We are pleased to present a mini-interview with the developers of Necrobarista . This work is a 3D visual novel set in a cafe in the back alley of Melbourne. A story over time is spun around the female apprentice barista and necromancer "Muddy". Also supports Japanese. "Necrobarista" is being delivered for 1,980 yen.
――First of all, please introduce yourself. Mr. Damon Reece (hereinafter referred to as Mr. Reece) This is Damon Reece. He works remotely from Adelaide, South Australia and was the main scenario writer for the film. He has been working as a game writer for the past eight years. ――When and how did the development of this work begin? Mr. Reece There is an interesting story behind the development of this work. The first prototype (2015) made by our studio was called "Project Ven", a visual novel test that incorporated elements of a 3D adventure game. Currently, Route 59 is active with eight people, but at that time there were only three university students. A total of more than 12 people are involved in the development of this work. If you have already played this game, you can see that the above demo elements are still in the finished version. After making some prototypes (like "Tram Demo") in 2016, the development of this work started, and you know the rest! ――Please tell us the features of this work. Reece I am confident in the 3DCG visual style inspired by the anime. There is no other game like ours, so I think it's very special. Another thing I'm confident about is that players can explore the cafe "Terminal" in first-person mode. This allows for a more immersive gameplay, with some players saying, "I just want to sit down and listen to music!" By the way, all the music of this work was composed by Kevin Penkin, and he was in charge of the music of the animation "Made in Abyss" and "Tower of God-". You're a great musician! --Are there any works that influenced this work? Mr. Reece I'm really influenced a lot by Japan and other countries. From the West, I was influenced by games like "Night in the Woods," "Undertale," "Kentucky Route Zero," "Life is Strange," "We Know the Devil," "Butterfly Soup," and "Analogue: A Hate Story." In contrast, Japan is influenced by Hayao Miyazaki's work, Shaft (animation production company), and Yoko Taro (especially "NieR: Automata"). Also, when I joined the team in 2017, I was told to watch "Time of Eve" and "Bakemonogatari". If you play this work, you will be able to see the influence of these two works. Still, I think we were able to make something very different from any other work! --Did the new coronavirus have any impact on development? Mr. Reece Certainly there was. I and another writer (Justin Kuiper) are working remotely, but the other members of the team recently rented an office in Melbourne. But as the new Corona began to spread in Melbourne, they had to work from home again, which was a bit of a challenge. There is also a large forest fire in Australia's summer, and the city is engulfed in smoke. It was hard to breathe, and the last forest fire ended when the new corona began to spread. A few months later, another summer forest fire will occur ... just thinking about it will make it dark. ――Finally, do you have a message for Japanese readers? Reece I don't want to say to English-speaking fans, but I think you are the best fans of this game! I searched Twitter with "Necrobarista" in Japanese and read what Japanese fans are saying using Google Translate, but it always has very nice words written on it. It's a good break during development. If you haven't played this game yet, please buy it. We love money and I hear that the Japanese translation (by PLAYISM) of this work is great! (Laughs) ――Thank you. ◆ About "Attention Indie Mini Questions and Answers" This series is a series of interviews with indie developers immediately after their release about their works. The question is formatted for regular serialization, and the goal is to reach as many developers as possible. Enjoy the other interview articles that have already exceeded 300.
――First of all, please introduce yourself. Mr. Damon Reece (hereinafter referred to as Mr. Reece) This is Damon Reece. He works remotely from Adelaide, South Australia and was the main scenario writer for the film. He has been working as a game writer for the past eight years. ――When and how did the development of this work begin? Mr. Reece There is an interesting story behind the development of this work. The first prototype (2015) made by our studio was called "Project Ven", a visual novel test that incorporated elements of a 3D adventure game. Currently, Route 59 is active with eight people, but at that time there were only three university students. A total of more than 12 people are involved in the development of this work. If you have already played this game, you can see that the above demo elements are still in the finished version. After making some prototypes (like "Tram Demo") in 2016, the development of this work started, and you know the rest! ――Please tell us the features of this work. Reece I am confident in the 3DCG visual style inspired by the anime. There is no other game like ours, so I think it's very special. Another thing I'm confident about is that players can explore the cafe "Terminal" in first-person mode. This allows for a more immersive gameplay, with some players saying, "I just want to sit down and listen to music!" By the way, all the music of this work was composed by Kevin Penkin, and he was in charge of the music of the animation "Made in Abyss" and "Tower of God-". You're a great musician! --Are there any works that influenced this work? Mr. Reece I'm really influenced a lot by Japan and other countries. From the West, I was influenced by games like "Night in the Woods," "Undertale," "Kentucky Route Zero," "Life is Strange," "We Know the Devil," "Butterfly Soup," and "Analogue: A Hate Story." In contrast, Japan is influenced by Hayao Miyazaki's work, Shaft (animation production company), and Yoko Taro (especially "NieR: Automata"). Also, when I joined the team in 2017, I was told to watch "Time of Eve" and "Bakemonogatari". If you play this work, you will be able to see the influence of these two works. Still, I think we were able to make something very different from any other work! --Did the new coronavirus have any impact on development? Mr. Reece Certainly there was. I and another writer (Justin Kuiper) are working remotely, but the other members of the team recently rented an office in Melbourne. But as the new Corona began to spread in Melbourne, they had to work from home again, which was a bit of a challenge. There is also a large forest fire in Australia's summer, and the city is engulfed in smoke. It was hard to breathe, and the last forest fire ended when the new corona began to spread. A few months later, another summer forest fire will occur ... just thinking about it will make it dark. ――Finally, do you have a message for Japanese readers? Reece I don't want to say to English-speaking fans, but I think you are the best fans of this game! I searched Twitter with "Necrobarista" in Japanese and read what Japanese fans are saying using Google Translate, but it always has very nice words written on it. It's a good break during development. If you haven't played this game yet, please buy it. We love money and I hear that the Japanese translation (by PLAYISM) of this work is great! (Laughs) ――Thank you. ◆ About "Attention Indie Mini Questions and Answers" This series is a series of interviews with indie developers immediately after their release about their works. The question is formatted for regular serialization, and the goal is to reach as many developers as possible. Enjoy the other interview articles that have already exceeded 300.
