Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Saimin Gakushū is a school adventure visual novel by popular Japanese developers Dark One! Soichi Akano acquires a sleep-learning machine through a dubious online shopping site, and plans to imprint his knowledge on the female students and teachers at his school.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire is a adventure, visual novel and choose your own adventure game
developed by Dark One!
and published by Shiravune.
Released on November 04th 2021 is available only on Windows
in 3 languages: English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.
It has received 450 reviews of which 336 were positive and 114 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.1 out of 10. 😊
The game is currently priced at 16.79€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on Eneba.
The Steam community has classified Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire through various videos and screenshots.
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows 8.1 / 10
- Processor: Multi-core 1.0GHz+
- Memory: 512 MB RAM
- Graphics: VRAM 128MB+
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- Sound Card: PCM (DirectSound support)
- Additional Notes: 1280×720 display
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire is a school-set visual novel that leans into provocative themes while remaining firmly rooted in the conventions of choice-driven narrative design. Developed by Dark One! and published internationally by Shiravune, the game frames its story around a deeply flawed protagonist whose desperation becomes the catalyst for a series of morally questionable decisions. Rather than presenting a traditional coming-of-age or redemption arc, it explores how power, insecurity, and temptation intersect when an ordinary student is handed an extraordinary—and dangerous—tool. The story follows Soichi Akano, an academically hopeless and socially marginalized student who has long resigned himself to failure. His life takes a sharp turn after a humiliating encounter with the school’s strict student council president, Tsukino Himemiya, which crystallizes his sense of inferiority. Seeking an effortless solution, he purchases a dubious “sleep-learning” device online, only to discover that its true function goes far beyond studying. What begins as a misguided attempt to improve his grades quickly transforms into an exploration of control, desire, and consequence, as Soichi chooses to exploit the device’s hypnotic capabilities for personal gratification rather than self-improvement. Gameplay adheres closely to classic visual novel structure, prioritizing reading, dialogue selection, and branching choices over mechanical complexity. Player decisions influence how relationships develop with several key characters, each representing different facets of authority, resentment, or vulnerability within the school environment. The choice system is straightforward but effective, subtly guiding the narrative toward distinct routes and endings depending on how far the player pushes the boundaries of Soichi’s actions. While there are no complex stat systems or mini-games, the narrative branching provides enough variation to encourage multiple playthroughs for those interested in seeing alternate outcomes. Character writing is one of the game’s more notable strengths within its niche. Each major character is defined by a clear personality and role within the social hierarchy of the story, from the prideful and controlled Tsukino to the more antagonistic or distant figures who orbit Soichi’s daily life. The inclusion of full Japanese voice acting adds texture to these interactions, lending emotional nuance and helping sell moments of tension, embarrassment, or confidence that might otherwise feel flat in purely text-based scenes. Even routine conversations benefit from this added layer of performance. Visually, the game embraces a polished anime-style presentation that is consistent with modern Japanese visual novels. Character sprites are expressive, with varied poses and facial expressions that reflect shifts in mood and power dynamics. Backgrounds depict familiar school and domestic settings, reinforcing the mundane normality of the world—a contrast that makes the story’s darker implications stand out more sharply. While animation is limited, the art direction is cohesive and well suited to the game’s tone, favoring clarity and character focus over spectacle. Thematically, Secret Desire is unapologetically aimed at a mature audience. Its narrative revolves around manipulation, fantasy, and the ethical emptiness of shortcuts, using hypnotism as a narrative device rather than a realistic premise. The game does not shy away from depicting uncomfortable situations or morally dubious outcomes, but it largely presents them as consequences of the protagonist’s weakness and selfishness rather than heroic achievements. This framing will resonate with players who appreciate visual novels that explore darker psychological territory, while likely alienating those seeking wholesome romance or moral uplift. Pacing is largely determined by reading speed and choice exploration, and while the story maintains momentum early on, repetition can set in during longer sessions as the structure of scenes becomes familiar. Still, the branching routes and multiple endings help mitigate this, providing incentive to revisit the narrative and experiment with different decisions. The experience is best approached as a focused narrative dive rather than a long-term, system-heavy game. Overall, Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire is a deliberately niche visual novel that delivers exactly what its premise promises: a choice-driven story centered on temptation, power imbalance, and the consequences of avoiding personal growth. Its strengths lie in clear character writing, competent presentation, and fully voiced performances, while its limitations stem from minimal interactivity and a narrow thematic focus. For players accustomed to adult visual novels and interested in morally complex narratives with branching outcomes, it offers a polished and memorable experience. For those outside that audience, its subject matter and structure are unlikely to hold broad appeal, but within its intended niche, it stands as a confident and cohesive entry. Rating: 7/10
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Takes about 5 hours to 100% reading at a fast pace. This is pure degenerate stuff so if you are looking for vanilla just turn around. The art is good and the writing made me laugh. It does require a patch and it unfortunately will still have mosaics. While it says unsupported it worked perfectly on the Steam Deck with no tinkering needed. When he hypnotizes them he does makes them say some crazy stuff so it did crack me up a few times. Example: "You're not putting your cock in my mature pussy that gave birth to Tsukino, but into my dirty shit (s) hole! Well? Surprised? - Suzuka A man of culture wrote this. I got this in a bundle and had little expectations for it. I ended up really liking it. The negative reviews are concerning. People who don't know how patches work and I experienced no performance issues personally. My only complaint (besides mosaics) is the game feels rushed. Could have either cut out two of the characters to split the scenes between mother/daughter. Or it would have benefited just being longer since I did like all of the characters.
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8.5/10 Art skills on point, but u gotta install the patch for extra content urself.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire is currently priced at 16.79€ on Steam.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 16.79€ on Steam.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire received 336 positive votes out of a total of 450 achieving a rating of 7.07.
😊
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire was developed by Dark One! and published by Shiravune.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire is not playable on MacOS.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire is not playable on Linux.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire is a single-player game.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire does not currently offer any DLC.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire does not support Steam Remote Play.
Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire.
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 28 January 2026 18:03 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 22 January 2026 05:31 |
| Steam price | 29 January 2026 04:23 |
| Steam reviews | 28 January 2026 20:01 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Saimin Gakushū: Secret Desire compatibility
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Developer
Dark One!
Publisher
Shiravune
Release
04 Nov 2021
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