Japanese indie developer daidai (who describes themselves as “not a fan of horror”), has revealed The Aquarium Does Not Dance: The Idol Who Wants to Die. This horror adventure game acts as a prequel to the 2024 title, The Aquarium Does Not Dance. The game’s Steam page has recently gone live, though a release date remains unannounced.
The Aquarium Does Not Dance: The Idol Who Wants to Die follows Hikaru, an aspiring idol who has faced failure and travels to the Bianca Aquarium with the intention of ending her life painlessly. There, she meets Holo, a cleaner wrasse—a vibrantly colored fish—who claims to be the “world’s cutest maid.” Holo has been seeking individuals willing to undergo the “Dirge of the Abysmal” ritual, which results in the death of the participant. When Holo promises a swift and painless demise, Hikaru agrees to the arrangement.
When Holo attempts to carry out the ritual on Hikaru, he discovers that a crucial item—a ring adorned with a rare blue gemstone—is a counterfeit. The authentic ring was pilfered by a thief characterized by pale skin and crimson eyes. As this thief leads Hikaru and Holo on a frantic pursuit through the aquarium, the duo must unravel puzzles and mysteries while evading monstrous entities referred to as “Creepies.” Ultimately, players will uncover whether Hikaru’s desire for oblivion is granted, as well as the underlying reasons behind Holo’s quest for human sacrifices.
Although The Idol Who Wants to Die shares certain elements with the original game, such as the Bianca Aquarium and the Creepies, its status as a prequel suggests that newcomers can enjoy the title without prior knowledge of the series.
Crafted by developer daidai and published by Frontier Works, The Aquarium Does Not Dance: The Idol Who Wants to Die is currently in development for Windows (Steam) and will support Japanese, English, Korean, as well as Traditional and Simplified Chinese languages. The game will feature full Japanese voiceovers.
The initial installment in the series, The Aquarium Does Not Dance, is available for free on Windows (Steam), though it lacks English support. A paid edition (which includes English support) can be found on Nintendo Switch.