Insects Awaken
Released May 2025
Insects Awaken is a puzzle visual novel set in the 1940s. It follows the story of Chen Shan, a young man entangled in espionage while defending his family and homeland. He embarks on a journey between the isolated cities of Chongqing and Shanghai, braving the chaos of war with his passion and youth.
89% positive · 464 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to buy
Steam $8.99
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Evaluation
Insects Awaken launched on May 21, 2025 after a long and difficult development period by the small HelloMeow studio. On launch day (May 22, 2025), the developer published a heartfelt letter disclosing that the studio had officially disbanded upon completing the game. Despite disbanding, the remaining team members committed to continuing maintenance — fixing bugs, optimizing content, and supporting players remotely from their respective homes.
True to that promise, the team delivered several post-launch patches: a content/feature patch on May 25 (fixing the final ending unlock and adding save slot improvements), another on May 28 (adding keyboard shortcuts and UI improvements), and a more substantial update on June 27 (adding a new CG for the final ending, text speed controls, and macOS support). The June 27 post explicitly framed this update as fulfilling all the post-launch promises the team had made to players, describing it as a "the exam is over" moment — signaling that the team had completed the improvements they set out to make. The most recent post, from September 30, 2025, was a minor typo-fix patch accompanying a seasonal sale, with the team reiterating their commitment to ongoing maintenance.
There is no announced future content, no unreleased DLC, no roadmap, and no post-launch pattern of major content expansions. The developer explicitly stated the studio is disbanded and framed the June 2025 update as completing their post-launch obligations. The September 2025 patch represents continued maintenance rather than new content development. This is a completed visual novel that shipped as a finished product and has since received post-launch polish — the content is now complete.
Evidence
Developer described this update — which added the final ending CG, text speed controls, and macOS support — as fulfilling all the post-launch promises made to players, using language like 'the exam is over.' Framed as the completion of their post-launch obligations.
Developer announced the studio has officially disbanded upon the game's release, but the remaining team members will continue to maintain the game remotely — fixing bugs and optimizing content — for the foreseeable future. No future content expansions were announced.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
HelloMeow
Achievements
34
Platform
Windows, macOS
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player
About this game
Background Introduction
This is not a simple espionage text-based puzzle game.Here, you will--
Witness the turbulent whirlpool of espionage from an outsider's perspective.
Search for clues in the piles of documents, capturing echoes of history.
Navigate between the two isolated cities of Chongqing and Shanghai using the map, recreating the story scenes.
Delve into intricate and complex relationships among characters, influencing the future and destiny of every party involved.
If you are a fan of espionage—
This time, you can be a bystander of history, or write a new chapter.
Insects Awaken is a visual novel where the main gameplay revolves around reading and immersing yourself in the stories of the Republic of China era (1912-1949).
Unlike traditional visual novels, Insects Awaken features two city maps, Chongqing and Shanghai, where you can choose the locations for events to unfold and shape the storylines.
In the game, time passes on a daily basis, and you can collect clues and deduce events within each day.
If unsatisfied with the completion of tasks on a particular day, you can reset and replay that day.
The game offers multiple death endings and branching paths, requiring you to carefully collect information and choose the correct options.
Within the game, a black cat plays the role of a guide to provide instructions and assist in analyzing and deducing events.

Chongqing & Shanghai.
The story unfolds in these two cities, taking you deep into different intelligence battlefields within the same era.

An idle tipster on the streets of Shanghai; a blind girl held captive by the Japanese army; a Communist Party spy undercover in the Chongqing Bureau of Investigation and Statistics; a bold and outspoken surgeon. Interwoven love and hatred, misplaced emotions. Only through their different perspectives can the full story be pieced together.

4 major branches, 8 true endings, 50 death branches. Even multiple playthroughs bring different experiences.
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Chinese People's Literature Award winner Hai Fei, written by acclaimed author Tang Dun, the plot is tightly woven, and the story unfolds eloquently. In the game, you will glimpse a delicately portrayed 1940s setting.

HelloMeow Studio, a cozy little group of game developers. We fell into the pit of game development in 2017 and have been struggling and thriving ever since. Members come and go while currently there are 5 of us.
We firmly believe that there are always more solutions than difficulties, though our dreams are better than games. Fortunately, our remaining comrades are not very clever, and some are a bit stubborn, planning to keep going until we no longer can.
Our producer often says, "The day is short, the night is long, why not enjoy the candlelight while playing?" Well, whether we make money or not, let's just have some fun.
Last evaluated Jun 21, 2026
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