Q&A: Tsundere Studio, Developer of “I Just Want To Be Single!!”

If you search Steam for ‘dating sim, visual novel,’ you’ll see 2,333 outcomes, all combating on your consideration. It shouldn’t be a controversial assertion to say that it takes a novel idea nowadays to be seen. In the case of Tsundere Studio’s “I Just Want To Be Single!!,” there’s no motive to be involved about that.

I used to be capable of sit down and chat with one half of the event duo behind this incredibly unique “anti-dating sim” about their creative inspirations and the way “I Just Want To Be Single!!” got here into being. The following Q&A has been trimmed for readability and brevity.

Gamer Journalist: If I’m not mistaken, Tsundere Studio is a developer duo. Can you inform our readers slightly bit about you as a growth studio? Why is it known as Tsundere Studio?

Tsundere Studio: Well, to start with, like most issues, my naming conference is usually based mostly round if it’s humorous or not. It’s positively a kind of issues the place I went ‘that would be funny’ after which I simply do it … the 2 particular person is clearly me and the opposite is TsunAngelique who’s my shut pal and she or he’s the artist of the sport and she or he does all of the character artwork and the design work and the sprite work.

So, she does all of that, and I’m extra on the event aspect. I’m doing the programming and the writing. And, clearly we rent some contractors to assist out with the backgrounds and additional dev coding, however yeah, a lot of the work is completed by us. It’s additionally slightly little bit of a nod to my pal’s identify, TsunAngelique, which is like … Tsundere, that’s the primary half. We have an inside joke the place she’s the Tsun and I’m the Dere. Tsun is like she likes you and I’m slightly bit chilly, so she’s the new one and I’m the chilly one.

GJ: Can you inform us a bit about “I Just Want To Be Single!!”?

TS: “I Just Want To Be Single!!” … began principally as a joke. It was like, ‘wouldn’t or not it’s humorous if there was a courting sim the place the objective was, you have been making an attempt to not date anybody’? And then, I pitched that concept to a few my buddies and I made a mockup emblem, and I used to be like ‘hey, there’s this new recreation’ they usually have been like ‘that’s fairly humorous. I might play that.’

I began to suppose ‘maybe I should make this game’ ’trigger I dabbled slightly bit in visible novel making earlier than, and I had my pal Tsun(Angelique) who does actually good artwork and that’s form of the way it got here collectively … Basically, the entire concept got here from the title. I used to be form of making a parody. There’s a number of parody visible novel courting sims, so I wished to make one thing like that.

GJ: I believe one factor that actually turned me onto this recreation’s existence was the distinctive character designs and attention-grabbing use of coloration. Can you inform us concerning the inspiration behind the visible aesthetic?

TS: Well, the artwork model … positively got here in slightly bit later. Tsun and I, we principally design issues collectively and generally I pitch in concepts and generally she pitches in concepts. Some of the elements of the aesthetic within the general recreation weren’t utterly deliberate to go collectively from the start, they simply occurred to go collectively by luck or simply fortune.

I believe the aesthetics, just like the actually colourful and vivid themes actually go along with what we wanna do. … one of many largest issues I wished to do with this recreation is admittedly stand out from different visible novels. And the factor about visible novels is there’s a whole lot of them, and never all of them are excellent, so one of many issues I actually wished to do with this recreation was guarantee that the model and the characters actually stand out and are tremendous distinct from one another.

TS: Mechanically talking, the sport goes to have the choice to this point the characters, and you’ve got the choice to keep away from them. It’s not tremendous intuitive or apparent what the objective of the sport is, I believe I noticed couple of individuals being slightly bit confused on what the tip objective of the sport is and what the protagonist desires. I wished the total recreation as an example which you could have a center floor. Basically, you need to preserve a steadiness, trigger you don’t need them to love you too a lot, however you additionally don’t need them to hate you, as a result of Aya’s the primary character [and she] actually desires buddies. She doesn’t have any buddies, and she or he desires to graduate highschool with some buddies of her personal.

GJ: One factor I actually like about what I’ve seen of the sport is that the humor appears wholly distinctive to another in its league. I believe that’ll find yourself being a extremely engaging characteristic when the sport launches. What have been your inspirations within the writing and comedy of “I Just Want To Be Single!!”?

TS: I don’t actually see a whole lot of comedy video games. Like, there are many media, typically … [where] comedy is form of like a side-genre, or not even a style, actually. It’s simply one thing that you simply form of put into any form of writing. I very hardly ever see comedy put as a central focus in any form of media. … [“I Just Want To Be Single!!”] itself is providing you with the joke setup, and it’s your job to do the punch line. I believe that’s actually cool.

GJ: Can you give us an concept of after we can anticipate to play “I Just Want To Be Single!!”?

TS: We’re taking a look at a June 2023 launch. I can’t 100% assure, however I believe we’re on schedule.