On October 2, 2026, Kanipro launched the Steam store page for "Utopia '97," a fixed-screen twin-stick shooter.
A complete turnaround from a “legendary irreverent game” to a utopian shooter set in a gentle world
This fixed-screen twin-stick shooter is said to be influenced by *Robotron 2084* and *Smash T.V.*
However, the game contains absolutely no violent elements. Players control the protagonist, a young boy named “Chen,” with the goal of teleporting their friends (cute animals) to an amusement park using magical flying kisses and projectiles that appear to be cinnamon sticks.
The game features multiple stages; to advance to the next stage, you must send a certain number of animals to the amusement park within the time limit for each stage. You can also absorb the green bullets fired by the animals using the “Rainbow Shield” to convert them into magical power. Be careful, though—you cannot absorb the purple bullets.
As some of you may have guessed from the title or the protagonist named “Chen,” this game is a reworked version of the irreverent twin-stick shooter *Hong Kong 2097*, which could not be sold on Steam, featuring new characters and graphics.According to the developers, “We were frustrated that we couldn’t release it on Steam, so after carefully considering our options, we decided to create this revamped version.”
"Utopia '97" is scheduled for release on PC (Steam) in the first quarter of 2027.
