Utsuro Mayu Unleashes Haunting 1980s Japanese Countryside Horror, Inspired by Sericulture Legend – Developer Exclusive

This project interviews developers of new indie games of interest. This time, we will introduce the Japanese-style horror film set in 1980s Japan developed by NAYUTA STUDIO and released for PC on December 7th.Hollow Cocoon –” We bring you a mini-interview with the developer.

This work is a first-person horror game set in Japan in the 1980s. The player takes on the role of Jinba Minato, a male college student who visits his mother’s hometown for the first time in more than ten years after receiving a call that his grandmother is in critical condition. He explores, solves mysteries, and collects materials while hiding from attacking monsters. Collect information and discover the hidden, horrifying truth.

“Utsuro Mayu – Hollow Cocoon -” is 1,480 yen (10% off until December 14th at 1,332 yen)During delivery.

–First of all, please introduce yourself. What is your favorite game?

UTUTUYAI’m UTUTUYA, in charge of programs at NAYUTA STUDIO. We are developing indie games with two members.

It’s difficult to choose my favorite game, but I’ve loved the Resident Evil series ever since I was little. 『The Forest“or”SubnauticaI also like survival games with stories, such as

–Please tell us about the features of this work. Also, how did you come up with that idea?

UTUTUYAIt must be a Japanese-style stealth horror with an emphasis on storytelling. By setting the game in a realistic 1980s Japan, we tried to create a sense of immersion and fear brought on by nostalgia and a sense of déjà vu.

This work was inspired by the legend of the origin of sericulture in Japan, and after thinking about the story, we fleshed it out as a game.

–Are there any works that influenced you when developing this work?

UTUTUYAA Spanish movie I had seen before called “REC” left a very scary impression on me, so I aimed to give the audience an immersive fear experience that comes from a first-person perspective like “REC.”

Additionally, the feel of the game was based on the recent “Resident Evil” series. The previous work “CINERIS SOMNIA”, we reflected on the lack of operability and the way information was presented to the user, and decided to focus on those details and the ease of playing the game.

–Please tell us about the most memorable episode during the development of this work.

UTUTUYAAnother member of the team rejected the entire animation that I had spent 12 hours making on my day off, saying, “It’s not what I expected.” I think this environment where we can openly express our opinions without worrying about each other is what motivates us to develop.

–What kind of feedback did you receive from users after the release? Please tell us about something that particularly impressed you.

UTUTUYAIn order to create a sense of realism from a first-person perspective, this game has camera shake (so-called head bob), but after the release of the trial version, many people complained that the camera shake was too strong. I received it.

Currently, the camera shake in this game can be adjusted in the options with a slider, which has been well received, but this idea was actually adapted from an idea received from a user on a forum. is.

There is a gap, more or less, between the developer’s perception and the user’s perception, so I realized once again that the game will be better if we receive a lot of feedback from users.

–Please tell us about your plans for future updates, taking into consideration user feedback.

UTUTUYAIn future updates, we plan to mainly improve playability and adjust the difficulty level. We would like to continue to take user feedback seriously so that as many people as possible can enjoy this work.

–Is it okay to distribute and monetize this work?

UTUTUYAyes. As long as you follow the guidelines listed on the Steam store page, you can distribute and monetize your content regardless of whether you are an individual or a corporation.

–Finally, please give a message to our readers.

UTUTUYAI believe that the real pleasure of indie games is that they can develop “what we want to create and what we want to express” and that is the most attractive thing.

We would like to continue to create what we want to create, and we are also currently developing the next work, so if you are interested in this work, please feel free to pick it up.

Thank you for reading this interview until the end.

–thank you very much.