Visual novel game adapted from a dream, <Esha> Artrenya Interview

Notice: The developer interview series may contain some key content related to the game's in-game images and story. Please be aware of spoilers for those who are new to the game. The developer interview series may contain some content about scenes in the game or story development. If you do not want spoilers, please keep this in mind.

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Interview : Q (hashiruka48) / A (Artrenya)
Game Title : Esha
Genre : Visual Novel

Creator : Artrenya

First, please give a brief introduction of the developer (or team).

Hello. I'm Artrenya, the developer of my second work, <Esha>.

What was the motive or inspiration for creating the game <Esha>?

The story of <Esha> is part of the content of a dream I had. I thought it was good content, so I adapted it and produced it.

If you define <Esha> in one sentence, what kind of game is it?

If I were to define it in one sentence, I would say, "A game that made me think a lot."

What kind of character is the core concept of the game, “The girl who fell from the sky”?

I wrote that she was a girl who fell from the sky, but this girl's identity is Tina. Tina fell from the sky and appeared before my eyes, so I created the concept of "a girl who fell from the sky."

How does the player journey with Tina?

Their journey is a journey to return home, and sometimes they get caught up in certain events, and sometimes they rely on each other to journey together.

What genre does this game belong to? (e.g.: Adventure, Story-based, Puzzle, etc.)

 During the game planning stage, I tried to implement choices with a reasoning gimmick, but for various reasons, it is now a story-based visual novel.

What are the most important features or attractive points of the game play?

I remember the character's expression preset that was not in the previous work. In <Esha>, the character's expression changes according to the flow of the story. I also wanted to break away from Ren'Py's unique basic UI. I don't think it's perfect, but I think it turned out well.

How did you set the worldview or atmosphere that <Esha> contains?

As I answered in the previous question, it is part of the content of an SF dream. Using that content, I first set the overall temporal and spatial background, and divided the layers into zones as obstacles in Tina's journey home. After that, I set the rest through various thoughts.

Which platform will the game be released on? (PC, Mobile, etc.)

It will be released on Stove, a PC platform.

What is the current development progress, and when is the expected release date?

Development is nearing the final stages, and we are currently proofreading for typos. I had a hard time because there were more typos than I thought. The expected release date is December 22, 2025.

I'm curious whether you are developing alone or as a team. If there is a division of roles, please introduce it.

I'm developing it alone. I was in charge of everything except the images.

If there are any special production tools used, such as generative images/AI, please explain.

The background images and some CGs currently used in the game use midjourney, and the characters and some CGs use Novelai.

SUNO AI was used for the sound, and AI was used differently from the previous work.

 In what direction is the character design in the game being worked on?

First, I imagine a character design that suits the game. Then, I use Novelai to extract characters until a result similar to that character design comes out. That's how Tina came out.

What is the most important part of the story composition?

While writing the story, I thought about whether there were any contradictions and whether the characters' words and actions were consistent. This part was difficult.

What emotions or messages do you want players to feel while playing the game?

This is difficult to answer. At least, I hope they don't feel the opposite of the emotions I intended.

What was the most difficult part of the development process?

Writing the story was difficult. Even though it was part of the content of a dream, it was difficult to find contradictions or adapt it.

In what direction is the OST or sound design of <Esha> being prepared?

 It was produced using SUNO AI. I used AI to create sounds that were appropriate for the situation and background, but it was difficult because it didn't come out exactly as I wanted.

Do you have any future update plans or additional content ideas?

Since the story has ended, I don't think there will be any further stories.

Finally, please give a message to those who are waiting for the release of <Esha>.

Thank you so much to those who are waiting for and supporting the release of <Esha>. It's not perfect, but please take care of it.

#에샤 #하늘에서떨어진소녀 #인디게임 #비주얼노벨 #스토리게임 #스토브인디 #국산인디게임 #1인개발 #게임개발자인터뷰 #SF스토리 #꿈에서시작된이야기
#ESHA #IndieGame #VisualNovel #StoryDrivenGame #NarrativeGame #SoloDeveloper #IndieDev #SFStory #GameInterview #StoveIndie #DreamInspired
#エシャ #インディーゲーム #ビジュアルノベル #ストーリー重視 #ノベルゲーム #一人開発 #ゲーム開発者インタビュー #SFストーリー #夢から生まれた物語 #STOVEインディー
 #独立游戏 #视觉小说 #剧情向游戏 #叙事游戏 #单人开发 #游戏开发者访谈 #科幻故事 #梦想改编 #STOVE平台

The one I caught 4 times (above) was caught last week, and the one I caught 6 times was caught today (below),

why is it that the one I caught 6 times has a lower difficulty and combat score? I'm embarrassed because this is the first time I've seen such an idiotic standard. 

Did you mess with the scoring method today? 

How can the one I caught 4 times have a higher difficulty/combat score than the one I caught 6 times? 

Why!!!  

Both have no chains or shields, the rest of the deck is the same, and only 3 copies of Kasi's Dice Trick and Fraudulent Resolve are different.

I was going to catch it about 7 times, settle in Master at 1 million, and quit, but are you telling me to quit right away?

Don't even come near the Great Rift unless you spend your life on Chaos 100 and secure your human rights with chains~?

Did you nerf the damage bonus because you won't raise the score no matter how much you catch it? 

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Game Title : <DeadCell>
Genre : 'Metroidvania'
Epic Games (Mobile) limited until 1 AM on the 19th
That masterpiece 'Dead Cells' is being distributed for free!