This project is an interview with the developer of the new indie game that you are interested in. This time, we will deliver a mini-interlocked show to developers Little Inner Monsters , the emotional monster card game released on June 21 for Mens SANA INTERACTIVE and PC/Mac.
This work is a card game in which monsters with various emotions fight. There are 36 types of cards. Each card has six emotional values, and the results of the game are determined by those large and small. At the time of writing, it is not compatible with Japanese.
Little Inner Monsters is distributed for 520 yen (40%off, 312 yen until July 8).
— First, please introduce yourself. What is your favorite game?
Sergio Ueta (Sergio) This is Sergio Ueta from Brazilian indie game studio Mens SANA Interactive. His son and daughter are one by 1. He also has cats and turtles one by 1. I was an electric engineer, and I used to work for a major IT company for a long time, but decided to change my career and started developing games. It has been five years since then, and so far we have mainly made puzzle games, word games, and card games. My studio has released a game for Steam, and some of them have been released on Nintendo Switch. My favorite game is the famous indie puzzle game Goo’s Planet.
――Why did this work developed?
SERGIO This work was originally inspired by KATIA NUMAKURA’s Instagram post, an artist who has worked together in some projects with this studio. Here it is.
In this illustration, I’m not satisfied… the monsters in me cause a lot of confusion. I called them in a small room for a serious meeting, but I was refused. So very cozy. I invited tea to tea and asked them what they wanted to say.
MARCIO Gastaldello, the lead designer of Mens Sana Interactive, liked the idea of meeting with small monsters and thought this would be an interesting game.
―― Please tell me the characteristics of this work.
SERGIO This work has 36 types of cards with different cute monsters. And they are based on the emotions that are common in humans. Each card has six kinds of emotions, such as joy, anger, will, disgust, interest, and fear, and sets each number.
As an idea of this work, one emotion does not exist by itself. They come together with some other emotions. And in the situation, various emotions can clearly appear. This is represented by each card. I made this work as an entrance to thinking about it, not the intention of drawing all the complex aspects of humans.
You can play with your friends in your computer (AI called SANA) or PvP mode.
Multi-player mode is made in family-friendly, so you can send emoticons to communicate.
――What kind of person do you want this work to play?
SERGIO I want people who like general card games to play, but in a relaxed environment, I like things that I like to play quickly with simple rules, play with more casual players. I would like to have it. Depending on the game mode, you can play a game that ends in a short time, and you can enjoy a longer match. The rules are simple, so children can play with adults, and the visuals are also cute. Parents can play with their children while talking about human emotions and how they change depending on the situation.
— Is there any work influenced by this work?
Sergio Yes, many card games, such as Top Trumps (the main system of choosing one and fighting) and UNO (simple rules). As for the characters, the inside head of a Pixar movie that draws emotions with cute characters. In addition, Pokemon is also influenced by various unique monsters.
――Do you plan to support this work? Is volunteer translation possible?
Sergio is not supported at the moment. At the time of release, it supports only English and Brazil Portuguese. In the future, it may be compatible with other languages, and in that case, volunteer translation is also welcome. If you are interested, please contact us by email.
――What had an impact on the development of the new Coronavirus?
Sergio, like other people around the world, it influenced various daily activities, but fortunately did not directly affect the development of this work. Our team is small and has been working in a home office for a long time. Therefore, it is possible to continue developing and releasing games to entertain people even in such a painful situation.
――Is it okay to distribute or monetize this work?
SERGIO Yes, anyone can distribute it. I want more people to enjoy this work, and I’m glad to share them with people around the world. This work is a multi-player game, so the more people you can play, the more fun online. And we want to make more games!
-Finally, please give a message to Japanese readers.
Sergio I feel special to talk to Japanese readers. We live in Brazil, but many of the development members are related to Japan. My grandparents are Japanese, and studio partner Marcio married a Japanese. KATIA, an artist in charge of the illustration, is also a Japanese. Japanese culture has a great presence in the game industry here.
–thank you very much.
*Update (2022/6/27 22:43): When the article was released, there was a mistake in the title. Fixed and re-released. Thank you for pointing out in the comments section.