LocaGames Game Competition 2022 Winner

Arum - One Sugar Please Studio

Arum - One Sugar Please Studio

LocaGames has selected "ARUM" for the "LocaGames Game Contest 2022" Grand prize. The developer One Sugar Please Studio, will be awarded a prize of $500.

TOKYO, JAPAN, April 27, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- [About the work]
Title: ARUM
Developer: One Sugar Please Studio

The central story revolves around a half-human and half flower girl who explores a mysterious world by solving metaphorical puzzles, searching for answers to the question "Who am I?".
All of the beautiful artwork is original and hand-drawn, with the animation being accomplished in a traditional anime style. It’s a fun and poetic game with plenty of challenges and a creative story.

Promotional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPasOVTrL0M
Work page: https://www.loca.games/games/arum

We interviewed the creator to ask about what inspired them to make ARUM, and the challenges of indie game development:

1) Please Introduce yourself
Hello, my name is Evanne Dufeil.
I work in the digital field and live in a small town called Pont-l'Évêque in Normandy, France.

2) When did you start developing games?
Arum is my first game, so it's where I started. At first, I was experimenting with the Unity game engine for a project that required augmented reality. Then I started to play around with the video game aspects of the engine. I wanted to make a small character (who looked really ugly at the very beginning) move around and that's where it all started, this was during the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020.

3) What is the concept of ARUM and why did you want to do it?
Arum is a game with a story I wanted to tell, and at the same time, I understood that video games were a great medium to immerse players in, to be at the center of a story that is being built. For this story (which I will not go into detail about), I wanted a soothing atmosphere because during the first lockdown I thought for many people it was important to slow down our lifestyles. Arum is a reflection of my state of mind in March 2020, confined in my home, looking at the world that had stopped.

4) How was the development process? (Illustration, mechanics, coding)
After learning and understanding UNITY a little I started to do the illustrations. Because the graphics of the game are entirely hand-drawn, then having to create the animations, it took me a long time. Then I integrated the first elements of gameplay. However, I had never touched coding and I had to learn the basics. The visual aspect comes from my love of Studio Ghibli which has an aesthetic that is both poetic and childish. For game mechanics it was also tricky, ideas often came to me at night because ultimately sitting in front of my computer screen I couldn't think. I wanted a simple game with basic controls, and a clean interface with a menu galore like you can often see in mobile games. The goal was: just to play a simple, poetic game where you have to explore.

5) What challenges did you face creating the game?
The most complicated part was definitely coding, it was very difficult. It took me a long time to familiarize myself with the C# language, develop a sense of the logic, and understand the subtleties of syntax.
The other big challenge was the soundscape. I've been making music for many years and I had to get rid of my old habits to create an atmosphere that suited the game. I couldn't always decide if this music was okay or if that piece was better, I remember changing three songs just before finishing the game!
The last challenge was to know how far to push the game's development. If I set the bar too high (this is my first game), I was afraid of never being able to finish it. I have to thank my family and friends for all their encouragement and reassurance.

6) Any other comments or messages for ARUM and One Sugar Please Studio fans?
First of all, I would like to thank the players for all their positive feedback, and to LocaGames of course for the awarding this prize, which means a lot to me.
One Sugar Please Studio and Arum are both brand new after all, but I already know what concept I want for this studio's projects. Beautiful and poetic games with a story. Arum 2 is in my head but I will allow myself some time before starting development to ensure I can improve and promote the first game, but next time I will create a devlog.

Yuri Tamai
Adventures Inc.
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