There’s something magical about night markets. The sounds, smells, and sights of festivals held in the cool evening air make for an amazing environment, and Meowza Games’ new cozy life sim Mineko’s Night Market sets players free to explore the stalls.
Playing as the young girl Mineko, the game focuses on finding new friends and excitement that can follow moving to a new place early in life and unraveling the mysteries of local folk tales like the Sun Cat Nikko (and many other cats besides). It’s a warm kind of energy perfect for a social sim like Animal Crossing, though the focus Mineko’s Night Market places on narrative sets it apart from other games in the genre. Recently, The Best War Games spoke with Meowza co-founder Brent Kobayashi about the cozy atmosphere of the night market Mineko will explore. The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: How did you settle on making a game regarding night market culture?
A: I was born in Vancouver, Canada to two Japanese-born parents. Vancouver has long had a history of Japanese immigration and to this day has the highest population of Japanese residents in Canada. So, my parents often surrounded me with things of Japanese culture including visits to the local Powell Street Festival, an annual festival featuring foods and events of Japanese culture. When I met Brandi (Kobayashi, fellow co-founder of Meowza Games), we would attend many of the markets and craft shows around town including another major Asian cultural hub, the Richmond Night Market, and our love for these events combined with our love of games made perfect sense for a project idea to pursue which ultimately became Mineko’s Night Market.
Q: For those unfamiliar, could you explain what makes night markets so special?
A: To us, there is no comparison between the lively and energetic atmosphere of a night market compared to markets that occur in the day. The sights–and even more so the smells!–combined with the evening air, which is always cooler on a summer night, creates an incredible feast for the senses against the backdrop of the peacefulness of night that just can’t be beat.
Q: How would you describe the art style of Mineko's Night Market, and what do you think it brings to the game?
A: We were always drawn towards the hand-painted look of backgrounds of cartoons like Doraemon (1979), Samurai Jack, and Song of the Sea, and we’ve also loved the art in children’s books, especially those of the style of Mary Blair. We felt that these inspirations that led to the art style of Mineko’s Night Market lent towards a more child-like naivety, something mirrored in the character of Mineko herself.
Q: What can you tell us about Mineko and the villagers she'll meet?
A: Mineko is a young girl who has just arrived at her new home on a new island. I drew a lot of parallels from my own personal life growing up and having to move as a kid and trying to navigate a new school, which at that age seemed like a new world. Much of Mineko’s story revolves around trying to find her way in a new place around new people all while being thrust into this mystery of the Sun Cat, Nikko. Many of the other villagers around town have started to forget about the Nikko myth as their lives have gotten busier in a multitude of ways, and Mineko takes it upon herself to ensure the safety of Nikko for those who still believe.
Q: Could you talk about any inspirations that went into the design and/or narrative of Sun Cat Nikko?
A: The inspiration of Nikko derives from several sources including the popular, centuries-old Japanese tale, Momotaro, a story of a child that sprung from a giant peach that floated down a river to a childless couple. We were also heavily inspired by hearing of ancient tales that spread in Japan during the early Edo period when tales of yokai, or supernatural entities, were gaining popularity. Many at the time likened cats to yokai–Bakaneko–due to the mysterious properties that they seemed to exhibit in daily life including stretching to unusual proportions, their ability to retract their claws, and the silent way in which they moved. So, cats have long been prevalent in Japanese mythology. This combined with our own love of cats made them both the perfect backdrop and focal point of our game.
Q: How many cats are in the game, and are there any key inspirations for them? Real-life cats perhaps?
A: Both Brandi and I have grown up around cats and have always had a love of them. To this day, we inexplicably receive the gracious gift of regular cat visitations to our porch from the neighborhood, many of whom tend to act like guards of our home as they sit on the stoop of our front door for reasons we’re unsure of. We’ve both grown allergic to cats as we got older and don’t have cats of our own, so this game was partially made so that we can vicariously live in a world surrounded by cats!
Q: Could you detail how the four seasons expand upon the various experiences of Mt. Fugu?
A: New resources, including flower varieties and fish, change as the seasons progress in the game. A lot of the unique varieties are requirements to various recipes that the player will discover. There are also several museums that the player can donate items to and in order to complete them, which may also require the acquisition of seasonal varieties of resources.
Q: Could you speak to any specific Japanese inspirations that went into the design of Mt. Fugu?
A: Although we didn’t use any direct reference to the mythology surrounding it, the sacred and mysterious nature of Japan’s Mount Fuji was an obvious point of inspiration for us. The lore of Mt. Fugu in our story ties directly with the Sun Cat Nikko and will be revealed in parts throughout the narrative of the game.
Q: There's a lot of variety in the gameplay, from puzzles to crafting to selling crafts. I was curious if there was anything that was a MUST for Mineko's Night Market gameplay and why?
A: We settled on the idea of having a bartering, or negotiating, mechanic when selling goods at the Night Market early on in development as we felt it led to more of an accurate feel of what it would be like as an independent creator selling handmade goods at a local market.
Q: Similarly, were there any gameplay elements you hoped to include but ultimately had to cut?
A: For sure! As any game developer will attest to, there will ALWAYS be more ideas than you have the time and/or resources to implement. One thing I was always drawn to in big games were ongoing side games, independent of the overarching narrative, that led to the richness of the world. One of my favorites being the Triple Triad game from Final Fantasy 8. Early on, we were hoping to develop a sort of “league” among all the youths in the village where you could collect and battle Boximals, collectible plush animals, in a low-stakes game where you can win and lose dolls to each other to build up an ultimate collection of them. We still love the idea, and hopefully it’s something we could explore in a future update!
Q: How does Mineko's Night Market differentiate itself from other cozy social sims like Animal Crossing?
A: Mineko’s Night Market leans much heavier on narrative than a game like Animal Crossing. Although we are huge fans of Animal Crossing, we are also huge fans of storylines in games, and we were happy to create something that has more of a definite “ending”. Although the player is welcome to continue completing collections, collecting Night Market event trophies, and exploring and completing quests for other Villagers upon completion of the story, we are also fans of media that do have endings where the player has the opportunity to reflect on the experience upon its completion.
Q: What are the key things you hope players walk away from Mineko's Night Market with?
A: We hope people have a pleasant experience getting to know the characters and the elements of our little world we created and embrace not just the culture of the game but the various real-world references that helped form what Mineko’s Night Market ultimately became.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add about Mineko's Night Market?
A: Throughout development, the game has seen many iterations, many experiments, and many mechanics that came and went. But at the heart of it, the game has always been about finding your way and discovering friendship, and hopefully we were able to convey that message to people who need it!
[END]
Mineko’s Night Market releases for Steam and Switch on September 26 and is coming to PS4, PS5, and Xbox One on October 26.