Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Game
Game2026
K-pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut
Developer Wisageni Studio
The ultimate crossover between K-pop and Life Simulation! Step into the role of manager and build your dream idol group by scouting talent, managing schedules, choosing outfits, planning social media, and organizing the perfect album. Can you make it to debut? From the Steam store page
138 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 19, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
68
Fresh
69 positive · 33 negative
95% range 58–76%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 69 | 33 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 5 | 2 | 28 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
72 of 105 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
68% recommend · 69 yes, 33 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 102 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mixed (115 of 205 positive).
Players praise the game's visuals, music, and authentic K-pop feel. [1][2][3] Many reviewers are frustrated that the game ends abruptly after debut. [4][5][6] Some players note the game is more a raising simulator than a management sim. [7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
I've reached the end of the game after 4 hours of gameplay. Is this a joke? Should have known it was called "road to debut" for a reason, after debuting and the first award ceremony we have reached the end. This feels like an early access, I played the demo which was promising and less frustrating. Also the trainees just stand there for the group first concert/release, they don't do any dance moves. This game has …
- [6]
I really wanted to love this game. I've been waiting for it to come out for weeks, and I did have fun playing it, but there were a few things that kept me from really enjoying it. My biggest issue is that once you debut, the game shows you all these different activities you can do and I finally had MONEY, which made me think I was just getting started. Then after the first week, I got a message saying the game was …
- [7]
This is not a management simulator, it's a raising simulator. The positive reviews are written by people who like raising simulators. The negative reviews are from people who like management simulators. Play the demo. Understand that the full game is more of the same: navigating a maze of options, and finding out which ones work, which ones fail, and starting again. If you're an obsessive perfectionist who is always …
- [2]
This is the type of game I've been waiting for as a long time kpop fan and having interest in the industry behind it all. It's a combination of management and visual novel, with a few interactive mini-games mixed in. I would recommend trying the demo if you're not sure about this style of game, but personally I really enjoyed it as it's like a "brighter" version of Idol Manager. Also, the music in the game is really …
- [3]
If you're a K-pop fan who has always wanted to look behind the curtain of the industry, this game is a must-play. It’s a wonderful mix of management and visual novel that feels like a much brighter, less punishing alternative to Idol Manager. The hand-drawn art is incredibly pretty, and the music is phenomenal!! You can really tell they brought in professional K-pop producers for the soundtrack, which makes the …
Summarised from 34 of the 137 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked K-pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut talk about beautiful hand-drawn art and authentic K-pop soundtrack; those who didn't talk about game ends too soon after debut. Which matters more to you?
Reactions
60 of 138 · most liked firstI've reached the end of the game after 4 hours of gameplay. Is this a joke? Should have known it was called "road to debut" for a reason, after debuting and the first award ceremony we have reached the end. This feels like an early access, I played the demo which was promising and less frustrating. Also the trainees just stand there for the group first concert/release, they don't do any dance moves. This game has potential but sadly in its current state is disappointing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Can't really say anything bad about this game, but WTH is with that ending? Instead of scratching a management itch that in the past only Idol Manager could, this one just ends at the part where it should start... The experience is more frustrating than fun because of that single decision. Perhaps there can be some continuation in DLC or future updates, but as of the day writing this review, I'm more frustrated with how the game is handled, because it has amazing potential. Great visual and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Please take this review as MIXED instead of negative only. UI + Controls This game has rough edges. You get to a point in a game where you can decorate your group's album cover. The UI is unintuitive. You can't drag the edges of the sticker to resize it. You have to press on individual buttons. There's no 'delete all' button if you want to start from scratch. Schedules + RNG? Scheduling is abysmal in this game. I don't know why a whole week of practice showed up as 'failed'. Was it because…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is not a management simulator, it's a raising simulator. The positive reviews are written by people who like raising simulators. The negative reviews are from people who like management simulators. Play the demo. Understand that the full game is more of the same: navigating a maze of options, and finding out which ones work, which ones fail, and starting again. If you're an obsessive perfectionist who is always restarting a game because "Now I know what I should have been doing at the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a day for game releases!! I wanted to highlight the games that I am interested in/am currently playing in this little thread that have come out today🧵 Featuring: 🚀Farlands 🏗️Go-Go Town 🐭Moss: The Forgotten Relic 🧜♀️The Mermaid Mask 🎤K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut 🌷Petunia's Purgatory
neutral · AI labelView post →I played the demo and really wanted to love this game. I bought it within the first hour after release because I had been looking forward to it for a long time. After almost 10 hours of playtime, I can honestly say that I'm disappointed. What the game does well The presentation is lovely. The colorful art style perfectly captures the bright, energetic world of K-pop, the soundtrack feels authentically K-pop, and there are plenty of fun references that fans of K-Pop will appreciate.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to love this game. I've been waiting for it to come out for weeks, and I did have fun playing it, but there were a few things that kept me from really enjoying it. My biggest issue is that once you debut, the game shows you all these different activities you can do and I finally had MONEY, which made me think I was just getting started. Then after the first week, I got a message saying the game was over. That was really disappointing. It feels like the game ends right when it's…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm literally training Kpop idols to battle it out in the arena in this game so our group can be the best like no one ever was 😆 Game: K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut Platform: PC+Consples
positive · AI labelView post →As of now the game is incredible. Starting from the whole vibe.. music.. visuals.. the whole process of managing. Just feels satisfying. I expected to be a good game. But its a great game at this point. The game deserves more spotlight, that's for sure. So far extremely fun and enjoyable. i will follow with an update upon finishing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Missed the livestream for K-Pop Idol Stories? Check out the VOD when you get a chance :3 Watch me: 🎤 Buy insurance 🎤 Make a schedule 🎤 Get overconfident in my money management abilities and eventually get into debt that I might not recover from because I didn't want to reject any trainees
neutral · AI labelView post →Gotta show my tea pouring skills to increase my relationship with my trainees 🫖🍵 Game: K-Pop Idol Stories Road to Debut Platform: PC+Consoles
neutral · AI labelView post →It plays. Technically. The Setup There aren't many idol-management games out there — really just this and Idol Manager, which remains the better (if imbalanced) option. So when a new entrant shows up promising a fresher angle — building a group from scratch through a survival-show-style road to debut — it's worth a look on premise alone. I played the demo first and I enjoyed it. Then I put about six hours into the full release and came away with a flat, tired "meh". The kind where you're not…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It honestly feels more like an Early Access game. I finished it in just one day. I know the title is Road to Debut, but... can we actually play after debut?😭 I wanted to release a second album, manage the group's success, maybe even debut the members as solo artists. Maintaining a successful idol group is way harder than debuting, and I think that would've made the game even more fun. It has so much potential, but it ends right when it starts getting interesting. I really hope the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really loved playing this game but after finishing it, I came away more frustrated than anything else. First of all, the game is incredibly easy. Nothing ever felt particularly challenging, and everything seemed to go smoothly from beginning to end. Despite that, I was actually having a great time. The art style is great, the overall presentation is charming, and I genuinely enjoyed managing my group. Unfortunately, that's where the positives start to fade. One of my biggest complaints is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoy the concept of this game, but unfortunately it's a missed opportunity, and I wouldn't recommend it at full price. I was surprised by how quickly my first playthrough ended. My immediate thought was, "Wait, I want to keep playing with my current group." The big debut performance was also pretty underwhelming. I realize this may have been beyond the game's budget, but it would have been great to see the characters more animated and have their performance reflect the skills you've…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been waiting for this game to come out but kind of disappointed by how fast the game ended and there's only 8 character to choose from(sorry if I'm wrong). I terminated 2 of them and then try to do another casting hoping there will another character to choose, but nope, still the same girls showed up. Also I can't increase relationship with the guy at the bar (i forgot his name). Is it worth the $15.99 (got it on sale)? Idk. It's too late to refund now. :( Other than that, I love this…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut (PS5/Switch) up for preorder at Best Buy ($34.99) buff.ly/3ThT19Z Amazon amzn.to/4coGclB #ad
neutral · AI labelView post →Preorders are live on several HOT NEW PQUBE Nintendo Switch / PS5 titles at VGP 🔥 tinyurl.com/5n8dkdb3 Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark Chronicles of the Wolf Bustafellows Season 2 Class of Heroes 3 Remaster Discounty Iwakura Aria K-Pop Idol Stories
neutral · AI labelView post →The demo was very promising, however the choices were confusing and the ending was unsatisfying, as well as some of the game mechanics being clunky. There's some merit here, but I would only personally recommend it if it goes on sale; don't be like me, somebody who is annoyed that they didn't know Steam's refund policy changed and now can't get their $19.99 back from disappointment.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Before vs after main menu and logo for our game, K-pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut 🎮 What do you think? 👀 #ScreenshotSaturday #indiegame #gamedev #kpopidolstories
neutral · AI labelView post →K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut (Switch/PS5) up for preorder on Amazon ($34.99) amzn.to/4coGclB #ad
neutral · AI labelView post →I was extremely excited for this game to come out and while i love the gameplay i would not tell anyone to buy this with how little content we get, the game just ending without us being able to do what idol manage did and continue the groups career feels off and like the game isnt finished, I'm not sure if they plan to add that later but it feels like its lacking in gameplay if all you do is debut a group, yes there are different endings but thats not a lot of content still, even forming…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I spent a long time thinking about what rating to give this game. In the end, I decided to leave a negative review, despite the fact that there are quite a few things it does well. There were two main reasons for this: The save system. Why can't you go back several weeks? If the game uses autosaves, why not keep saves from the past few weeks and let the player choose which one to return to? The lack of proper visual novel segments. The game seems to have plenty of events, and each girl has…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →found this game a year ago as a demo version and liked it before the official release! now it's more perfect than i expected. the plot, the consequences of all choices you do is making game more interesting and involve you in the whole managment system. kinda ruined my first save by losing the release date but it didn't upset me kkk i'll just start again since i understand how it works all now. wish for future costume/shop items updates to see new content (i hope it will happen). thanks for the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is so frustrating that we can't even play more after releasing our first single... I though we would have to opportunity do to all three of them... And there is a lot of jobs and things we can't do because they're locked until you reach a certain week, but with that fast ending, we can't even do them ? I really lost money there? Sooo disappointing !
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this game, it was very fun and enjoyable but I wish that I could more more songs and continue the journey even more. I really didn't like how it ended, I thought would be a simulator.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i was looking forward to this after playing the demo, but the full game is very disappointing. the mechanics lack depth and the repetitiveness kills all the fun you might have. sadly, a let down.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I initally wasn't that convinced especially reading some less than favorable reviews, but I tried the demo, the game quickly grew on me, and I genuinely had a good time playing through the full version. It's certainly not perfect, but definitely has a lot of love put into it, and the devs deserve praise for creating something like this and especially not using AI. I absolutely love the art style. However I also am someone who understands that this kind of hand-drawn art for an entire game of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →*Sigh* This game is mediocre at BEST. It's so half-baked it's practically raw. Which is a shame because it has the advantage of not having a lot of competition on the market and having a genuinely good concept. The art direction I think is very good and so are the final songs, wich makes it even more a shame. It's most glaring flaws are these: - Very two dimentional characters that might have been interesting to get to know if only the game actually allowed you to instead of very…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was gonna make a joke about this being my photo card but the wedding ring makes that a no-go 😆 today we're checking out @wisagenigames.bsky.social's K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut, thanks to @pqube.bsky.social! Thanks for the key #ad live now on twitch twitch.tv/slashie101
neutral · AI labelView post →This is the type of game I've been waiting for as a long time kpop fan and having interest in the industry behind it all. It's a combination of management and visual novel, with a few interactive mini-games mixed in. I would recommend trying the demo if you're not sure about this style of game, but personally I really enjoyed it as it's like a "brighter" version of Idol Manager. Also, the music in the game is really good - I believe they worked with a Seoul based kpop producer, which is really…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#ChooseWiselyFestival starts today! K-pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut showcased along with all the amazing games thanks to @studioephua.bsky.social ! Check it out on Steam: ephua.uk/CWF25 🗓️8-15 December 2025 🕕6PM GMT #indiegame #kpopidolstories #kpopgames
neutral · AI labelView post →Thank you for not using AI and respecting art. I really appreciate it. I love the character designs and outfits. I love the music, especially my chosen debut song Bow Down (need that on Spotify yesterday) However, I cannot recommend this game. It's pretty raw. - It is cut way too short. I could've played the same run still, I had a lot of things I didn't get to do. I could start again but everything is too repetitive - which is OK for me in most simulation games, but prevents replayability…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Super fun, but feels a biiiit restrictive with the freedom of choices! like, theres a very limited amount of trainees, and we cant cast the other competing trainees once you beat them in evaluations, which would make sense since were under the same company, rigth?? Also, kinda bummed that you cant just keep playing after debut :( the game just ends there....
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey guys, K-Pop Idol Stories is out!! If you like management sims, hand-drawn art, fun and quirky storylines and always wanted to manage an Idol Group, this game is SO for you! All the art is 100% handdrawn by wonderful humans and we need to support Indie Devs more! ✨💖
positive · AI labelView post →Overall, I really enjoy this game, especially the visuals compared too some of the other idol manager games here on steam. I also really do like the music is this game and complements the visuals really well. I would say if you liked idol manager you will like this game though its definitely not as hard. Now some things that would be really cool to have is this game would be the ability to customize the manager, have more outfits or color ways to pick from, be able to dye hair or change…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I tried this after playing the demo. I was unable to find anything actually improved from the demo. There is just not enough here to recommend this over something more fleshed out like Idol Manager. The only thing this game has over that one, the more uniquely designed characters, is wasted when there is so little to actually do with them/learn about them. I played through the first evaluation, and immediately saw there just wasn't anything interesting about what i was doing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is how the story is presented in the game, as a cutscene with light animation🎬✨ K-pop idol Stories Demo is now available to Play!🎮💕 #indiegame #kpopidolstories #kpop #indiedev
neutral · AI labelView post →please update this more and give us more trainees. let us have a boy groups aswell. this game has potential to be queen status.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a nothingburger
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not quite sure how to rate this game, honestly. On one side I really enjoyed the playstyle. However, I was very confused that the game ended so abruptly (and in about 5 hours as others have said) when I was 99% positive that I had actually seen many more opportunities get unlocked in the game's overview right before the award show happened. It sort of seems to me like the game wasn't finished and was supposed to be longer originally or sort of be played endlessly. Well, in the current…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It’s time to become a K-Pop Idol Manager! Help me as we trail our Idols to become superstars playing K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut! Then ofc Final Fantasy V and more emotional damage 😭. LIVE! D7 of our Summer Queendom Faire! Link below!
neutral · AI labelView post →### 📣 A Passionate Fan’s Feedback & Balancing Suggestions! 💖 Hello Wisageni Studio team! First of all, I want to say a huge congratulations on the launch of **K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut**! I purchased the game on day one because I absolutely love the concept, the gorgeous hand-drawn art style, and the amazing original soundtrack. The potential here is massive, and I am writing this long, detailed breakdown because I truly want to see this game succeed, grow, and inspire more…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been waiting for this game for a few months now after I played the demo. After playing the game in it's entirety, I have a few thoughts: First off, I would recommend this game to anyone who is OKAY with early development indie games. There are many bugs, but honestly, for a first day release, it could be a lot worse. For example, when I terminated someone's contract and hired a new person, it was in the records that I terminated the new person I hired. I'll talk about the things I love…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I feel like this game is fairly sparse on content, there could have been more meaningful random events and more trainee variations that were more generic and special character idol recruits. Would have been nice to see character sprites look more east asian, southeast asian, maybe some blasians and wasians. I will consider purchasing again maybe later if they do add more content and fixes.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game has no interesting continuation, truly disappointing, i hope there's an improvement in the story and no ending
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its a fun game i hope they add more gameplay to it after your trainees debut they should let you continue on as the offical ceo managment and able to recruit and make more groups to debut into kpop idols
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →very fun and engaging management sim !! the gameplay gets spiced up with the minigames here and there, and theres storylines to follow everywhere, depending on your choices and how nice or strict you are as a manager. there is way more going on than just the management game, all the idols and npcs have something unique to tell you and give you! i really only have two gripes, and the first one i have is not even with the game itself but with the final cutscene - that being that it is VERY…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We're happy that ✨K-pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut✨ is part of the Women's Day Sale on Steam🎉 Thank you @wingsfund.me ! s.team/a/1662160 ☝️With the new updated demo on Steam, let's celebrate the International Women's Day and play more games 🙌 #WomensDaySale #WomenInGames #KpopIdolStories
neutral · AI labelView post →@noblesteedau.bsky.social just announced The Games Exchange with Australia and Indonesia Event details: [AU] - 23 May 2025 Redfern, Sydney [ID] - 17 May 2025 Jakarta, Indonesia List of ID Games: Mirth Island KuloNiku Montabi The Chef's Shift K-Pop Idol Stories Verde & the Echoing Water
neutral · AI labelView post →Also: K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut (Wisageni) and Iwakura Aria are coming to the West as revealed in the first PQube Asia Showcase!
neutral · AI labelView post →What's here is good, but only a good start. A very unrealized game and after giving it the benefit of the doubt and playing through multiple styles, I'm disappointed. It takes a few hours to figure out exactly what's going on, then a few more hours to realize that this game is extremely limited. The concept you choose doesn't seem to matter and for the most part bonuses you get from your management style come far too late. I was really disappointed to see that it's pretty much the same handful…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoyed this game at first and thought it would be one that I would sink many hours into. But that's just not how things have panned out. I agree with the others that are saying there is little to no replayability as it will just be the same story with the same characters. My playthrough ended abruptly because of a choice I made. I would be fine with that, even like it, if this game felt replayable. I tried to dive right back in because part of me wanted to see it through to the end. I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Take this as MIXED but I didn't want to leave a negative review bcuz overall besides the hiccups here and there it is a good game.... Pretty good game the visuals are amazing although the idols themselves are blurred compared to the other characters? It's like everything else was uploaded in 4k but the idols were uploaded in 720p which was weird. I've not finished yet but I think I'm close to the end I've just finished the 2nd evaluation. I love that you can create your own album cover and the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pre-orders are live for K-Pop Idol Stories: Road to Debut for Nintendo Switch and PS5 from @pqubegames.bsky.social at VGP! 🎶 tinyurl.com/3r5aezzj - Q3 2026 - Enjoy Free Shipping when you spend $75 / 55 USD
neutral · AI labelView post →Good morning all you lovely people ☘️ Today continues the sponsored weekend with a return to K-Pop Idol Stories: Road To Debut alongside K-pop expert @jasminethebaku.bsky.social Ever wondered what idol culture is like? Join us today at noon EST to find out 💚
neutral · AI labelView post →Played for 6h and completed the game... It's not worth the price at all. Yeah it was cute and enjoyable but too short, I feel like I wasted my money. For now, I don't recommend. Would be better if after the ceremony, the game would continue with new objectives. Sooooo disappointed....
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i was super excited for this, got it the moment it released, but i got bored after 2 hrs, it's not bad but feels extremely juvanile. like what 12 year old me will play. Story is so linear and there's not any real stakes just a bunch of minigames. I'm still thinking if i want to return this. I feel that it can be alot better if they leaned more into the management side, made your choices matter more. Not worth more than 10 bucks imo
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have been following the games development for over 2 years. I really wanted to love this game. It isn't BAD, so If I could give a more mixed, I would. If you can get it on sale and maybe they can fix some issues then for sure pick it up. I just found myself disappointed and more frustrated than actually having fun playing the game. Other reviews have mentioned most of the issues: no load save feature to go back within a save, some iffy story parts, UI bugs and finickiness, etc. The album…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →K-Pop Idol Stories was one of my most anticipated games of this year. All in all, it isn't a bad game, however, as others' have said, the content is lacking. It feels like when the game is just getting started, it ends. The story could be longer, more explanations as to who each character is, and there is a lot to do to debut but not enough time to do it. Besides the game being too short, it is a good game. Hopefully an update comes out soon.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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