Rose: For someone who has never heard of your game, how would you describe it without using the usual genre labels?
It’s an anime-style game where you run an animal shelter, but the animals turn into humans and ask you to help them form an idol group. They come with emotional and confidence issues that hold them back, but through hanging out with them, taking care of them, and performing in their concerts, you get to know them better and help them overcome their problems so they can chase their dreams. Every choice matters, so getting the best ending isn’t easy.
Rose: Where did the idea for this game come from?
I’d played some visual novels and narrative games about idols that inspired me, but I wanted one where mental health struggles could be addressed and the characters could actually grow and recover. I also wanted players to do stuff in concerts with rhythm games, not just watch them. The pet-care mechanics came naturally from the story: if you’re running a shelter, of course the animals need care, and even after they turn human, they still need someone to guide them through their new lives. Two big influences were Umamusume and K-ON; we wanted that same cozy, everyday vibe with humor and tension.
Rose: What makes your game different from other games in the same space?
In terms of gameplay, we’ve combined classic visual novel mechanics with pet care and rhythm games, giving them the same relevance as interactions with the characters when it comes to branching paths.
Narratively, instead of focusing on romance or horror, we blend comedy and cozy slice-of-life with mental health themes. You’ll experience everyday moments with the idol-pets while taking care of them, and with your support, they learn to face their emotional traumas so they don’t dictate their present decisions. Even though the game has a fantasy theme with animals turning into humans, we wanted to treat the impact of the past on the present in a more realistic way, while also showing how our automatic decisions, often made without considering others, can deeply affect those around us, including animals.
Rose: Was there anything you had to cut that you still secretly wish you could put back?
At first, the plan was to release a demo with three characters and the full game with at least ten. We wanted multiple storylines instead of one long one, for the characters to have voices, different outfits, and for the concerts to feature 3D animations made in Unity. But we had to cut a ton to manage scope, and even after a year of development, we still don’t have a demo. I’d say our original scope was for a game with a much larger budget than we have. Still, what I secretly wish we could include are the Unity 3D concerts; it’s a challenge I’d love to tackle. (But I guess it won’t be a secret anymore once my team reads this interview)
Rose: What is something players probably won't realize took an absurd amount of work?
To start, marketing. It consumes so much time that could go into development; there are weeks where I can only focus on marketing, and development gets paused. Second, the backgrounds in visual novels are incredibly complex. I admire the artists who can solve them in a matter of days.
Rose: What is the weirdest bug you've encountered that you almost wanted to keep?
The notes in the rhythm mini-game falling at extreme speeds. We’re still thinking about adding it as a mechanic, probably.
Rose: Is there a particular emotion you wanted players to walk away with from your game?
It depends on the route they take, but empathy is a constant across all paths. If they achieve a positive ending, that emotion comes with familiarity, a touch of nostalgia, and the feeling of having helped and being helped at the same time. For the more bittersweet endings, we want players to feel compelled to try again, leaving them with a sense of emptiness and absence.
Rose: What's one piece of advice you wish you'd had before starting?
Everyone says it, but you don’t truly get it until it’s too late: it’ll take way longer than you think, especially if it’s a side project with no budget. If you estimate three months for something, it’ll likely take seven or eight. And selling a game is far harder than making one.
Rose: Five years from now, what do you hope people remember about this game?
I hope they remember it with warmth and nostalgia. Even though it’s our first game, we’re putting everything into making it memorable.
Rose: Why should someone reading/watching this go play your game today?
It serves as a well-balanced introduction to the world of visual novels. We believe the balance between drama and comedy, as well as the depth in which themes are explored, evokes deep emotions in players without resorting to exaggerated or traumatic extremes.
Rose: Finally, the question we ask every developer: After everything you’ve told us, can you officially confirm that your game is, in fact, probably a game? Why should we believe you?
It’s probably a game because I already quit my job to work on video games. Okay, maybe not, but if we’re dedicating enormous amounts of time to make it probably a game, and we’ve already spent $100 on a Steam page, there’s no going back. And soon, it’ll probably have a demo.