One things I love about indie games is that they are limited only by the imagination and innovation of the people behind them. That is why fans love this sub-genre of video games. Personally, I don’t usually stray away from previewing the typical “former-AAA devs form an indie studio” type games, but once in a while I stumble upon a project and I say to myself “I just have to ask the developer what was going on in their mind when they decide to make this game.” That’s the feeling I got when I contacted the developers behind the Dragon Dating Simulator. Dragon Dating Simulator is currently funding on IndieGogo with a fixed funding goal of €8,000 goal, which means that it only has until it’s January 12, 2015 deadline to get there.
The developer of Dragon Dating Simulator was kind enough to answer some of my burning questions about this very unique game. Here’s what he had to say.
Cliqist : Tell us a little about yourself?
M. B. Saunders : I’m M. B. Saunders and the creator of Dragon Dating Simulator.
Cliqist : Every person I shared this project have requested me to ask you this question “why did you decide to make a Dating Simulator involving dragons?”
M. B. Saunders : It was a process. It started with wanting to create a visual novel, a genre that unfortunately does not get as much attention here as it does over in Japan. Dating sims are a staple of that genre. Personally, I am a fan of fantasy and dragons are a pretty universal symbol in general as well, which made them a good candidate. This is my way of trying to do things a little differently and portray them in a way that people have not considered before and break out of the stereotypes.
Cliqist : Dragon Dating Simulator is set in a world populated by dragons: can tell us a little bit more about this world? is it like medieval earth? futuristic? or something else?
M. B. Saunders : The story of Dragon Dating Simulator takes place in the near future, where people have discovered a portal that leads into this world populated by dragons. To everyone’s surprise, it turns out that their society has developed very similarly to ours, almost eerily so. How it came to be that way will be revealed in a video we plan to release soon.
Cliqist : Can you tell us about the dragons the player will meet in this world, what abilities and characteristics do these dragon possess? are they giant monsters of fantasy or are they anthropomorphized?
M. B. Saunders : There are a number of different dragon species to be found in this world. They vary in size, color, look and other characteristics. There are the classical fire-breathing dragons, earth dragons and even wingless dragons, though most of them are not as gigantic as they are often portrayed. They have their own culture and society, which is very similar to our own in many aspects.
Cliqist : The player plays as one of the humans to travel to the world of dragons in a cultural exchange program. Does this ‘human’ come with his/her own sets of characteristics (personality, strength, weaknesses) or are they assigned by the player?
M. B. Saunders : The character will be shaped by the player throughout the game by the decisions the player makes. Even seemingly inconsequential dialogue options will influence the character’s stats in a minor way, meaning players should consider which route they want to go for.
Cliqist : Tell us a little about the art-style you are using in this game, why did you choose this particular type of art style?
M. B. Saunders : In regards to the art style, we have not strayed very far from our roots. The character art for example is very anime-inspired, but not without adding our own touch to it. However, there are some elements that we want to improve on when we move forward.
Cliqist : The project states that there will be at least 4 potential love interests (2 male, 2 female), will there be option for same-sex romance?
M. B. Saunders : Absolutely.
Cliqist : What kind of game-play mechanics will be used in this game?
M. B. Saunders : As a visual novel, the game will mainly feature making choices similar to choose your own adventure books. This will influence your stats, dialogue choices and the branching storylines within the game.
Cliqist : What level violence, gore, nudity, sexuality, coarse language should gamers expect in this game?
M. B. Saunders : Personally I am not a fan of censoring the consequences of violence when it happens and as the game does feature a murder mystery, players should expect the appropriate level of gore and violence. In accordance with the title of the game, there will be dating and romance in the game with the characters with some innuendo, but there won’t be any sexually explicit scenes. In regards of language, there should not be anything that would put the rating of the game above “T” level.
Cliqist : Would this game involve silliness found in similar games like Hateful Boyfriend, or would the tone be somber and serious?
M. B. Saunders : There certainly are times for both and I like to think we are keeping a good balance between the two. The game does follow a rather serious storyline, but there are plenty of moments and scenes between the characters and scenes that are more comedic and silly to break the tension.
If you’d like to learn more about Dragon Dating Simulator be sure to head over to the games’ IndieGogo page.
This title comes across as super niche, especially considering the recent wave of Visual Novels coming to Steam. Hopefully they succeed in their goals!
Well stated Nonscopo