Can I Not Fall for Idols? is a visual novel in which the player aims to pull off a successful debut live show while avoiding romance flags with the idols. A Nintendo Switch version will be released on August 27, 2026.

Players take on the role of manager for the rookie idol group Melonchu. The members’ affection levels are maxed out from the start. Most dating sims are built around raising affection over time, but this one works in reverse: triggering a romance flag pushes the story toward a bad ending. There are eight possible endings. Every character other than the protagonist is fully voiced, and the Steam version’s estimated playtime is around two hours.

The character lineup on the Steam store page lists five people. Three of Melonchu’s members — Kagura Issa, Nijo Ranmaru, and Mitoge Otoha — share the same line stating that they fell in love with the manager the moment they met her. The fourth, Shibaura Reiji, handles the group’s accounting and fills players in on the members’ current affection levels. The fifth is Aida Mei, the player-controlled protagonist, who lost her memory after being devastated by the breakup of an idol group she used to support.

The game is made by Mikimaki, a two-person team of twin manga artists who handle everything themselves: illustration, writing, programming, casting voice actors, and sound direction. Mikimaki originally posted manga on X, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, and came across indie games around 2023 while thinking through a YouTube strategy. Building on experience in web production and with the development tool RPG Maker, Mikimaki went on to start making games.

A free version launched on September 22, 2025, on the free-game submission site ノベルゲームコレクション (novelgame.jp) and reached 35,000 downloads. The Steam version, subtitled “-恋愛拡張版-”, has been available since March 2, 2026. As of this writing, 78% of the 508 Steam user reviews are positive. 346lab Localization is on board as a co-publisher, and the Steam version supports English for its interface and subtitles, though voice acting is available only in Japanese. The Nintendo Switch version will be available for download on the Nintendo eShop starting August 27, 2026.