Vortex Gaming

The 2D action platformer game 'SANABI,' developed by the Korean indie development team Wonder Potion, was finally officially released last November. The news of SANABI's Tumblbug fundraising first broke in March 2021, so for fans who have been waiting for SANABI, it's been about three years of waiting that has finally come to fruition.

SANABI is a 2D action platformer game that tells the secret story of a retired soldier who loses his family due to a terror committed by an unidentified person 'SANABI' and embarks on a long journey to avenge his daughter. After its official release, it was praised for its well-organized and complete story, excellent directing, and lingering ending. Currently, it has about 12,000 user reviews on Steam and is recording overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Perhaps because of the lingering ending, I've been able to meet many users who are experiencing 'SANABI fever' in various communities for a while. To quench their thirst, we met with Yoo Seung-hyun, CEO of Wonder Potion, to hear more about what Wonder Potion will do in the future.

Q. Before we start the interview, please give us a brief introduction and tell us about the recent activities of Team 'Wonder Potion'.

= Hello. I'm Yoo Seung-hyun, the team leader and planner of Wonder Potion. Team Wonder Potion is still developing with five people, and we are focusing on bug fixes and difficulty adjustments after the release. The PC version is fine, but there are still some issues with the Nintendo Switch build, so we are busy these days.

Recently, we have been participating in offline events such as G-STAR and Burning Beaver to create more opportunities to communicate directly with users. Users often give us gifts of goods they made themselves on the spot, and we are surprised that the quality is better than what we made. We are very grateful to the users, and we are realizing our popularity in this area.

Q. It's been about three years since you started Tumblbug fundraising and officially released the game. In a way, you've finished your first journey, so I'm curious about your thoughts.

= When I first released the game, I felt dazed. It felt unreal. It's been about a month now, and I still feel the same way. It's actually a work that I've been developing for about four years, and I still can't believe it's over. Seeing that many gamers and streamers are actually enjoying it, I feel relieved and refreshed that it's really been released.

Q. It's been about a month since the release, and many gamers have been sharing their thoughts. There has been a lot of positive feedback on various channels, and I'm curious if there were any reviews or evaluations that were particularly memorable.

= Actually, every single review is so precious to us. We read even the bad reviews seriously, and we are always grateful when we see the good reviews. There is a review that I remember because it was confusing rather than impressive, and that is when people show completely different reactions. The most representative example is the difficulty level. Some people say it's too easy and ask us to make it harder, while others say it's too difficult and ask us to make it easier. Both sides have a strong will, so I often wonder which side to cater to. Personally, I still think there are some parts that feel a bit difficult, so I'm trying to eliminate parts that might feel 'unreasonable' while playing to reflect those parts.

Q. What are some examples of things that might feel 'unreasonable'?

= It's the Chapter 3 part where the Supervisor boss appears. The intervals between save points were wide, so the structure made it difficult to play repeatedly. We are improving it by lowering the difficulty and making the save point intervals closer. We are improving the structure in many ways, such as reducing the risk of falling by applying the floor to the area where you die by falling.

Q. Is there any behind-the-scenes development story that you would like to share, especially from the entire process leading up to the release of the official version?

= The process of creating the Supervisor boss I mentioned earlier is the most memorable. When I first planned it, I approached it in a rather vague way, saying 'I should give this kind of feeling,' but when I created the Supervisor, I wanted to capture the fear conveyed by an overwhelming power and an enemy that you can never beat. To do this, I needed a huge enemy, but it was harder than I thought to make it with dots, and when I managed to make it, it felt like a plate was moving. I didn't feel the sense of intimidation that I had expected at first. I thought this was wrong, and I came up with the idea of making it in 3D after thinking about it with the idea that I should make it again from the beginning.

It wasn't technically easy to put 3D into a 2D game. At this time, I felt like I was heading to the ground for about two or three months. I put in a lot of changes, such as using shaders to adjust the colors and making it blend well with the dots to reduce the awkwardness, and I remember putting in a lot of effort. After making it like this, I was able to hear positive reviews, such as that it felt more grotesque and scary because a 3D enemy appeared in a 2D game.

Q. It was delayed quite a bit from the originally announced release date, and I'm curious if the current release build contains all the elements that you originally wanted to include in the game 'SANABI'.

= Actually, there are quite a few parts that I missed. When I first planned the game, I wanted to add three-dimensional movement elements using chain arms so that I could freely explore the city of Mago. My goal was a Metroidvania like the 'Ori and the Blind Forest' series. However, there were many parts that were difficult in reality, and I ended up making it a linear game.

Besides this, some of you may know that there is a story with unresolved plot points. I wanted to solve these as side elements, but I feel that I didn't include them enough because I was pressed for development time. Of course, I think that the parts that I wanted to implement in a core way, such as the boss, were implemented well as I had originally planned, except for the detailed parts.

Q. Do you have any plans to supplement the parts that were left with regret due to various factors with future updates?

= I think that SANABI is currently complete. I'm more afraid of changing anything more here. In the future, we plan to focus on convenience updates. However, we plan to add a short free DLC next year as a Tumblbug promise, so I hope you can alleviate your regrets with this content. The DLC will feature content that shows a different charm from the original, and will tell the story of Marie and the Brigadier.

Q. The story was particularly impressive in SANABI. Was the story developed as planned from the planning stage?

= The direction itself was well maintained. Usually, I set the beginning and end of the story first, but I also have to consider that 'play' is included in the game, which is a characteristic of the medium. As a result, I have to cut out parts that are not fun to play, and I have to change the story if there is a boss that shouldn't appear in the context. The route has changed a lot in these parts, but I think I made the beginning and end that I originally planned well.

Q. I think there were some regrets in the expression of side stories, other than the main stem.

= There are many regrets. At first, I wanted to use the story to unravel the city and world of 'Mago Special City'. Like Night City in 'Cyberpunk 2077'. However, there were many parts that I couldn't include due to the limitations of the development period and lack of ability, and there were many unresolved plot points left. I'm sorry that some people feel this is a setting error. In addition, when I first planned SANABI as a 'Metroidvania' genre, I was planning to gradually unravel the relationship between Marie and the main character, and the truth that was shrouded in mystery. I wanted to create a structure where you could explore the entire city and find clues one by one. I'm sorry that this is now a picture that seems to have all been put together in the last chapter.

Q. Personally, I was mostly satisfied with all the compositions of the last chapter, but I felt that it was a bit lacking because there didn't seem to be a 'final battle'. I'm also curious about the planning intention of this part.

= The original intention was to give the feeling that the main character, who has realized all the truths, is going back to the beginning, and that he is climbing the city with his own free will, which is different from the first journey. However, in the process of capturing this story through the medium of `game`, the dramatic part was lacking, and I think the story itself became a bit weak.

Originally, I wanted to create a final battle atmosphere by defeating the powerful enemies of the court that came down from the sky one by one. However, if I did all of this, the development period would be infinitely long, and I was worried about whether it would fit well even if I put it in, so I ended up making it look like it does now.

Q. From the main character Geumma Ri to the Uigeumbu Commander Baek, Commander Song, and Justice. There are many attractive characters in SANABI besides the main character. Are there any additional plans to use them?

= There are no separate plans as of now. As I mentioned earlier, the story of SANABI is already complete, and I'm still cautious because dealing with it could affect the completed story. The game itself is a story-oriented game, so it's not easy to add anything. There's also the translation issue. For now, I think it's better to prepare for the next one properly than to clumsily add more afterwords.

Q. I'm curious about Team Wonder Potion's next game development plan. What 'next' are you preparing for now?

= Actually, the members' health deteriorated a lot while making SANABI. So, I think we need to rest for the time being. We plan to take a full rest for a few months and then start preparing for the next game in earnest. We plan to continue developing games in the future, and we want to make a game that is more wonderful and fun than SANABI, no matter what game we make.

Q. If there is a rough idea of the game you want to make as your next game?

= I was really shocked after playing 'Outer Wilds' recently. I think it's a game that really interprets the essential part of storytelling well through the game. I think it's a perfect result that can only be done with a game. It's no exaggeration to say that it's the future of game storytelling. I want to follow in the footsteps of these games someday, even if it's not my next game.

Q. Is there a message you would like to convey to the gamers who are looking forward to SANABI and the indie development team Wonder Potion?

= I am grateful for the love you have given to SANABI, even though it is a game with many shortcomings. I have nothing to say but thank you to the fans and gamers who have been waiting and supporting us for several years. I would like to thank everyone who has played and loved SANABI once again, and I will make a more fun and wonderful game than SANABI and say hello again. Please continue to look forward to and pay attention to us in the future.

Webzine InvenPark Kwang-seok Reporter
2023-12-12