Kanon traces the story of Yuuichi Aizawa, a jaded high schooler who has lost his memories of seven years ago.
The Nintendo Switch port of the classic romance visual novel Kanon by developer Key has finally received a release date, as announced today by Japanese magazine Famitsu (translated by Gematsu). Launching as both a digital download and physical edition, Kanon for Nintendo Switch will be released in Japan on April 20 this year.
Though not a full remaster, the Nintendo Switch version of Kanon will showcase a vibrantly upgraded color scheme, as well as a scroller to help the Nintendo Switch’s widescreen accommodate the 16:9 aspect ratio of Kanon’s event CGs. The Nintendo Switch version will also include all the Japanese voice acting featured in previous console ports of the game.
Kanon traces the story of player character Yuuichi Aizawa, a jaded seventeen-year-old high schooler who is generally selfless and loyal to his friends. Returning to the start of the game to a city he visited seven years ago, Yuuichi soon realizes his memories of that time period are patchy if not threadbare, and he sets out to remember all that he has forgotten. Characters from his previous visit cross paths with him throughout the course of the game, either at school or, in one particularly memorable instance, on the sidewalk – and as Yuuichi develops stronger relationships with these characters around him, he slowly begins to remember all that had happened seven years ago.
Originally released on Japanese PC systems in June 1999, Kanon has since been ported to the SEGA Dreamcast, the PlayStation 2, the PlayStation Portable, Japanese mobiles (a surprisingly common practice for visual novels released at the turn of the millennium), and, most recently, iOS and Android devices. Kanon has additionally been adapted into two distinct anime series – one by Toei Animation in 2002, another by Kyoto Animation in 2006 – as well as numerous light novels, manga, and drama CDs.
Unlike other visual novels by Key, Kanon has never been released outside of Japan, nor has an official English translation ever been made available. Despite this regional limitation, however, Kanon has gone on to inspire many visual novels, which have in turn seen an immense worldwide success of their own.
The most notable visual novel to have been inspired by Key’s Kanon is the eight-part Higurashi When They Cry (alternatively known as simply ‘When They Cry’), itself considered a masterpiece of the visual novel genre today. Higurashi’s author, a writer known only by his handle Ryukishi07, is presently working in collaboration with Konami on the upcoming Silent Hill.
