MangaGamer's The Expression Amrilato Steam release has been indefinitely delayed due to what the developers are calling an "increasingly confusing review process". This brand-new visual novel teaches players the Esperanto language through the medium of a heartwarming visual novel with yuri themes because Japan can make an adorable visual novel about pretty much anything.
A Steam news post on the game's Steam Community page states that The Expression Amrilato Steam release is "delayed until further notice," something that's sure to be a disappointment to fans who were looking forward to this game.
"Today, we were scheduled to release The Expression Amrilato," the Steam news post began. "A linguistic marvel of localization, The Expression Amrilato is an educational title which teaches players the language of Esperanto through a touching story centered around ideas of communication, social connections, and building lasting, meaningful relationships with others through mutual understanding. "
"Despite its high educational value, Valve has decided that in its current form, the content of The Expression Amrilato is unsuitable for Steam," the news post continued. "We are working with them to try and navigate our way through the increasingly confusing review process."
A blog post on Mangagamer's website contains a similar message, categorizing the new game review process on Steam as "vague and increasingly unpredictable". In the meantime, they are selling the game through their own storefront and actively seeking out other places to sell it including DRM-free digital game distributor GOG, who seems all too happy to host it on their platform:
https://twitter.com/GOGcom/status/1139500329865830400
An additional bit of commentary came from MangaGamer's PR Director John Pickett. "Valve's claim that this title 'sexualizes minors' is quite frankly absurd and discriminatory," he said in a press release. "The Expression: Amrilato is an educational title and it has no sexual content. Period."
The press release went on to say that development of The Expression Amrilato was supervised by the National Esperanto Association in Japan, an organization that has subsequently recognized the game's educational value.
This particular situation seems to be a continuation of Valve's difficulties with deciding on what content is and is not allowed on their platform. Several other game developers have spoken about difficulties in getting their games published on Steam despite the company's claim that they would be taking a more or less hands-off approach in June of last year.
If you want to learn some Esperanto and experience an adorable yuri love story along the way, you can buy The Expression Amrilato on Mangagamer [NSFW] and on GOG for under 20 bucks, a 20% discount off of its $24.99 retail price to celebrate the game's launch. Check out the game's opening movie below to get a feel for the story!
Disclosure: MangaGamer works with TechRaptor for affiliate partnership, and TechRaptor earns a small commission off purchases made from some links in this article. In addition, GOG provides a monthly giveaway to our Pack Hunter members.
What do you think of The Expression Amrilato Steam release being delayed? Do you think Valve needs to be more transparent about their process for reviewing games that come onto the platform? Let us know in the comments below!