Dissolution of My Self Before You Buy

On September 2, 2026—the day before 1.0—Pop Elephant Studio posted a Steam news item titled “Don’t want to throw your money away? Check the Before You Buy FAQ!” That post is the cleanest public document the game has. This page restates it, adds the store facts that sit next to it, and points to deeper wiki pages so you are not hunting a secret ending in a FAQ that already said there is not one.

If you already own the game, skip to how to play. If you are still deciding, read this, then the content warnings, then maybe the review.

Release, price, and where it lives

• When: United States September 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM PDT / 8:00 PM EDT. Beijing time September 4 at 8:00 AM. Japan time September 4 at 9:00 AM.
• Where: Steam, Windows. Not a console launch. Not mobile. itch.io remains the demo / ancillary page.
• Price: $5.99 list, 10% off for the first two weeks ($5.39). Some store views named September 17 as the end of that introductory offer. Confirm the live widget; this wiki is not a price tracker.
• Length: about 3–4 hours, less for fast readers. The demo is about 30–50 minutes.

The studio also posted “Dissolution of My Self Is Out Now!” on launch day. Launch notes and out now keep the timetable. A free demo remains on Steam (demo appid 4683580) and itch.io.

Languages and voice

Text: English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese. Audio: full Japanese voice. Hector is Netoru Irakusa; Matvey is Tetsuto Furukawa. See voice cast for credits and replay settings. This wiki is English and Japanese only. We skip Simplified Chinese and Russian on purpose.

If your Steam client is set to French or German, the game will not grow a dub. Pick one of the three in-game text languages. Japanese voice plays regardless.

Themes the FAQ answers in public

Are they really uncle and nephew? The FAQ says they absolutely are.

Are there healthy, normal romantic relationships? Can love save everything? The studio says it does not think those relationships exist here. Playtesters split on whether love saves anything.

Is this a horror game with monsters, jumpscares, or combat? No. You click objects in a rented room and awaken memories Hector would rather not face.

Do choices affect the ending? Exploration order and whether you take the pills change order, pacing, and presentation. They will not change the ending. Details: pills and choices and endings.

What kind of game is this? A game in which you must dissolve a person with your own hands.

The FAQ also notes that Hector loves running his mouth and that his views do not represent the author’s. Store copy says not to take everything he says at face value. Replay voice lines before you treat a joke from hell as a lore bible. Hector and Matvey collect the public bios without dumping late scenes.

Hardware is not the cost

Minimum: Windows 10, about 600 MB of RAM. Recommended: Windows 10. There is no GPU pitch because there is no action combat. Family Sharing is listed. That is a license feature, not a “play this with your family” recommendation. Read content warnings before you share a screen.

A mouse is closer to a requirement than the RAM line. Demo testers stalled on drag, wipe, hold, and a passport long-press on trackpads. How to play is blunt. Demo changelog lists the patches.

Spoilers and uploads

The studio asked players to mark story talk and to hold full playthrough uploads until about September 17, 2026—roughly two weeks after launch. This wiki follows that. Mechanic pages stay specific. Story pages stay cautious. Embedded videos on this site are investigation footage, not a credits dump.

If you need to report a bug or a localization issue, use the support mail on Links or the studio Discord. Do not send this wiki your save file.

Who should buy, and who should not

Buy if you want object investigation, Japanese performances, dark humor, and a single oppressive apartment. Do not buy if you want a battle system, a healthy romance route, or three finales. The review is the tone check. The demo is the mechanical check. This FAQ is the “I will not be surprised by the store page” check.

Steam achievements: ten, including hidden names. None of them are a second campaign. See achievements.

When this page and Steam news disagree, trust Steam news. Then keep how to play next to the bottle.