{"rewrite":{"id":"r_0770cf762dc36091882fb7a8","clusterId":"c_25423bca88b42ca940ed4bcc","slug":"kazuhide-oka-s-natsuno-kanata-novel-gets-free-visual-novel-prologue-on-steam","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Kazuhide Oka's Natsuno Kanata Novel Gets Free Visual Novel Prologue On Steam","summary":"Kawade Shobo Shinsha announced on November 6 that Natsuno Kanata -PROLOGUE-, a visual novel by Kazuhide Oka, will release free on PC via Steam on December 15. It adapts the opening of Oka's novel Natsuno Kanata, also published December 15. Protagonist Shiori finds her grandmother's PC connected to a ruined world, where she meets Natsuno, Akane, and Itsuka.","whyItMatters":"The free prologue puts the novel's opening in front of Steam players on the same day the book ships, tying Oka's game audience directly to a print release they might otherwise never see.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe prologue is not a new story. It is the opening of Oka\u0026#39;s novel rendered in visual novel form, following Shiori as she starts up a PC her grandmother left behind and finds it linked to a ruined other world where a mysterious disease is spreading. Through the screen she meets Natsuno, Akane, and Itsuka, and travels with them while they suffer from the illness.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOka\u0026#39;s Natsuno Kanata game entered early access on Steam in August 2021 and released in August 2022, and a rebuilt complete version, Natsuno Kanata beyond, followed in 2024. The novel is his own adaptation, published under the same title.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Kawade Shobo Shinsha is publishing the novel and the free prologue on the same day. The prologue adapts only the novel's opening, so the Steam release works as a sample for the book rather than a standalone game.","twitterPost":"Kawade Shobo Shinsha ships the Natsuno Kanata novel and its free prologue on the same day, so the Steam game reads as a sample for the book.","threadsPost":"Kawade Shobo Shinsha puts the Natsuno Kanata novel and the free -Prologue- game out on the same December 15 date. The game covers only the novel's opening, which makes the Steam release a lead-in to the book rather than a game with its own ending.","newsletterBlurb":"Kawade Shobo Shinsha will publish Kazuhide Oka's novel Natsuno Kanata on December 15, and a free Steam visual novel covering its opening arrives the same day. Natsuno Kanata -PROLOGUE- follows Shiori through her grandmother's PC into a ruined world. Oka's original game released in 2022, with the rebuilt Natsuno Kanata beyond following in 2024.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261106-477882/\",\"title\":\"Free Steam apocalyptic visual novel Natsuno Kanata -PROLOGUE- announced, set for December 15 release. The opening of the novel version, written by the Natsuno Kanata developer himself, is being made into a game\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5383,"outputTokens":799,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1793943294,"createdAt":"2026-11-06T05:29:38.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-11-06T05:33:51.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-06T05:33:51.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_25423bca88b42ca940ed4bcc","canonicalTitle":"Steam無料・終末ビジュアルノベル『ナツノカナタ ―PROLOGUE―』発表、12月15日配信へ。『ナツノカナタ』開発者自ら執筆した“小説版の冒頭”がゲーム化","representativeArticleId":"a_67ea9e68d82d7d980753eb9e","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Natsuno Kanata -PROLOGUE-\"],\"studios\":[\"Kawade Shobo Shinsha\"],\"people\":[\"Kazuhide Oka\"],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-11-06T04:55:55.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-11-06T04:55:55.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-06T05:33:52.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261106-477882/","title":"Steam無料・終末ビジュアルノベル『ナツノカナタ ―PROLOGUE―』発表、12月15日配信へ。『ナツノカナタ』開発者自ら執筆した“小説版の冒頭”がゲーム化"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Natsuno Kanata -PROLOGUE-"],"studios":["Kawade Shobo Shinsha"],"people":["Kazuhide Oka"],"type":"announcement","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Kawade Shobo Shinsha announced Natsuno Kanata -PROLOGUE- on November 6.","Natsuno Kanata -PROLOGUE- is scheduled for a free release on PC via Steam on December 15.","The visual novel adapts the opening of the novel Natsuno Kanata, written by Kazuhide Oka.","The novel Natsuno Kanata is scheduled for publication by Kawade Shobo Shinsha on December 15.","The original Natsuno Kanata game released on Steam in August 2022, with Natsuno Kanata beyond following in 2024."],"pageLinks":{"healthSlugs":["natsuno-kanata-prologue","kawade-shobo-shinsha","kazuhide-oka"],"storySlugs":[],"entities":[{"slug":"natsuno-kanata-prologue","supported":2,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":2,"overall":"green","story_count":1,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"kawade-shobo-shinsha","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":1,"overall":"unverified","story_count":1,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"kazuhide-oka","supported":1,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":3,"overall":"green","story_count":4,"has_dossier":true}],"stories":[],"entitiesOk":true,"storiesOk":true}}