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Interview with Laputa Games, a horror adventure game "Lonely Broadcast"

*This is an indie game developer interview series. The photos and interview content used in the interview were provided by the creators through Discord, etc. Game developers who are interested in participating in the interview can contact me through various methods (email, Discord, SNS address, post comments, etc.) and I can conduct interviews regardless of the platform. (Depending on the creator's preference, it can be done through a real-time interview or questionnaire!)

Interview: Q (hashiruka48) / A (Laputa Games)

Game Title:   < Lonely Broadcast >
Genre: Horror, Adventure, Visual Novel

Creator: Laputa Games

Q. Hello . First, please introduce yourself .

  A. Hello! Laputa Games! It's my first time saying hello! I'm BINILBONJourrr, the planning manager, answering your questions here.

We introduce ourselves as an 'indie team that makes sweet, lively, and sassy games'! A game where cute girls who seem sweet, get into sassy situations, and show sassy scenes there. This is the 'sweet, lively, and sassy game' that we at Laputa Games pursue!

Q. What is the name of the development team (or individuals) and what is the structure and division of roles of the team?

A. We at Laputa Games are developing together with five people!

Planning and scenario manager ' BINILBONJourrr ',

Programmer and director ' korder '

Main Art 'SJ'

Sub Art 'Big Sword'

Pixel art 'Miss Sim'

And in this work, <Lonely Broadcast>, voice actor 'Miryu' took charge of some of Yuna's voice.

In addition, I have received a lot of help from other creators I know. I think it would be endless if I were to list all the people who have helped me.

Q. What is the meaning behind the game title ' Lonely Broadcast'?

A. I had a really hard time deciding on the name of the game. The plan and synopsis of an unknown female YouTuber entering an abandoned hospital and getting involved in an incident were decided first, and the title came later.

In the process of concretizing the plan, the term 'solitude' was treated as an important keyword, so we considered several titles related to 'solitude'. In the end, we intuitively thought that 'Yuna broadcasts alone from beginning to end' would be a good title, so we decided on the simple title 'Solitude Broadcast'.

Q. Please introduce the basic concept and genre of the game.

A. The game's concept of a 'streamer who gets caught up in an incident after entering a random place' is a plot that may be familiar to you and has been featured in various creative works.

The 'sweet, lively, and cheeky' we pursue here is not so much a genre as it is a 'tone we want to show'. We've wrapped this 'tone we want to show' in a wonderful package called the 'Tsukur horror adventure genre' that many people love.

Q. What is the main story or background setting of 'Lonely Broadcast'?

A. Yuna, a streamer who runs a comprehensive game channel called <Yuna Yuna's All-Night Channel>, is forced to do an outdoor broadcast at a place called <Godlike Mental Hospital>, which is famous for being one of the five most abandoned houses in South Korea, as a punishment game.

<Godlike Mental Hospital> is a mental hospital that was closed down early, and is famous for the fact that its director was a cult leader. It is one of the '5 most abandoned houses in Korea' that exists in this world. There are three officially known victims. There is a memorial altar for them in the center of the hospital.

During the broadcast, Yuna blindly believes the words of the donation, and breaks taboos such as putting incense upside down at the incense burner and tearing off a talisman, unknowingly crossing the 'line' and throwing herself into what will happen in the future.

Q. Who is the main character (or player character) in the game, and what is their situation?

A. Yuna is a South Korean comprehensive game streamer. She is set up as someone who likes games and is good at them, but she often makes mistakes on air. If you look at it in a good way, she is naive, but if you look at it in a bad way, she is a friend who lacks common sense. She is not interested in anything other than what she likes.

Because of that, they often break taboos without a second thought, and such careless actions often come back to them. From the viewers' perspective, they think, "I'll let it go because she's pretty," but then they immediately think, "No, but...!" They're the kind of streamers. I hope gamers will also look at them with that kind of love and hate.

Q. Is there a reason why you chose ' broadcasting' as your subject? Is there a connection to actual streaming culture?

A. I was thinking about what kind of material would be familiar to the players, and how I could show our Yuna's charm. I was going around the broadcasts, thinking, 'What do people like these days?' But then I realized. 'Wait a minute, I'm watching a streaming broadcast right now? Everyone's watching a streaming broadcast?!'

I think streaming is more closely connected to producers and guests than any other medium. You can often find content where you can talk to each other in real time, and there are also content where viewers participate. But paradoxically, you can also find streaming where both the streamer and the viewer 'only say what they want to say'. Broadcasts where they are facing each other, but do not see, speak, or listen to each other. I thought that the existence of these streaming broadcasts matched the keyword 'solitude' that we value.

Q. What emotion or message did you want to convey through the game?

  A. To be honest, I think the emotion we want to convey is 'Yuna' itself.

Yuna is a walking 'symbol' that contains everything we want to show. Since we like every single element of Yuna, from her appearance to her way of speaking, from her good side to her bad side, we hope that you will also like each and every element that Yuna contains, these 'sassy elements' that we want to show you consistently beyond 'Solo Broadcast'.

Q. Emotions like loneliness, anxiety, and solitude are embedded throughout the game. I’m curious about how you expressed them.

A. Yuna was set as a 'streamer who is bad at communication'. She is someone who tries hard but has trouble communicating. That's why Yuna's broadcast attitude in the beginning may seem a bit careless or dry. She doesn't think deeply about viewers' comments or donations and just accepts them lightly.

  It seems like Yuna and the viewers are talking to each other, but the broadcast continues with a subtle sense of distance, as if they are playing separately. In that sense, it was a 'lonely broadcast'. As Yuna gradually faces a crisis, she will begin to truly look at the viewers and try to communicate, and she will begin to escape from her 'loneliness'.

Q. Does the story or ending change depending on the player's choices?

A. Currently, there is only one official ending implemented, but additional endings are being planned in the future. Although there are certain branches in the game, we plan to provide intuitive hints and guidance so that players do not get confused. We want to structure it so that players can naturally follow the flow of choices without getting lost.

Q. Please tell us roughly how long the game will take, and whether you took replayability into consideration.

A. The estimated play time is approximately 5 to 7 hours. Our goal is to fully experience Yuna’s story in one playthrough! So rather than recommending multiple plays, we are designing the game so that the entire experience can be experienced in one playthrough.

Q. Is there a reason or motive behind launching on the STOVE platform?

A. This may vary from person to person, but for us, I think it was also because Stove is a Korean company. For beginners like us, entering foreign stores like Steam or Epic Store felt like a huge wall. In contrast, Stove's guides are all in Korean, and all the staff we deal with are Korean.

  Especially due to the nature of the game, there were many things that had to be exchanged regarding review, but I think it was very convenient because they responded kindly. Also, for a small indie team like us, being able to save on review fees is a huge merit.

  Above all, the fact that there were many games on Stove that were in line with our wavelength was a huge reason. I firmly believed that there would be many people who would like <Lonely Broadcast> and <Yuna> here, so I released them on Stove.

Q. How do you see the current funding response on Tumblbug?

A. I am so grateful and it is encouraging! I was worried that only we would like Yuna, but I am so happy that so many people like and support her. Amazing and thankful things are happening one after another, but I feel sorry that we cannot respond in a timely manner due to our own abilities. I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank everyone who supported Tumblbug. And hashiruka48 for giving me this interview!

Q. Among the rewards provided to sponsors, which one do you feel most attached to?

  A. I don't know about the other team members, but for me, it's the mouse pad and tapestry! It's a matter of personal preference, but more than anything, I think the mouse pad expresses the game's 'genre' well, and the tapestry expresses Yuna's 'character' well. When I'm asked, "What kind of game is Lonely Broadcasting?", I think if I show them these two, they'll understand right away.

It's a good thing I live alone. I'm going to just stick it on the wall without worrying about what other people think!

Q. Were there any particularly memorable episodes or difficult moments during development?

A. Horror adventure was a genre that our team had never tried before. In the early stages of development, I think all of us were a little bit clumsy. In particular, the feeling of 'fear' was harder to evoke than we thought. Through repeated trial and error, we naturally realized how meticulously other horror games were made.

I think it took a long time to figure out how to strike a balance between the 'genre' of horror adventure and the 'tone' of sweet, lively, and cheeky. I think we had a lot of these concerns, especially in terms of the story. Yuna's character really didn't fit in with the serious story. Only after we had a vague standard set within us was the development able to proceed without a hitch.

Q. What game engine did you use to make it?

A. We developed it with RPG MAKER. Its basic functions are very solid. Since the RPG genre itself requires various resources and functions, the tools for making them are also quite versatile. Of course, it is not without limitations, but I didn't feel any major inconvenience while actually making the game. We had a lot of trouble deciding between VX ACE, MV, and MZ for the tool version, but the people who helped us in the early stages of development worked on MV, so we also focused on MV for the development.

Q. What direction did you take in the game's art style and sound? Was there anything you paid special attention to?

A. Even when working on the resources, I had a hard time finding a balance between the horror adventure genre and a sweet, lively, and cheeky concept. If it was too lively, the sense of fear would disappear, and on the contrary, if it was too scary, the game would become too serious.

So, I kept thinking about how to make sure that the two atmospheres wouldn't dilute each other , and that each color would be clearly alive. I paid special attention to the way of expression so that black and white wouldn't mix and become gray, and so that both could be felt distinctly.

Q. What target audience (users) would you most like to recommend this game to?

A. People who find lung cancer fun! People who like the excitement of B-grade horror movies! People who like pretty girls with fat chests! And finally, everyone who is drawn to the character of Yuna!

Q. If you have any future plans (e.g. DLC, sequels, console ports, etc.), can you share them with us?

A. Right now, I’m having a hard time finishing it by the promised date, so I’m not seriously considering what to do next. However, I’ve always had the intention of not ending <Lonely Broadcast> with just Yuna’s story. I like the story behind the lonely broadcast, and I also like the new story of the new streamer, so if possible, I definitely want to make a sequel.

Q. What is the biggest learning or change you have gained from this project?

A. First of all, I think it's because the unfamiliar 'horror adventure' genre and the understanding of streaming broadcasts have increased. I think all the team members have definitely grown compared to before development.

And I think I found a clue on how to bring out the 'tone' we're pursuing . I think any new challenge is a daunting one. That's why I hesitate to start, but I realized once again that I can figure it out and learn by trying it myself.

Q. Lastly, please give a message to the sponsors and gamers who supported Lonely Broadcasting.

A. Thank you very much for your support! I want to continue to show you what you have been waiting for, through <Lonely Broadcasting> and beyond! <Laputa Games> was established for that purpose! Please continue to show us your interest and support!

Dalsipa's record is a success!
I got 200 Flakes as a challenge reward.
A fleeting moment, it was perfect! ✨
Please try again next time!

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Take the challenge now!
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