bedroom is in dire need of a makeover. This is your chance to shine: as an unpaid Hermit Home Designer, you’re free to place her belongings however you see fit. Get creative, go crazy, or embrace minimalism. Then click that big ‘finished’ button to find out what fate has in store for Yamasen-Chan.
Part visual novel, part designing game, Hermit Home Designer really surprised me, as generally speaking, games that largely focus on designing areas with little to no functionality related to what goes where, well, they honestly bore me. No point beating around the bush. Chances are I’d have closed this one after a few minutes with a similar impression if not for the visual novel aspect, since it was made immediately apparent that there was a story waiting to unfold before my eyes; a character, heck, a world, to explore through whatever tidbits Yamasen-Chan was willing to share.
Her self-diagnosed status as a hikikomori means any and all social interactions are a huge no-no, however. Yet somehow, she’s willing to share a lot with the player. It does make sense if you stop to think about it though, just like everything else in the game. With six unique homes to design and more than a hundred different items to place wherever, there’s quite a hefty chunk to experience, and plenty of opportunities to unleash that interior decorator hidden deep beneath the surface.
Yamasen-Chan is a hikikomori who lives in isolation and never leaves her home. She really wants her home to look great!
Most of the items available even have a neat little description, adding to Yamasen-Chan’s character, although there are also some that… actually, you’ll just have to see for yourself. In fact, while I could definitely write plenty more about Hermit Home Designer, at this point, I’m struggling a bit to avoid spoiling unnecessarily, so how about instead I recommend grabbing a copy and giving it a go yourself? It’s not an overly lengthy experience, and yet it still managed to provide a decent amount of food for thought.
Hermit Home Designer is available on itch.io, for free.
