Buy a Croquette!

Buy a Croquette!

Released Apr 2024

March 2012, Nagano. The brave and clever high school girl, Chio Aozora, is facing a major crisis: she doesn’t have enough money to buy a croquette! Navigate through the streets and alleys of Nagano, interact with a variety of characters, solve complex puzzles, collect 380 yen, and buy a croquette!

98% positive · 8,698 reviews
Not yet
Released, content planned but development status unclear
Low confidence
Content Planned
Development Uncertain
Not yet
Released, content planned but development status unclear
Low confidence
Content Planned
Development Uncertain

Where to get it

Free on Steam

Evaluation

Buy a Croquette! released on April 27, 2024 as a free-to-play adventure game and has received consistent post-launch support. The developer shipped several feature patches and bug fixes in the months following launch, culminating in a substantial V1.2.0 update on the game's one-year anniversary (April 27, 2025) and a further V1.2.1 patch on August 5, 2025. The game also won a Best Narrative award at the 2025 CJDC Indie Game awards, and the developer announced in February 2025 that English and Japanese localizations are in preparation. However, a notable outstanding commitment exists: in May 2024, the developer explicitly announced that a new story DLC expanding the game's narrative would be developed, and ran a player survey to gather input on what players wanted to see. The post stated plainly that "croquette will release new DLC storylines in the future." As of the most recent developer communication on August 5, 2025, this story DLC has never been mentioned again — no release date, no progress update, no cancellation notice. The only DLC currently on the store are the Original Art Collection and the Guidebook, both of which launched alongside the base game in April 2024. Because the developer has continued actively posting but has not addressed the status of the promised story DLC in over a year, it is unclear whether that content is still being developed, has been deprioritized, or has been quietly shelved.
Evidence
Developer explicitly announced a future story DLC expanding the main game's narrative, and launched a player survey collecting input on desired story content. The post stated this DLC would bring continued adventures for the main characters.
news post · May 23, 2024 source content planned
high
V1.2.1 patch released alongside announcement of a Best Narrative award win at 2025 CJDC Indie Game awards. No mention of the previously announced story DLC.
news post · Aug 5, 2025 source development ongoing
medium

Content

2 of 2 released · no outstanding content

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Eternal Dream
Achievements
14
Platform
Windows
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

Despite eating two boxes of bento for lunch, Chio Aozora's stomach is rumbling again!
"It's been such a long time since I last had a croquette. I really miss that crispy, golden goodness…”

The familiar aroma of croquettes is so tempting, but Chio has forgotten to bring money!
"I think I tucked some money into my textbook, but I left the textbook at school..."

Collect 380 yen in the shopping streets of Nagano to buy the croquette Chio has been dreaming of!
"But... where should I start?"

Help out at the store, run errands, collect urban legends, play word games, and even rummage through trash cans – all to get the yen coins you need!
"I never thought I'd have to resort to rummaging through the trash..."

The game features simple puzzles, mild depictions of horror (no chase scenes though!), multiple endings, and all sorts of quirky elements. Of course, there are also croquettes!

Tips on How to Buy a 380-Yen Croquette:

  • Yen coins are hidden all over Nagano! Investigate trash bins, bathroom sinks, park slides, vending machines, and other places throughout Nagano’s streets and alleys to find lost coins!

  • Be a good citizen by helping others! The kind-hearted Chio Aozora will assist the residents of Nagano with various requests, from finding lost items to counting the convenience store inventory, from solving mysterious cases to tailing suspicious individuals... There's nothing a high school girl can't do!

  • Uncover the buried secrets of Nagano! A notebook sealed with passwords and secrets… could it lead to a hidden treasure? Misplaced crates, Penrose stairs, abandoned houses, word games... Solving these puzzles might lead to unexpected rewards...

  • Receive the croquette from kind-hearted people! There might be ways to get a croquette without collecting coins. Maybe someone can lend Chio some yen, or maybe even hand over their croquette – Chio might even be able to get a free meal from the croquette vendor... All of these choices will lead to different endings!

  • Deal with unexpected crises (if you make a wrong choice)! While Chio is collecting coins, some choices might lead her into dangerous situations – she might encounter some terrifying urban legends!

Game Duration: 4-10 hours
Number of Endings: 12 (including 4 hidden endings)

A Brief How-to-Play:
Use the arrow keys to move the character, and press the ESC/X key to open the menu. Press the space bar to interact with NPCs/objects in front of you.

If you get stuck, you can refer to the free DLC – Nagano Survival Guide.

A high school girl who loves croquettes. She has to collect 380 yen to buy the croquette that she dreams of because she had forgotten to bring money.

Chio Aozora's best friend, who is always there for her (and Chio for her!). She can be a bit of a chatterbox sometimes.

The boy Chio Aozora has a crush on. He seems to be a delinquent student who often skips class, but he is gentle to Chio.

Producer, Script: Yueqing (越青)
Art: Yueqing (越青), Guangnianchi (广廿尺), Yuriko (百合子), ONE, Jichuanli (几串栗),StarwingSakura(星羽樱)
Publisher: Eternal Dream
(Details on sourced assets in the game can be found in the end credits.)

Last evaluated Jun 21, 2026
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