Old School Gamer Magazine chats with BOKURA: planet developer Tokoronyori to find out all about the fun adventure/puzzle game with retro visuals.
About: BOKURA: planet:
BOKURA: planet, the sequel to the reality-bending co-op-only adventure with more than half a million downloads, BOKURA, crash-lands onto PC via Steam in early 2025.
Developer tokoronyori and publisher Kodansha Game Creators’ Lab invite pairs to a two-player-only collaborative space journey, cut short by an emergency landing on a mysterious red planet. While both astronauts inhabit the same space, their environments manifest differently on their respective screens, making communication via voice chat essential to solving bi-dimensional puzzles.
BOKURA: planet takes off for the stars on PC in early 2025. In celebration of the reveal, the original BOKURA is available at a 50% discount until Sunday, August 18, 2024.
Old School Gamer Magazine: How was this game born?
Tokoronyori: When I was planning for the previous game “Bokura”, due to the constraints of the world and direction of the game, I had to abandon a particular idea. It was an incredibly appealing concept to me, but to create Bokura, I had to let it go. A few years later, even after completing Bokura, I couldn’t shake that idea, and that’s what led me to start creating “BOKURA: planet”.
Old School Gamer Magazine: What has development been like?
Tokoronyori: Going very well. Whenever I’m asked this, no matter what state I’m in, I answer very well.
Old School Gamer Magazine: What makes this game special?
Tokoronyori: This game is also designed specifically for two players, each playing on separate devices without seeing each other’s screens. The main difference from the previous game, although my answer has to be vague at this point, is that instead of a simple, stark opposition, I wanted to create an experience where players feel as if they’re holding hands with an unseen partner and moving forward together through a deep fog.
Old School Gamer Magazine: What games influenced this one the most?
Tokoronyori: Analog games that are conversation-centered, like murder mysteries and tabletop RPGs, influenced it the most. I developed the concept with the aim of bringing the enjoyment of those games into digital form
Old School Gamer Magazine: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?
Tokoronyori: Since many features were carried over from the previous game, I had to reacquaint myself with the previous code, but I struggled due to the lack of comments from my past self. There were a few comments like, “You’ll understand if you read the code,” but even after reading it, I didn’t understand!
Old School Gamer Magazine: What were the major lessons learned?
Tokoronyori: To build the sci-fi setting, I read a lot of science fiction novels, which I already enjoyed. I was especially influenced by Adrian Tchaikovsky’s novel Children of Time.
Old School Gamer Magazine: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?
Tokoronyori: I think the answer to this question depends on the game’s concept. For this game, at least, the concept resonates more strongly with players precisely because it carries over some gameplay mechanics from the previous game.
Old School Gamer Magazine:The marketplace is crowded. How do you think you stand out?
Tokoronyori: I’m not aiming to stand out to the vast number of gamers, broadly. If even a small number of people feel, “This game was made just for me and no one else,” then I believe it can become a unique and brilliant game in their world. Ideally, it would be nice if that “small number” was around 500 million people!
Old School Gamer Magazine:How have your previous experiences in industry helped this game?
Tokoronyori: I’ve spent around nine years as a solo game developer. In the lonely and isolating process of game development, what’s essential is creating an imaginary friend in my head who can play the game I’m working on. For both the previous game and this one, that ability has been my greatest help. When making a game designed specifically for two players by myself, there’s nothing more important than that skill.
Old School Gamer Magazine:How do you want this game to ultimately be remembered?
Tokoronyori: Since this game can’t exist without two people, it’s like inviting the game into the “home” of their relationship. I hope that, in some small way, it leaves a lasting impact on that home. Maybe add a new trinket, remove a piece of furniture, a room renovation, or even inspire tearing down and rebuilding the house entirely. Any kind of change is welcome!
Old School Gamer Magazine:What’s next?
Tokoronyori: I hope to continue creating unique experiences that everybody feels they never had before, just like Bokura. My goal is to create as many games as possible, and even if I grow older, my senses dull, and I’m only capable of creating subpar work, I still want to keep going, clinging on stubbornly without ever giving up.
Old School Gamer Magazine:Anything else you’d like to add?
Tokoronyori: Please wishlist BOKURA: planet everyone! And enjoy the game when it comes out! I am sure it will be an amazing experience!
