Extraordinary dedication impossible commercially—sci-fi ADV “Nonapluna Nine: Asymptote” in dev 14 years【TGS2026】

From Thursday, September 17, 2026, through Sunday, September 20, 2026, the “Tokyo Game Show 2026” (hereinafter “TGS2026”), celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, was held at Makuhari Messe.

In this article, we’ll share our hands-on experience with one of the titles on display, *Nonapulnine: Asymptote*.

In this event-exclusive demo, players could choose between two modes: a “Prologue” that gathered story scenes from various parts of the main game to give a taste of the game’s overall atmosphere, and a “Special Area for Experienced Players” designed for those who had previously played the limited edition, where they could explore new locations and experience new events. Since this was my first time playing, I chose the former.

As an “Observer,” the player begins the game as if being guided by a “Guide”—a program guide dressed in a plain white lab coat and glasses.

Shortly after the game begins, two characters appear: “Nonapuru Nine,” a female test subject who claims to have no memories, and “Billion,” a white-haired, red-eyed female communication partner who is said to be the test subject immediately following Nonapuru Nine.

After driving the Guide away and finding herself alone with Nonapuru Nine, Billion confesses that she, too, has no memories. Two test subjects with no memories… in other words, they’re in a situation where, to put it bluntly, they can only rely on each other. The two decided to work together to escape from there.

Incidentally, judging from what Billion said, Nonapuru Nine seems to have committed murder without hesitation in the course of their escape… For better or worse, she gives the impression of having a mental age younger than her appearance suggests, as she doesn’t seem to distinguish between right and wrong.

After Nonapuru Nine and Billion met, another heartwarming event took place. When Nonapuru Nine said she wanted clothes once they got out of the facility, Billion smiled and told her he’d buy her anything—as long as it wasn’t some super high-end brand.Billion comes across as quite the caring type, and he makes a cute pair with the somewhat airheaded Nonapuru Nine.

In the final event, we discovered a video. It showed a girl who was neither Nonapuru Nine nor Billion, and the content was quite unsettling…

The video offers hints about the game’s world, such as the existence of insect-like creatures with wheels instead of legs—who may possess X-ray vision—and the recurring loop on the 32nd floor.

After watching this video, the demo ended. Finally, the guide gave us another overview of the game. There were plenty of images shown that we hadn’t seen this time around… I’m already looking forward to seeing what kind of story this will be.

Although the game’s development has now entered its 14th year, Steam lists its release date as 2027. Expectations are high!

"Nonapulnine: Asymptote" is scheduled for release in 2027 for PC (Steam).