Volcano Princess
A father-daughter raising simulator set in a fantasy kingdom.
Volcano Princess is a social simulation game developed by the Chinese studio Egg Catcher and published by Gamera Games. Players assume the role of a single father raising a young daughter in a fantasy kingdom. Released for Microsoft Windows on April 21, 2023, it had sold over 600,000 copies by July 2023.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Egg Hatcher
- Publisher
- Gamera Games
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox Series X/S
- Genre
- Raising Simulation, role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Players manage the daily activities of the daughter, who has stats such as strength, intelligence, emotion, and imagination. These can be increased by enrolling her in classes and managing her schedule. The daughter can learn skills from courses like music, painting, and fighting, and participate in activities such as work, adventures, gardening, dances, dice games, horse catching, and horse racing. As time passes, the daughter ages through different life stages, reflected in her appearance and new gameplay options. The player and daughter interact with many NPCs, who can form friendships or romantic relationships based on player decisions, affecting the game's ending. The game includes 330 illustrations and more than 50 endings.
Development and release
The game was developed by Egg Hatcher, a team of two students who graduated from the Communication University of China in 2019. It was adapted from their graduation project, which took four years to complete. On July 9, 2021, the Steam store page was released, and a trial was available at Shanghai CCG EXPO from July 15 to 18. The first trailer was published on September 15, 2022, with a trial version on Steam in October. Crowdfunding on Modian launched on October 3, 2022, ending on November 13, raising ¥320,000. The developers announced a February 2, 2023 release on November 22, but postponed it to April 2023 on December 30 due to quality improvements and the COVID-19 pandemic. Gamera Games announced the April 21, 2023 release on March 20, 2023. A new version on June 21, 2023 added Japanese language support, three new endings, and plot modifications, with the daughter voiced by Mai Nakahara. A Nintendo Switch version was announced on September 21, 2023, but development was suspended the following year. On April 29, 2024, Microsoft and Gamera Games announced availability on Xbox Game Pass. On June 17, 2025, Microsoft announced an Xbox Series X/S version for June 24 of the same year.
Reception
Amanda Yeo of Mashable described the game as 'as wholesome as parenting can get,' comparing it favorably to Princess Maker 2, calling it 'the experience nostalgic players remember Princess Maker 2 to be.' She noted a robust social system with multiple routes but pointed out numerous English localization errors and a few bugs at release, likening the game to 'a handmade gift' that 'isn't perfect, but is beautiful and made with heart.' Jenni Lada of Siliconera also compared it to the Princess Maker series, stating it 'lets you be more involved in your child's life' through father-daughter outings, calling it 'both more interactive and approachable.' Mr. Katoh of Game*Spark praised the easy-to-play, orthodox upbringing system and the atmosphere focusing on the parent-child bond, with good text and graphics. Kashiwamata of Dengeki Online appreciated that ending conditions are not determined by status alone, describing the story as 'very gentle' and healing. United Daily News praised the storytelling, art style, and diverse gameplay but criticized repetitive play and the lack of the father's plot in later stages, warning that the true ending may disgust some players. The game sold 150,000 copies within three days of release.
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