The popular visual novel, “The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty,” faced an unexpected hurdle when it was pulled from the Japanese Nintendo eShop just four days after its release. This move came after concerns regarding its age rating surfaced. The game initially debuted on PC in 2024, and its much-anticipated global release for Nintendo Switch was set for March 2025. This news left many fans puzzled and curious about the game’s return.
Created by ZerocreationGames and brought to the public by 2P Games, “The Hungry Lamb” is not your typical visual novel. Launched on Steam back in April 2024, it quickly gained traction, earning an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating from over 42,000 reviewers. Fast forward to January 2025, and 2P Games proudly announced that the game had hit over a million copies in sales. Riding on this success wave, the company confirmed the game’s worldwide arrival on Nintendo Switch for March 13. However, certain regions experienced hiccups due to age rating discrepancies, leading to its temporary removal in Japan.
Industry news outlet Automaton recently highlighted how the game was taken down shortly after its Japanese Nintendo Switch debut. 2P Games has clarified that “The Hungry Lamb’s” age classification is under reassessment in Japan, which prompted its temporary delisting. When the visual novel initially launched in Japan, it carried a 16+ IARC rating—significantly lower than the Teen rating from ESRB in North America and an even higher PEGI 18 in the UK. Nintendo eShop has outlined that publishers can alter age ratings without delisting, save for instances when the rating is increased by two levels or escalates to an 18+ category. Although 2P Games hasn’t officially commented on what the new rating might be, it’s anticipated to be 18+. The game, described on Steam, touches on sensitive themes, including cannibalism, human trafficking, and depictions of sexual violence, which may contribute to the new rating.
Despite the temporary setback, 2P Games reassures fans that “The Hungry Lamb” will make its comeback on the Switch store. Those who have already purchased the title won’t have any interruption in their gameplay experience. The game unfolds in ancient China, following Liang, a bandit tasked with escorting four girls to Luoyang. Unbeknownst to him, their journey might lead them to become prey for a swine demon. Besides its impressive sales, 2P Games states it was the second best-selling Chinese game of 2024 and has excitingly confirmed a sequel titled “The Weeping Swan: Ten Days of the City’s Fall,” set to release in late 2025.
Regional content rating issues aren’t exactly a novel phenomenon in the gaming industry. Players might recall the indie favorite “Balatro,” which was mistakenly rated as 18+, leading to its temporary removal from the UK eShop. As Japanese fans await “The Hungry Lamb’s” comeback, players in other regions can still get their hands on the game, now available with a 10% discount in celebration of its launch. This turn of events has certainly added another chapter to the game’s unfolding story, keeping both its fans and the industry keenly observing its next steps.
