Following a delay that shifted the game’s release from spring to summer 2026—owing to its crowdfunding campaign being “too successful” and reaching over 1,690% of its initial target—publisher ILLUMINATION has recently confirmed that Super Real Mahjong Venus Returns will launch on Steam on August 27.
Super Real Mahjong stands as one of Japan’s most iconic “strip mahjong” franchises. Originating in the 80s as an arcade game, the series later expanded to consoles and PCs, and is now set to make a significant comeback with its first 3D VR-supported entry, Super Real Mahjong Venus Returns.
During a recent interview with Famitsu, producer Kentaro Matsui and director Yoshi-K discussed the meticulous effort behind the game’s creation, particularly the development process for the stripping animations of the four heroines.
Yoshi-K revealed that before implementing the stripping motions via motion capture, the development team members personally tested various stripping actions in real life.
“We invested significant effort into making the stripping process enjoyable. This time, we used motion capture for the undressing animations, but to test them, all of us game designers gathered and actually tried taking off our clothes. We’d receive serious critiques on how us older guys strip clothes, like ‘Mr Yoshi-K, you’re unzipping that a little too fast’ (laughs). That’s the kind of process the motions were gradually refined upon,” Yoshi-K remarked.
The animation process was exceptionally detailed, especially for the animations of the clothes being stripped. While motion tracking was primarily used for capturing the undressing movements, everything else, including the fabric’s stretching, was done manually.
“Technically, our approach is quite similar to claymation. The designers put a lot of determination and effort into animating the 3D models for the clothes, making them move manually bit by bit,” Yoshi-K explained.
The team attempted various 3D animation techniques, such as physics simulation, to automate and simplify the process. However, achieving natural-looking animations proved challenging, leading them to decide that animating everything by hand was the best approach.
As a tribute to the classic Super Real Mahjong, the developers adhered to the same production process, including drawing actual storyboards and using them as blueprints for the animations.
“To be completely honest, I feel that, in a sense, even modern technology can’t fully surpass the animation of that era. Many fans say that the ‘flavor’ (of animation) back then was great, and I truly respect that,” Matsui added. “However, I also believe that we can compete in certain aspects by leveraging VR technology, which is unique to our time. That’s why I’m seriously determined to make it into a game that will surpass the original.”
Super Real Mahjong Venus Returns is set to launch on PC (Steam) on August 27.