Category: Behind the Games

Behind the Games – Interview with Nix Hydra

By pokeninja90 on July 7, 2020 • ( Leave a comment )

Hey Hey Blerdy Tribe, I’m back with another Behind the Games post! For those of you just joining the party, Behind the Games is a segment where I interview the folks ‘behind the games’ I review. Giving you guys a chance to get to know the developers that spend so much time carefully crafting the games you enjoy.

Last time, I spoke with members of Lunaris Games team—the team behind the LGBTQ+ visual novels When the Night Comes and Errant Kingdom. This time around, I had the chance to chat with members of Nix Hydra, the team behind the massively popular fantasy mobile game, The Arcana.

: Dev

: Lynne

: Nathalie

Nix Hydra got its start with the virtual pet mobile game Egg Baby and has since branched out to create the wildly popular fantasy romance game The Arcana in 2018. The Arcana is the team’s first visual novel and has been wildly popular, garnering praise for it’s dynamic cast and inventive storytelling. In the game you play an unnamed magician’s apprentice with a gift for fortune telling. When your master, Asra, a renowned magician leaves on an unexpected trip, you are left to look after his shop. But, before he leaves, you with his prized Tarot deck. Not long after, you are visited by two mysterious strangers: the beautiful Countess, Nadia and the disgraced physician Julian. Each stranger has a request that will change the course of your life forever. The game has since expanded to include more characters and stories for player to enjoy.

In 2019, the team released their second visual novel app, FictIF—a collection of several standalone story based visual novels. There are currently four series available, ranging from fantasy adventure to historical drama! I’ve been a long time fan of the team, so I was excited to get the opportunity to chat with some of their members of their FictIF and Arcana teams—Dev, Lynne, and Nathalie. So without further ado, let’s turn things over to them…

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Behind the Games – Interview with Lunaris Games

By pokeninja90 on June 30, 2020 • ( Leave a comment )

Last time, I spoke with Tida and Chariss a, founders of the indie game studio, Oracle and Bone—their first project is the yuri visual novel A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986. This time around, I had the chance to chat with members of Lunaris Games, the team behind the LGBTQ+ visual novels When the Night Comes and Errant Kingdom.

The team released their first game, the supernatural fantasy visual novel, When the Night Comes back in 2019. The game has received a great deal of praise for it’s immersive story and diverse cast of characters—featuring a main cast that consists primarily of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals. In the game, you play as a Hunter who has been called to the quiet town of Lunaris to assist the local Enforcers with an investigation into a series of increasingly unsettling, supernatural murders. When the Night Comes was originally released episodically, with each new chapter drawing you deeper into the rich fantasy world of the game. Earlier this year Lunaris games released Errant Kingdom, a queer high fantasy visual novel which promises to be just as engaging as their first game—bring with it a new cast of characters and imaginative world building.

I was one of the many fans eagerly awaiting new chapters of WTNC, so I am super excited to have the chance to chat with the members of the team that brought such an amazing game to life. Kris, Anna, Kevin, Nadine, Lennox, and Marina, gave me a chance to pick their brains about their work with Lunaris Games and I just had to share with you! So without further ado, let’s turn things over to them…

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Behind the Games – Interview with Oracle and Bone Studio

By pokeninja90 on June 24, 2020 • ( 2 Comments )

Last time, I spoke with Dani, Alexis, Lisa, Percy, and Kevin, members of the ValiDate team—their first project is the upcoming LGBTQ+ visual novel ValiDate: Struggling Singles in Your Area. This time around, I had the chance to chat with Tida Kietsungden and Charissa So the founders of the indie game studio, Oracle and Bone, and the creative team behind the 80’s themed yuri visual novel, A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986.

Tida Kietsungden

Charissa So

A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986 is a yuri visual novel and Oracle and Bone’s debut title—follow the story of Michelle and Sam, and how their chance meeting evolves into a deeper relationship. Set in vibrant Hong Kong in the year 1986, it is an original story about love, family, and culture. Inspired by Hong Kong cinema and 80’s anime, A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986 is loving homage to one of the most memorable periods of time.

I recently had a chance to chat with Tida and Charissa, about their work on A Summer’s End, so without further ado, let’s turn things over to them…

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Behind the Games – Interview with the ValiDate Team

By pokeninja90 on June 17, 2020 • ( 5 Comments )

Hey Hey Blerdy Tribe, it’s been awhile since I did a Behind the Games post—but I figured it was high time I revived this oft forgotten series. For those of you just joining the party, Behind the Games is a segment where I interview the folks ‘behind the games’ I review. Giving you guys a chance to get to know the developers that spend so much time carefully crafting the games you enjoy.

Last time, I spoke with Chu-3, the founder of the indie game studio, RoseVeRte Games—the developer of the Eroolia and Cafe 0 series. This time around, I had the chance to chat with the team behind the upcoming LGBT+ positive romance visual novel, ValiDate: Struggling Singles in Your Area.

ValiDate is a romantic visual novel about 12 adults in Jersey City navigating new relationships and the harsh realities that come alongside them.

Plot Synopsis

Anywhere can be the city of love if you’re willing to try hard enough, and some of these folks from Jercy City are desperate. ValiDate presents a smorgasbord of relationships to bear witness to— but the dating scene is difficult even when you aren’t marginalized in six different ways, so happiness continues to fly just out of reach for these unlucky lovers.

The team working on ValiDate consists entirely of people of color and they each bring their own experiences and unique voice to the project. What makes this game so exciting for me is that, like the development team, the main cast of ValiDate is very diverse featuring characters from a wide range of backgrounds, sexual orientation, and gender identity. And with 12 playable characters and over 30 routes, this game promises to shake up the indie gaming scene when it is released Q1 2021. In the meantime, four of the members of the ValiDate team—Dani, Alexis, Lisa, Percy, and Kevin—let me pick their brain about the upcoming project! So, let’s turn things over to them…

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Behind the Games – Interview with RoseVeRte Games

By pokeninja90 on June 5, 2019 • ( 1 Comment )

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, I’m back with another Behind the Games post!

For those of you just joining the party, Behind the Games is a segment where I interview the folks ‘behind the games’ I review. The series is meant to act as a complement to the reviews, giving you guys a chance to get to know the developers that spend so much time carefully crafting the games you enjoy. For each interview I send the Devs five questions (and one random bonus question), to kind of flesh out who they are, while also getting a bit of insight into their inspirations for their games. It’s completely voluntary and meant to be a fun way to get you guys acquainted with content creators.

Last time around I spoke with Ertal from the BL games developer, Ertal Games, so if you missed that, I definitely recommend checking that post out too! This time around, I had the chance to chat with Chu-3, the person behind the otome game developer, RoseVeRte Games!

RoseVeRte Games started out as a small circle of independent developers and has since become a one person operation helmed by Chu-3. The team got their start back in 2010 with the otome game Duplicity and has since grown to to produce a number of wonderful game titles. RoseVeRte specializes in romance themed visual novels, that are known for their imaginative settings and unique characters. Their most recent Eroolia series has achieved great success, and currently consists of three games: How to Take Off Your Mask (2015), How To Fool A Liar King (2017), and How To Sing Open Your Heart (2019). But, enough from me, let’s turn things over to Chu-3…

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Behind the Games – Interview with Ertal Games

By pokeninja90 on May 29, 2019 • ( 2 Comments )

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, I’m back with another Behind the Games post!

Last time around I spoke with Esh and Sprocket, the creators of the supernatural romance visual novel Changeling, so if you missed that, I definitely recommend checking that post out too! This time around, I had the chance to chat with Ertal, the from the BL game developer Ertal Games!

Ertal Games is a one person indie developer that specializes in bringing unique Boys Love games to an English speaking audience. I covered their first game, A Hand in the Darkness a little while ago and I was enamored with detailed storytelling and inventive characters. They have since followed it up with the steampunk fantasy, Chasing the Stars which was released earlier this year. Ertal Games has a whole host of great stories to tell and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for this amazing BL developer!

But, enough from me, let’s turn things over to Ertal…

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Behind the Games – Interview with Steamberry Studios

By pokeninja90 on May 22, 2019 • ( 1 Comment )

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, I’m back with another Behind the Games post!

Last time around I spoke with Jaime Scribbles, the creator of the post apocalyptic visual novel As We Know It, so if you missed that, I definitely recommend checking that post out too! This time around, I had the chance to chat with Esh and Sprocket, the dynamic duo behind Steamberry Studios!

Steamberry Studios is the name of a brand new indie game developer, founded by two very special individuals, Esh and Sprocket. I have had the opportunity to get to know these two pretty well over the past couple of years and I am absolutely in love with their debut visual novel, Changeling. If you’re in the mood for a supernatural romance game, I highly recommend giving Changeling a try, you won’t be disappointed. This is only the beginning for this dynamic duo and given the success of Changeling I am excited to see where these two end up in the future! But, enough of my yammering, let’s turn things over to Esh and Sprocket…

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Behind the Games – Interview with Jaime Scribbles

By pokeninja90 on May 15, 2019 • ( 2 Comments )

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, I’m back with another Behind the Games post!

Last time around I spoke with Dovah and Gamma from Argent Games, the dynamic twosome behind Argent Games, so if you missed that, I definitely recommend checking that post out too! This time around, I had the chance to chat with Jaime Scribbles of Jaime Scribbles Games!

Jaime is the brains behind the indie game studio, Jaime Scribbles Games! She’s a single mom who made her debut in 2017 with a horror romance visual novel, Pinewood Island. Two years later, she’s showing no signs off slowing down, with two games under her belt and one in development Jaime is a force to be reckoned with in the indie scene. But, what really sets her games apart from the rest is her dedication to creating titles with diverse love interests and deep narrative heavy stories. But, without further ado, let’s turn things over to Jaime…

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Behind the Games – Interview with Argent Games Creators Dovah & Gamma

By pokeninja90 on November 8, 2018 • ( 1 Comment )

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, I’m back with another Behind the Games post!

For those of you just joining the party, Behind the Games is a new segment where I interview the folks ‘behind the games’ I review. The series is meant to act as a complement to the reviews I write, giving you guys a chance to get to know the developers that spend so much time carefully crafting the games you enjoy. For each interview I send the Devs five questions (and one random bonus question), to kind of flesh out who they are, while also getting a bit of insight into their inspirations for their games. It’s completely voluntary and meant to be a fun way to get you guys acquainted with content creators.

Last time around I spoke with Raikon Kitsune, the creator of the upcoming modern fantasy game, Reimei no Gakuen, so if you missed that, I definitely recommend checking that post out too! This time around, I had the chance to chat with Dovah and Gamma, from Argent Games!

This phenomenal twosome are the brains behind Argent Games! Since their debut in 2016, they have been knocking it out of the park with their unique BL game titles, each game better than the last. Currently, they have four games under their belt and one, Red Embrace: Hollywood, still in development and many more on the horizon. So, without further ado, let’s turn things over to Dovah and Gamma…

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Behind the Games – Interview with Raikon Kitsune

By pokeninja90 on October 4, 2018 • ( 1 Comment )

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, I’m back with another Behind the Games post!

Last time around I spoke with Jessinia aka Chouette, the creator of the sci-fi romance VN, PAIRS and the upcoming spin-off game SINGLES, so if you missed that, I definitely recommend checking that post out too! This time around, I had the chance to chat with Raikon Kitsune, the dev behind the upcoming modern fantasy game, Reimei no Gakuen!

Raikon Kitsune is an artist, who has recently tried her hand at game developing. With her team, Raikon Kitsune Arts, they are currently working on their first project a modern fantasy game, Reimei no Gakuen. Even though this is her first ever game project, this certainly won’t be her last, as she has tons of great story ideas to share with the world. When she isn’t working on games, Rai is a seasoned artist, specializing in anime styled artwork, with years of experience under her belt! So, without further ado, let’s turn things over to Raikon Kitsune…

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Behind the Games – Interview with Jessinia Creator of JeliParade

By pokeninja90 on September 26, 2018 • ( 2 Comments )

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, I’m back with another Behind the Games post!

Last time around I spoke with Mikomi Kisomi, the creator of the josei romance VN, That Which Binds Us, so if you missed that, I definitely recommend checking that post out too! This time around, I had the chance to chat with Jessinia aka Owl aka Chouette, the dev behind the sci-fi romance game PAIRS and the upcoming spin-off game SINGLES!

While working on my review of PAIRS I was able to chat with this phenomenal content creator and she is an absolute delight! She has a passion for world building and the fascinating universe she created with PAIRS is something that has the potential for more content in the future. Also, as a Black woman and content creator her dedication to diverse and culturally inclusive characters in her works help give her content wide mass appeal! This especially important in sci-fi media, which she feels tend to have characters that are typically “white or east-Asian coded”, which is why she strives to incorporate characters that are representative of a wide range of cultures. So, without further ado, let’s turn things over to Jessinia…

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Behind the Games – Interview with Mikomi Kisomi

By pokeninja90 on August 27, 2018 • ( 1 Comment )

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, I’m back with another Behind the Games post!

Last time around I spoke with Angela He, the creator of the psychological thriller VN, I Woke Up Next To You Again, so if you missed that, I definitely recommend checking that post out too! This time around, I had the chance to chat with Mikomi Kisomi, the creator of the mystery/modern fantasy/josei VN That Which Binds Us!

Mikomi debuted back in 2014 with the yuri game Crossed Paths: Connected Worlds for the Ludum Dare Game Jam and she has not slowed down since putting out several games in her almost 4 year career. She is an avid fan of visual novels and hopes to bring her own unique perspectives on the genre into the games she creates. In addition to her immersive stories, Miko’s games also feature LGBT characters, with many of her titles falling under the yuri game demographic. She is a developer that is constantly growing and adapting her style, so each of her games is a testament to her hard work and dedication! So, without further ado, let’s turn things over to Miko…

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Behind the Games – Interview with Angela He

By pokeninja90 on August 15, 2018 • ( 2 Comments )

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, I’m back from the dead and I am hitting the ground running, with a whole host of new content for you guys to enjoy. First up is a Q&A styled post series, Behind the Games! Between the reviews, guides, rants, and other content on Nice Job Breaking It, Hero, I do a lot of the talking, so I wanted to change things up a bit and give someone else the chance to get a word in.

The long and short of it: Behind the Games is a new segment where I interview the folks ‘behind the games’ I review. The series is meant to act as a complement to the reviews I write, giving you guys a chance to get to know the developers that spend so much time carefully crafting the games you enjoy. For each interview I send the Devs five questions (and one random bonus question), to kind of flesh out who they are, while also getting a bit of insight into their inspirations for their games. It’s completely voluntary and meant to be a fun way to get you guys acquainted with content creators.

In addition to the interview, I’ll also include links to the various social media channels and sites (game related sites included) so that you guys can reach out to the Dev about their works. I strongly encourage you all to check out their pages and engage with them! Let them know how much you love their games, most of the folks I’ve talked to are super nice and welcome conversation!

So, now that the intros are out of the way, let’s dive in to the very first Behind the Games interviewee: Angela He aka Zephyo, the creator of the psychological thriller VN, I Woke Up Next To You Again!

Say Hey to Angela He (aka Zephyo)!!

Angela debuted in her junior year of high school, with her first title, Suppressed (available on Steam), now, she has over 10 titles under her belt. Her thought provoking narratives and stunning visuals have captivated audiences the world over. She has a knack for telling immersive stories that stay with you long after the credits roll. Each of her stories delve into the complexities of the human psyche, keeping the reader guessing as they peel back the layers of each intricately laid plot point. She is a phenomenal VN developer and an absolute joy to talk with, so without further ado, let’s turn things over Angela…

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