- The debut work of a two-person team of Electrical Engineering and Architecture students is scheduled for official release on Steam in the fourth quarter of 2026.
- A peaceful day of gathering, cooking, and welcoming guests… A pixel healing game capturing the atmosphere of the Japanese countryside
A game where you discover small joys while spending a slow-paced day is coming. ‘Gendo the Gatherer,’ a side-scrolling healing adventure set in Japan’s Edo period, will conduct a free playtest on Steam for one week starting June 23.
Currently under development with the goal of an official Steam release in the fourth quarter of 2026, this work is the debut title of UnintentionalLogic, a two-person indie studio formed by an electrical engineering student and an architecture student.
The development team describes the game in a single sentence as a “healing version of Dave the Diver.” It features cozy gameplay that blends gathering, cooking, and running a teahouse, and possesses various unique charms, such as petting a cute raccoon.
Pixel art capturing the atmosphere of Edo-era Japan… The subtle colors of a four-season forest
Gendo: The Gatherer is a game that combines pixel graphics with a healing sensibility, gathering, cooking, exploration, and life simulation. The pixel art, inspired by rural Japan during the Edo period, captures lush forests, cozy tea houses, and small village scenery in warm colors, completing a tranquil atmosphere.
The forest changes slightly every time you visit. Thanks to a procedural generation system where different ingredients and scenery appear daily even in the same location, repetitive gathering feels like a new exploration. The core of the game lies in the daily flow of roaming the forest to gather materials during the day and lighting the teahouse to welcome guests when the sun sets.
The key element that completes the atmosphere is sound. It delicately captures simple sounds of daily life, such as the wind rustling through the forest, the crackling of firewood, and the sound of a knife striking a cutting board, realistically portraying the peaceful daily life of a rural village in the Edo period.
A day of gathering, cooking, and welcoming guests… a healing routine, not a repetition
A day in the game flows with a steady rhythm. In the morning, you head to the forest to gather ingredients, and in the evening, you return to the village to open a teahouse and take orders from customers. You personally prepare and cook the harvested ingredients to complete the meal, serve it to the guests, wrap up the day, and prepare for the next.
If Dave the Diver features a structure that alternates between diving and running a sushi restaurant, Gendo the Gatherer naturally connects gathering and running a tea house to create a comfortable play cycle.
The game goes beyond simply making food. Players can complete quests to build relationships with the village community by fulfilling residents’ requests, and there are also interior design elements available to customize their homes to their liking. Adding to this are small interactions, such as petting raccoons encountered in the forest, completing the game’s signature warm atmosphere.
A debut work created out of passion, not for a major or career… A cheerful self-introduction catches attention
UnintentionalLogic is a two-person development team formed by an electrical engineering student and an architecture student. The team introduces themselves by stating, “We strive to create unique interactive experiences by leveraging our respective majors, and most of the time, we fail.” This candid yet humorous self-introduction simultaneously demonstrates confidence in their debut work and the team’s unique personality.
Interest from overseas gaming media is also continuing. Capsule Computers assessed that the single sentence put forward by the development team—”a healing version of Dave the Diver”—best describes the game’s features.
Blue’s News took note of the unique concept of gathering ingredients and cooking for villagers set in the Edo period, and several overseas media outlets, including WorthPlaying, Gematsu, and Christ Centered Gamer, also reported on the news as the playtest began.
Gendo the Gatherer is conducting a free playtest on Steam from June 23 to 30, and the full version is being developed with the goal of releasing in the fourth quarter of 2026.
This game, which combines leisurely gameplay centered on gathering, cooking, and running a teahouse with pixel art capturing the atmosphere of the Edo period, is expected to offer a unique experience to users looking for a healing adventure to take a break from their busy daily lives.
Information regarding ‘Gendo the Gatherer’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer / Publisher | UnintentionalLogic (2-person team of students from the Department of Electronic Engineering and the Department of Architecture) |
| Genre | Cozy Gathering Adventure / Life Sim / Showkeeper / Cooking Simulation |
| Release platform | PC (Steam) |
| Scheduled for release | Q4 2026 |
| Playtest | June 23–30, 2026 (Free for one week only) |
| background | Japanese Edo period rural village |
| Core Loop | Gathering (Forest) → Cooking (Slicing, Steaming, Cooking) → Serving (Tea House) → Interior |
| Key Features | Ever-changing forest / Petting raccoons / Villager quests / House customization |
| Comparison game | Dave the Diver (Cozy Version) |
| Art style | Edo period-inspired 2D pixel art |
| Main Keywords | Cozy, Edo period, gathering, tea house, cooking, raccoon, pixel art, life sim |
| Steam Page | Go to Wishlist/Playtest |
