This interview was originally published on Fuwanovel Forums on March 23th 2018 - but, even if you read it already, consider checking out the newly-added, bonus questions at the end of the article!
Two weeks ago I've brought you an interview with Reine Works' Jackie M., where we talked about realities of OELVN publishing and the specificity of women-oriented Western VNs. Today, I have an immense pleasure of bringing the spotlight onto one of my favourite western VN creators. Nami is an indie game developer and author of highly appreciated yuri titles, such as Her Tears Were My Light and Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet. If you observe VN contests such as Yuri Game Jam or NaNoRenO, or you read my post about the best YGJ VNs, you should probably be at least somewhat familiar with her work – and if you’re not, I hope reading this short interview will convince you to change that ASAP. 😉 Enjoy!
Nami: When I’m not making my own games I’m usually screaming about Disgaea, but most of my time lately goes into working for Lab Zero on their big crowdfunded RPG, Indivisible. Right now my life is work, work, work, so I’m afraid I don't have much interesting stuff to say about it.
PL: Usually, developers that try their strength in the visual novel format have a strong connection to otaku culture and borrow various ideas and elements of style from Japanese media. How is it in your case?
N: I've been a huge fan of Japanese anime/manga/games since I was like 10, and I’ve loved a lot of games that use a visual novel style format so it seemed really natural to me. I think my subconscious goal is to write things that feel like a Disgaea cutscene - I just really love Disgaea!
PL: Disgaea is, above all, a strategy game series. Are there any visual novels that you think influenced your work? Do you read any Japanese or Western VNs nowadays?
N: While these aren't pure VNs, I really enjoyed the original Ace Attorney trilogy, Hotel Dusk, and 999. Nowadays I don't play games that often, but I browse Itch.io a lot and try to check out what other people make for NaNoRenO and Yuri Jam!
Her Tears Were My Light
PL: As you state yourself on your Patreon page, you make games about "girls who like other girls". What inspired you to focus on this theme?
N: There's definitely a lack of quality w/w media out there – and I happen to really enjoy drawing/writing cute girls who love each other a whole lot! So, mostly I’m just making stories that are fun for me to make, but there have been a lot of people really excited to play games like mine, so I feel like I want to provide for them too. I guess in the end it's just what I’m most passionate about.
PL: Who do you think forms the main audience for your games? Japanese yuri titles are, in the end, mostly targeted towards men and there's a fair share of OELVN titles copying that format. Is there a specific kind of player you have in mind when making your games?
N: I don't really have the data to back this up but it feels like a lot of young queer people are playing them – which is great, because if they're looking for characters with similar experiences to theirs then they'll probably find one [laughter]. A bunch of the let's plays I’ve noticed are done by men, but I’m not sure if that's an accurate scope of the playerbase – maybe it only means there's generally more male-identifying LP-ers out there looking for indie games to dive into. My target audience is really just anyone who likes cute stuff.
Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet
PL: Your games offer a lot of diversity when it comes to relationships portrayed in them and bend the gender stereotypes in various ways. What's your reasoning for including those elements and did you ever got negative feedback because of them?
N: I don't really get negative comments luckily, but I do get people who don't understand certain characters and either call them weird or ignore what the game says about them to keep their own "safe", or, I guess, "understandable" version of the character. I try to make things clear in the script without drawing so much attention to it that people feel like: "ok we get it already!". My designs tend to be feminine-leaning androgynous, so some of my boys (notably Pastille) get mistaken for girls, and non-binary characters are assumed to be female as well. It's really clear in my mind as to who identifies as what, so I actually used to get really surprised when people couldn't tell at a glance. Anyway, it's more interesting to have a wide variety of gender representation! That's why I'm trying to write characters that are less common to see.
PL: One thing that definitely makes your work stand out is your unique artstyle – did you have much experience as an artist before creating your first games?
N: I’ve always been an artist before anything else – I did fan art and comics when I was a kid, then as a teenager I got a tablet so I went into digital art and flash animations, and now I work in games. I’m glad to hear my style stands out though, it's been developing for a long time now (I'm currently 25).
Romance Detective
PL: Most of your games seem to be solo projects, appropriately small in scale. Are there any bigger ones that you're involved in or plan to start in the future?
N: Last year I actually formed a studio with my friend DarkChibiShadow called Sofdelux – we've only released 2 games so far but I’d say Mermaid Splash was pretty big! I tend to prefer smaller projects just because they can get done more quickly and then I get to move on to the next thing, but being able to work with DCS lets me finish a big idea before I run out of energy. As I mentioned before, I’m also working on Indivisible – although only as one of the artists, not really as a creative force at all.
PL: I've already read that you're working on another part of the Treat RPG-maker game saga, do you have any other plans for 2018 that you could share at this point?
N: 2018 plans, huh... There's definitely another Sofdelux release coming. I have a lot of half-finished projects sitting around I'd like to get to, it's just a matter of time and energy. Though I'm sure some game jam will come up and I'll have a small enough idea for it and the inspiration to just go ahead and drop everything to make it. That's how I seem to work best! I'm bad at making a schedule but I hope I can release at least two more games this year!
PL: All your games are available for free – for people that aren't already familiar with your work, where can they find your projects and if they like what they find, in what ways they can support you?
N: I have a Patreon, Twitter, and a Tumblr where I post art! Patreon and pay-what-you-want through Itch.io are probably the best ways to support me, but spreading the word about my games is really nice too. I think most people find me through watching let's plays, so I really appreciate anyone who shares my stuff. Even if it's just to a couple friends <3.
First Kiss at a
Spooky Soiree
Bonus Round (September 2018)!
PL: Thank you for responding to my invitation again! It was very early in 2018 the last time we talked. It's been a busy year for you so far, hasn't it?
N: Yeah, super busy! Production on Indivisible is coming to a close early next year, so there's a lot to do work-wise, and for the last couple months I've been preparing to move into an apartment with my girlfriend. I'm really excited for us to have our own place! Once we're all settled in, I can finally get back to a regular schedule and release my own games again.
PL: How's the work on your personal projects coming along?
N: Currently the 5th Lonely Wolf Treat game is reeeally close to being done! I wanted to finish it during the summer, but I had too much life stuff going on – it'll definitely be out before the end of the year though, I can promise that much.
PL: Is the next Sofdelux title still in plans for you and DarkChibiShadow? Could you tease anything about it?
N: There will, of course, be more Sofdelux games – DCS is just as busy as I am at the moment (or perhaps even more so), but we're always thinking about what we want to do next. We have quite a few dream projects in our idea pool once the time is right! Maybe you'll see more mermaids someday~.
PL: Talking about Lonely Wolf Treat, will the walls of Frosting ever fall? ;)
N: Nothing is permanent, but it might be quite a while before that town is anything like it was before...
PL: Thank you for your time!
I hope you all enjoyed the interview! As always, if you have any thoughts about the kind of questions or even guests you would like to see in this segment in the future, please leave them in the comments below. All feedback and possible criticism will be appreciated!
Also, don’t forget to follow the links in the article and check out Nami’s work – it’s all free-to-play, unless you choose to pay for it of your own volition. ;)
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