{"rewrite":{"id":"r_ceb87966ec89def9336c353d","clusterId":"c_044033e060826f598cb36359","slug":"hips-n-noses-free-demo-launches-on-steam-july-31","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"HIPS N NOSES Free Demo Launches on Steam July 31","summary":"South Korean indie studio PepperStones will release a free demo of its upcoming game 'HIPS N NOSES' on Steam on July 31, 2026. The demo covers one in-game week (up to day 7) and lets players experience the core day-night cycle: daytime cafe management where players combine ingredients to make drinks based on customer hints, and nighttime action roguelike battles in a dream world where they collect materials to unlock new recipes, facilities, and character growth. The game is set in a world where sleep does not exist; the protagonist Mera is the only girl who can dream, and she runs a cafe to help people recover lost memories. The demo incorporates fixes and improvements from a February Steam playtest. The game will also be exhibited at ChinaJoy 2026 in Shanghai from July 31 to August 3, where a playable demo and a new official trailer will be available. 'HIPS N NOSES' is scheduled for Steam Early Access in Q1 2027, with price to be announced. It will support 10 languages including Japanese.","whyItMatters":"The demo release marks the first public playable version of a game that blends two genres-cafe management simulation and action roguelike-into a single growth loop, a design approach that PepperStones has not previously attempted at this scale.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003ePepperStones, a South Korean indie studio founded in 2021 by two former middle school classmates, is bringing its second major title to the public for the first time. The studio\u0026#39;s previous work, \u0026#39;Wetory\u0026#39;, was exhibited at Tokyo Game Show 2022 and selected for gamescom\u0026#39;s Best Indie Top 10. For \u0026#39;HIPS N NOSES\u0026#39;, the team is expanding into a dual-structure game where daytime cafe management and nighttime dream battles feed into each other: materials obtained in dreams become ingredients for new drink recipes and cafe upgrades, while cafe profits unlock facilities that deepen exploration in subsequent dream sessions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe demo available on Steam from July 31 will let players play through one in-game week. At ChinaJoy, attendees at booth G-892 in Hall N1 can try the same demo in a continuous session. The official trailer released during the event will introduce the world, main characters, and the cartoon-style visuals that PepperStones is known for. The full game is planned for Steam Early Access in Q1 2027, with 10 supported languages including Japanese, English, Korean, and Simplified Chinese. The price has not been announced.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"In HIPS N NOSES, you run a cafe by day mixing drinks from customer hints, then fight monsters in dreams by night to unlock new recipes. Free demo drops July 31 on Steam.","twitterPost":"South Korean indie studio PepperStones releases a free demo of HIPS N NOSES on July 31. Day: cafe management. Night: action roguelike. Full game Early Access Q1 2027.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"PepperStones will release a free demo of its genre-blending game HIPS N NOSES on Steam on July 31. Players manage a cafe by day and battle in dreams by night, with each phase feeding into the other. The full game is set for Early Access in Q1 2027.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/961/G096129/20260723032/\",\"title\":\"Manage a Cafe by Day, Fight in the Dream World by Night: Management Sim × Action Roguelike 'HIPS N NOSES' to Be Exhibited at ChinaJoy 2026, Demo Released on Steam on July 31\"},{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260723k\",\"title\":\"Free demo of 'HIPS N NOSES', a game where cute girls run a cafe and battle, to be released on Steam on July 31. During the day, manage the cafe and serve drinks; at night, fight in dreams to unlock new recipes and facilities.\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":6882,"outputTokens":1096,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1784820107,"createdAt":"2026-07-23T15:18:06.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-23T15:20:45.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-23T15:18:06.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_044033e060826f598cb36359","canonicalTitle":"カワイイ女の子がカフェの経営やバトルに奔走するゲーム『HIPS N NOSES』無料体験版が7月31日にSteamで公開予定。昼はカフェ経営でドリンクを提供、夜は夢の中で戦い新しいレシピや設備を解放していく","representativeArticleId":"a_bb58384e15f855b7a2739ab5","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"HIPS N NOSES\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-23T02:03:40.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-23T07:26:34.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-23T15:20:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/961/G096129/20260723032/","title":"昼はカフェ経営，夜は夢の世界で戦う。経営シム×アクションローグライク「HIPS N NOSES」がChinaJoy 2026に出展，7月31日にSteamで体験版を配信"},{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260723k","title":"カワイイ女の子がカフェの経営やバトルに奔走するゲーム『HIPS N NOSES』無料体験版が7月31日にSteamで公開予定。昼はカフェ経営でドリンクを提供、夜は夢の中で戦い新しいレシピや設備を解放していく"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["HIPS N NOSES"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"release","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["The free demo of 'HIPS N NOSES' launches on Steam on July 31, 2026, covering one in-game week (up to day 7).","The game combines cafe management simulation with action roguelike elements in a day-night cycle.","The game is set in a world where sleep does not exist; protagonist Mera is the only girl who can dream.","The full game is scheduled for Steam Early Access in Q1 2027, with 10 supported languages including Japanese.","PepperStones' previous game 'Wetory' was selected for gamescom Best Indie Top 10 in 2022."]}