Buzz or Die has released a Steam demo ahead of its October 27, 2026, launch. Created by Japanese indie developer Boa and published by Kodansha Game Lab, the point-and-click visual novel pits death row inmates against each other in a game show where viral videos determine their fate.
The demo covers the first scenario and is the first of four Kodansha Game Lab demos scheduled for announcement this week, with another arriving each day through Friday.
Turn Your Opponents’ Lives Into Viral Content
To win, you must investigate other contestants’ pasts and personalities, then use that information to produce short-form videos that attract the most likes.
You can sensationalize events and stretch the truth or take a documentary-style approach. Creating an attention-grabbing thumbnail is also part of the competition.
Victory brings acquittal and freedom. Losing means becoming model data for mass-produced androids, leaving contestants subject to indefinite exploitation as labor.
A Visual Novel About Exploitation and Public Judgment
Beneath its absurd game-show premise, Buzz or Die examines dignity, post-death exploitation, and how society treats people it considers unable to fit in.
Manga artist Atsushi Okada, known for Sōsei Yūgi and Tataki the Side Hustle, provides new character portraits, key visuals, and other still illustrations.
Buzz or Die launches October 27 on Steam.
