Hatoful Boyfriend, the "pigeon dating sim," takes flight in August

I want to play Hatoful Boyfriend .

. Not because I'm into avian amore, but because the mere concept of a "pigeon dating simulator" is so utterly bizarre that I feel compelled to fire it up and see what it's all about. And in roughly three weeks time, I will finally be able to satisfy my twisted curiosity—with a swanky collector's edition, no less.

Finding love is never easy, but as the only human in St. PigeoNation's Institute, it's a particularly tricky task for you. You'll need to navigate the social complexities of the avian world, boost your stats through elective classes like art and gym, purchase tasty bird feed for your prospective partners and pursue dark mysteries and hellish fiends bent on unleashing the apocalypse, all while maintaining a grade-point average that will get you into a respectable school. Boy, sophomore year is tough.

Hatoful Boyfriend launches on August 21 in both a $10 standard edition and a "Summer of Dove" Collector's Edition, which will add a soundtrack, a digital comic from original Hatoful Boyfriend creator Hato Moa, exclusive Oko-san wallpapers and the St. PigeoNations Class of 2014 yearbook for an extra five bucks. Both versions are now available for preorder, with a ten percent discount off the regular price, on Steam.