Straight from the Source: sewohayami (100animalease)

100animalease is an action-adventure game where you work together with 100 animals to escape from a mysterious facility. Don’t let the cheap presentation fool you! This is a really funny and cute adventure game that was created in just 100 days.

Already available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android

As you recruit more and more animals, the line of them following you gets longer and longer, to comical proportions. The animals’ requests keep you guessing, and the silly dialogue will put a smile on your face. After playing the TGS demo, we spoke with creator sewohayami to learn more. Enjoy it!

Note: This interview was originally recorded by Brando in Japanese on September 22, 2023 at Tokyo Game Show. It has been translated into English and edited for clarity. Thanks to publisher Woof for facilitating.

——We’re here at Tokyo Game Show 2023 with sewohayami, creator of 100animalease. Could you introduce yourself and this game?

sewohayami: Hi, I’m sewohayami. I do indie game development, but I like creating gag manga and other stuff too. I starting making games only recently, actually. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, I changed jobs and entered the games industry.

This game is called “100animalease“. You escape from a facility with 100 animals, so I combined the words “animal” and “release”. There are a lot more puns in the game! It’s available now on Switch, Steam, iOS and Android. I made everything myself, except for some background music and scenery. The game’s publisher, Woof, helped with those.

——What made you want to start working on this game?

sewohayami: It started when Woof was looking for ways to reach more customers and become more well-known. I thought the idea of making a game in 100 days and tweeting the progress as I go could generate some buzz. So the initial motivation was, “Make a game in 100 days!”

——Wow, did you actually finish in 100 days?

sewohayami: Yep, from start to finish, everything was completed in that limited timeframe.

——That’s impressive! I guess there’s still some rough edges on the game, but since it’s a comedy, maybe that roughness works to its advantage?

sewohayami: Right, that’s something I was intentionally going for. I’m from Kansai, and if you know Japanese comedy there’s this concept of “tsukkomi”, the act of pointing out something absurd or silly. I tried to put in lots of opportunities for that throughout the game. My thinking was: there are many VTubers and game streamers nowadays, so when the streamer gets to one of those spots, they can poke fun at it and everyone will have a laugh.

——Would you say that the comedy is this game’s strong selling point?

sewohayami: True, but there are also a lot of cute animals in the game, so that’s another point of recommendation for animal lovers.

——What about the story? When playing the demo, I wanted to know why everyone was gathered in this mysterious facility. Does the game answer that question?

sewohayami: Certainly, there’s a reason for everything in the game. Even things that at first might seem like a bug, or some area that’s just unpolished because the game was made in a short time — the explanation behind them gets revealed later. There’s lots of foreshadowing, and players who have played through the end have been quite surprised at how it turns out.

——How has the reception been for the English version?

sewohayami: Like I said earlier, I originally made it with Japanese streamers in mind, so I wasn’t sure how people in other countries would like it, or if my sense of humor would get through to them. But since release, players have sent me messages and comments with their thoughts, and most of those have been in English, saying like, “That was fun!” or “This is hilarious!” That was surprising for me. I’m still unsure if everything was conveyed correctly, but if some overseas players are writing these comments then I’m sure others will enjoy it too.

——Is there anything you wish you’d done differently, looking back?

sewohayami: Well, honestly the game isn’t selling as well as I’d hoped. Maybe it’s due to the cheap presentation. The game’s promotion also could have been better, that’s a pretty big point of reflection for me. But one of the perks of doing in-person events (like TGS) is that many people can try the game out and it can find a wider audience, hopefully.

——Any closing thoughts?

sewohayami: I lost my job due to the pandemic, so I was struggling for a while, but thanks to comedy I was able to regain my spirits. In a similar way, I hope that this game can cheer up someone who’s feeling down and help them get back on their feet. 100animalease is a very lighthearted game that’s easy to play, and not so expensive, so if you want to have some laughs and feel refreshed then please give it a try!

——Thank you very much!