For those who may be taken aback by this, series creator Sayori has revealed that the world of Nekopara has always been set in a near-future science fiction environment; fundamentally, it’s a completely AI-controlled dystopia.
This disclosure arrives with the launch of Nekopara Sekai Connect (often shortened to NekoConne), a fresh mobile and PC game that extends the narrative beyond the initial titles. While earlier installments primarily centered on romantic, everyday interactions, NekoConne shifts toward examining the wider consequences of the series’ world-building, a facet that dedicated fans had only caught glimpses of in pieces.
“From the outset, the Nekopara world was conceived as near-future sci-fi. However, since we believed that audiences would enjoy it more if we centered the genre on romantic interactions with the girls, we didn’t delve deeply into the world-building,” Sayori clarified in a conversation with DengekiOnline. She also plans to utilize this specific mobile game to address fan inquiries about the world, leveraging the “flexibility and long-term nature of the live-service format.”
Sayori also detailed her reasoning for selecting AI as a central theme. “I believe many are curious about the notion that ‘cats were created by AI,’ but from the very start, the original setting already portrayed them as beings artificially crafted by a major corporation. When we explored how they would realistically be created, we determined that incorporating AI made the story more cohesive.”
This choice directly aligns with NekoConne’s broader setting, a society steered by advanced AI systems. Sayori described it as a “perfectly calculated” world under a “singularity × dystopia” framework, where human autonomy is notably curtailed. “Most humans wouldn’t be able to resist it,” she noted, explaining that in such a context, “as long as you don’t overthink things, it’s simple to live a content life.” Nevertheless, throughout the narrative, the main characters will need to challenge the AI-run world and uncover “what genuine happiness means to them.”
Regarding the remake initiative for the original Nekopara visual novel series, the Nekopara Love Project, the director mentioned that it will feature newly added episodes that delve into the backgrounds of characters such as Chocola and Vanilla, and that the original game served merely as a “prologue” to the full series, intended to build anticipation for NekoConne. All illustrations were also redone so the remake wouldn’t seem out of sync with NekoConne.
With over 100 characters planned and ongoing content updates, plus the opportunity for players to romance all the catgirls, NekoConne aims, as the creator puts it, to achieve world domination through cuteness, or Cute Domination!
Nekopara Sekai Connect (NekoConne) is now available for Android and iOS. It supports both Japanese and English languages. The game is also slated for release on Steam later this year.
Mido