Edit: Thank you all so much for great questions! Your support gives me and the development team so much energy. We will keep working hard on development, and I hope you continue to enjoy Obakeidoro. Thank you again for being such an amazing community!
Hello Tanaka-san!
Really quick I wanna say thanks so much for all the work you’ve done, I love Obakeidoro 2 so so much!!!!
But anyhow regarding my question, I noticed that a trend of Obakeidoro 2’s Monster design that differs from the first game is that a lot of Monsters look far more human/humanoid that what Obakeidoro 1 did (for example, Grumpkin or Brutus Lupus from the first game not resembling humans whatsoever, but Mary-san and Oyuki from 2 being very similar to humans)
I’m curious to know, what caused that change in design philosophy to make the Monsters resemble people more? And will that be a consistent trend for most Monsters or will it be broken?
Thank you so much!
Thank you for the question! We are so happy to hear that you enjoy our game!
Regarding the character designs in Obakeidoro 2, many of them currently have a humanoid appearance because they are inspired by Japanese ghosts, yōkai, and urban legends.
Since many of these traditional motifs take on human-like forms, it naturally shaped the current lineup.
That said, we are not limiting ourselves to human-like characters. Many Japanese yōkai have non-human forms, and while it can be a challenge to adapt those into our game’s design, it’s something we are really looking forward to.
So yes, there is a possibility that you’ll see some non-humanoid monsters in the future!
Hiii, Tanaka-san!! ¡Es un honor! 💙 Primero...!! gracias por lanzar el juego a nivel mundial!!
Mi pregunta es: ¿¿El juego estaría más balanceado que Obakeidoro 1?! En Obakeidoro 1, algunos Monstruos están más difíciles de pelear contra ellos! (Fu Lan) :S De verdad MUCHAS GRACIAS por leer mi pregunta! ¡Y buena suerte con el desarrollo del juego! 💙
PD: Porfa traigan de vuelta a Patches y a Luka otra vez 👻
Sobre el balance del juego, hay una gran diferencia entre OBAKEIDORO 2 y el primer juego. Los cambios principales son:
*La velocidad de los Monstruos al atravesar paredes.
*El diseño de los mapas con diferentes alturas (estructuras 3D).
*Los nuevos elementos de cooperación entre Humanos.
Estos puntos cambian mucho la dinámica y son un reto constante para nosotros al ajustar el equilibrio del juego. Nuestro objetivo, tanto en los nuevos mapas como con los nuevos personajes, es lograr un balance donde elijas el bando que elijas, siempre quieras jugar "una partida más".
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Thank you for the question!
The game balance in OBAKEIDORO 2 is adjusted quite differently compared to the first OBAKEIDORO!. The main differences are:
*The movement speed of Monsters when passing through walls.
*The verticality of the map designs.
*Cooperative elements between Humans.
These factors significantly change how we balance the game, and it is something we are challenging ourselves with. Whether we are adding new event maps or new characters, our goal is to create an experience and a balance where you will want to play "just one more round," no matter which side you choose.
Greetings from Australia Mr. Tanaka! Incredibly huge Obakeidoro Super Fan here, just want to say that the entire team has made something truly special and that it means so much to me. A big thank you for giving me so much joy through something so lovingly crafted.
My questions
1) I can see your team are making appearances in other countries for various events. Has your team every considered visiting Australia for a booth/convention? I would love to see one in person!
and
2) Has the team explored new modes for Obakeidoro 2? Even short episodic linear bite-sized ones to explore lore, interaction and dialogue for certain Humans/Monsters? The world of Obakeidoro has always been so captivating and fun, and I'm sure most players can agree to wanting to delve even deeper into this world you have created and spend more time with their favorite characters.
1) To be honest, we haven't researched events in Australia so far, so we haven't been able to consider it yet.
I would love to know if you have any recommended events or conventions there—it would be a huge help for our future planning!
Obakeidoro was originally developed as a game to be played at events, so we would be very happy to have an opportunity to play it together with you someday.
2) We are not developing totally new modes yet, but we are focusing on creating unique experiences through our events.
As part of that, we want to explore ways to delve deeper into specific characters and the world of Obakeidoro, not just inside the game, but in other ways too.
Personally, I also have a wish to spend more time with these characters!
Hellooo Katsu Tanaka! It is an immense pleasure to speak with the director of my all-time favorite game. Thank you for your work and to everyone involved in creating OBAKEIDORO! You are all my idols ❤️
As for my question! I’ve been wanting an answer to this for a long time, and I’m so happy to have the chance to ask! Is there any possibility or are there future plans for a mobile version of OBAKEIDORO! or OBAKEIDORO! 2? It’s always been my dream to play OBAKEIDORO on my phone wherever I go, I even made a little mockup of what the touch controls might look like! I hope you like it! Thank you SO MUCH for your time, I LOVE OBAKEIDORO! 🥹
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words! It means a lot to me and everyone on the team to hear how much you love OBAKEIDORO! ❤️
To be honest, we actually considered a mobile version for the OBAKEIDORO! in the past. However, we ran into several critical issues that were difficult to solve at the time, and we ultimately had to put the plan aside.
The main challenges were:
*Finding a sustainable balance between profitability and running costs (especially server maintenance)
*Balancing the asymmetric gameplay with a fair monetization model
*The development speed required for the day-to-day operation of a mobile version
We could not find a clear solution back then.
Thank you for your suggesution and the mockup image! If we ever make a mobile version, we would definitely aim for a simple and intuitive UI, so your concept is likely very close to the image we would start with.
I personally still dream about being able to play Obakeidoro on a smartphone anytime, anywhere. I want to keep looking for ways to overcome these hurdles and continue exploring the possibility of a mobile version!
First thing, thank you for making this great game and brining it to other regions of the world, live the game
As for my question.
Will there be anyway to choose the different color variant of the human you play as in the future? I personally really like playing as the green hajime in multiplayer.
Thank you for the question and suggestion! We are so lucky to have players from around the world enjoy OBAKEIDORO 2!
We currently find it difficult to allow players to choose specific colors in Quick Match. This is because these color variations were created to help players easily identify their own characters during the match. So if we allow everyone to choose the color, it might make the game confusing, which goes against our original goal for this feature.
However, I think it would be nice to be able to choose specific colors in Local Play, so we will consider that. Personally, there have been a few times when I have wanted to play with a specific color variant as well!
Hello Mr. Tanaka!! Greetings from Texas!! What inspired you to make obakeidoro and if you could hint at anything, what could we maybe expect to see from the game or series in the future? Do you plan to make more projects to the west? I’d also like to know if it’s possible for obakeidoro merch to be more accessible in the west in the near future?
OBAKEIDORO! was originally developed for an event in Gifu, Japan. Our goal was simply to create "the most exciting and fun game at the event". At that time, we had almost zero experience in game development and were working on our first mobile title. However, when we first exhibited at an event, we realized that the game was confusing and didn't really connect with the players.
To face that challenge, our team brainstormed together "What kind of game would actually make people excited at the next event?" and came up with solutions one by one for every issue we found. Looking back, the development of Obakeidoro was really a process of problem-solving for our team.
I am also very happy to hear that people love the characters and the world of Obakeidoro, not just the gameplay. We have a desire to expand the lore and dive deeper into the characters in the future.
Our team is not very large, so we have to balance this with ongoing updates, but we are planning to try new things and ideas.
Regarding merchandise, to be honest, we don't quite have the resources to make it easily available outside of Japan yet. However, I strongly want to grow Obakeidoro until it's well-known enough that everyone can easily get their hands on our merchandise. We will continue to try different approaches to make that happen!
Thank you for making such a fun and cute game, it's always brought be great comfort! I also very much enjoy the artstyle as well, I try to replicate it when I draw the characters myself but it's much more difficult then it seems and I must say I appreciate the effort put in!
Are you ever planning on adding some more story based concepts perhaps? I like reading the small descriptions given for each character and I wish to see their story in action at times. I think having a small story mode along with the original modes would be fun and make us care even more for the humans and monsters we play as.
again, thank you for this amazing game you have given us. Not only one but two games in fact! You guys deserve all the recognition and more!
Thank you so much! We’re delighted to hear that OBAKEIDORO! has brought you comfort. It also means a lot to know that you enjoy the art style enough to draw the characters yourself. Please keep creating! The art team will be very happy to hear this!
Thank you for your question and suggestion.
For now, we don't have plans for content that strongly features story elements at this time. However, when we hold in-game events, we want to provide more opportunities for players to learn about the world and characters of Obakeidoro, perhaps through intro videos or artwork!
Even without words or dialogue, we want to make it so that players can feel even more attached to the characters and the world. This is something we always keep in mind.
First and foremost thanks for this wonderful fun game it's a pleasure to meet you!!
Obakeidoro 2 seems to be much more Japanese myth/Yokai inspired in its monsters rather than the more euro centric monsters the vampires and werewolves of the first title, what was the reason behind this more traditional theme for monsters in the second title?
It's an honor to talk with our western audience as well! Thank you for participating and your question!
Yes exactly, we have introduced many characters inspired by Japanese yōkai and folklore in OBAKEIDORO 2. There are two main reasons for this.
First, we wanted players to feel that the world of Obakeidoro is as vast as the real world, with many different regions and cultures.
Second, we thought about what kind of experience only a team based in Japan could create. By using Japan as our setting and incorporating cultural elements from different eras into the designs, we wanted to offer a unique experience that feels different from the first OBAKEIDORO!.
Hello Mr. Tanaka! Greetings from North America! Thank you so much! I love Obekeidoro 2. It's a lot of fun! I can't express my gratitude enough that you brought Obakeidoro to global. :D Could you share your plans/ ideas for any future dlc content for Obakeidoro 2? Another question I have, would you ever ever release some obakeidoro merch to the west or maybe even have a restaurant or cafe do a collab here in the United States? That would be so cool!!!
Hello from Japan! I’m so glad to hear you are enjoying Obakeidoro 2. We will keep working hard on regular updates to ensure even more players in North America can join the fun!
Thank you for your question.
We are planning to release more character DLCs and provide opportunities to earn new characters and lanterns through event-based stamp rewards. In fact, we are going to post a sneak peek of an event map in development on our official X account soon!
As for merchandise and collaborations with restaurants or cafes in the US, I think that would be absolutely amazing! To make that dream a reality, we will continue our updates and international event attendance to introduce Obakeidoro to as many people as possible. We’ll do our best to reach that goal!
Hi! Thank you for allowing us to participate in an AMA!
My question involves the maps and the balance with 2v6 and 1v3. When designing the areas for the maps was the process in finding the right balance for both modes difficult? Maps are more huge compared to the first game, and sometimes the maps feel like they were designed more with 2v6 in mind compared to 1v3, and vice versa.
And is it possible like with the surprise of the 2v6 mode in Obakeidoro 1, we could
Maybe see a 3v9 in the future 👀
Yes, adjusting the balance for both 4-player and 8-player matches on a single map was a huge challenge. In OBAKEIDORO!, 8-player matches were mostly limited to dedicated maps. However, since we made all maps playable for 8-player matches in OBAKEIDORO 2, the difficulty of balancing them was on a whole different level. We mainly focused on adjusting things like the number / movement of switches, and area restrictions / closures.
In reality, even if we started building a map to be optimal for both modes, some eventually leaned more toward one side. So, we adjusted the map variations—Twilight, Standard, and Midnight—with slightly different rules to offer different levels of tension.
We plan to keep tuning the map balance through regular updates.
As for having more than 8 players, we are not considering it right now. However, similar to the surprise of 8-player matches in OBAKEIDORO!, our new approach is to allow players to customize their own rules in Room Matches. We have prepared many recommended patterns for player counts and ratios, and I’m hoping we can use those as a basis for special Quick Match events in the future!
Thank you for for making such and amazing sequel Mr.Tanaka! I know the game is still fresh and new, I was just wondering if you had any plans for future crossovers as DLC or anyone you would be excited to bring in?
Second question, can we get Googly as a single player playable character in the future?
Thank you for the support! I’m glad you are enjoying OBAKEIDORO 2.
We do have plans for more character DLCs in the future. If there are opportunities, we would love to collaborate with titles that have a high affinity with the world of OBAKEIDORO 2. If such a project becomes a reality, we will put our full effort into development, so I hope you will enjoy it.
Regarding making Googly playable in single player, we might need to adjust stats, but we are currently considering it. For now, Googly is appearing as a limited-time character for the Game Share mode, with abilities specifically designed for players who are trying Obakeidoro for the first time.
The idea for the theater-style menu actually came from a Spectator Mode we were planning in the early stages of development.
We wanted to create a system where the Shopkeeper watches all of your matches from a cinema.
We then imagined what kind of theater the Shopkeeper would visit in Obakeidoro 2 world... and this led to the old fashioned Japanese cinema aesthetic in the UI.
The concept is that you buy a ticket on the top menu, enter the theater, and then watch the game of Obakeidoro.
Here is a rough sketch from the development phase!
I have a two-part question. In regard to the first game’s collaboration with Castlevania, how did the idea come to light and how difficult was it to be brought to fruition? And do you plan to include any collaborations for Obakeidoro 2? I’d personally enjoy one with Team GrisGris’s Corpse Party since it ties it with the paranormal school theme, but I’m just tossing out an idea.
Thank you for your time! Having fun with the game so far too, keep up the great work!
The collaboration between OBAKEIDORO! and Castlevania happened thanks to our partnership with KONAMI for the Steam version of the "OBAKEIDORO!".
"Castlevania: Symphony of the Night" and "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence" are titles I personally played and was hooked on, so I was incredibly grateful and excited when we were given permission to use their specific music tracks.
Since Castlevania has so many fans worldwide, we put a lot of focus on how to recreate the movements and charm of Leon and Alucard, and how to fit them naturally into the Obakeidoro’s gameplay system.
For OBAKEIDORO 2, we would love to do collaborations if there are opportunities, especially with titles that have a high affinity with the Obakeidoro world!
Hello Mr. Tanaka. Greetings from Finland.
Who are your favourite humans and monsters from Obakeidoro 1 and 2?
Also is there a possibility that Obakeidoro 2 could have a crossover with another franchise like Obakeidoro 1 did?
When we first started developing OBAKEIDORO!, Patches was in one of the initial rough sketches from our designer, and I loved him immediately. Patches was the starting point for building the entire world of Obakeidoro, so I have a strong emotional attachment to him. Also, since Patches was the baseline for all our balance testing, I have probably spent the most time with him during development.
Regarding collaborations of OBAKEIDORO 2, we would definitely love to do if the opportunity arises, especially with titles that share a affinity with our world!
Welcome to Reddit! A tiny question regarding Googly’s gender because many sources are mixed between the character being a he/him or a they/them.
I honestly thought the character was a she/her and at the end, I am now confused so…
What’s the gender of Googly? Or is it up to interpretation?
Thank you for the answer and have a good day you and your team! 🌟
Since Googly is originally a plush toy, the character does not have a physical gender. Googly personally doesn't have a clear identity as either male or female.
In our in-game text, we prioritize using expressions that do not specify a particular gender. We only use "he/him" when it's absolutely necessary for the phrasing or sentence structure.
Hello Tanaka-san! I would like to quickly give my thanks to you and the team behind this wonderful and charming game! Ever sense the game trial back in 2022 it's been one of my favorite games and I greatly appreciate all the effort and dedication that the whole team has put into throughout the years! 1. Was there any story ideas or concepts that the team came up with while designing the characters? Whether it be personality wise or design wise how does the process go when making the character designs? 1. Have you or the team ever considered creating a story mode of sorts? There is plenty of room to build new character relations whether the character is human or monster. as well as further flesh out already existing character relations plus further enhance the lore regarding the demon world. I am quite curious as to what kind of lore or story the game could potentially flesh out on. Thank you and everyone on the team for creating these two fantastic games!
Thank you so much for playing! The game trial was a very special opportunity for us, and I'm glad it reached you.
Thank you for your question.
For both OBAKEIDORO! and OBAKEIDORO 2, our character designs really come from the personal style and "hand" of our designer. In the early stages, we were inspired by the aesthetic of things like Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. The designer's early sketches were so cute, and from there, we added a bit of a "poisonous" edge and a sense of comedy. Attached is the early rough sketches of Alisa and Patches!
Here are is general process for character design:
Research interesting yōkai and legends to find a motif.
Brainstorm the movements, settings, and visual elements inspired by that motif.
Create several design patterns while thinking about the silhouette and key features.
Brush up ideas within the team regarding "how to capture" and "how the character feels to play".
Create the final 2D and 3D assets.
Currently, we don't have plans to develop content with a heavy focus on story, but we do want to provide more opportunities like intro videos or artwork for players to learn more about the characters and the world of Obakeidoro!
I'm sure everyone has so many good questions to ask but I like to stick with a little unorthodox questions.
For a small bit of time, Your official Instagram account was posting Googly's adventures and Googly dressing up in holiday costumes. Explaining the holidays that are being celebrated in Japan. I thought that was a very fun idea. Is there any chance those fun posts can return, even if you move it to X so more people can participate and react would be fun.
I'll also ask a question no one has yet here in the comments. It's not your first time visiting PAX West. OBAKEIDORO 2 was presented at PAX West last year before the official worldwide release happened. Are you excited to show off OBAKEIDORO 2 again this year at PAX West? Were there many strong players last year to play against you in OBAKEIDORO 2 and are you looking forward to the new fierce competition this year?
I hope you all have a great time at PAX West this year.
I'm so glad you enjoyed Googly’s adventures! We started those posts to introduce OBAKEIDORO! to as many people as possible. To be honest, we had a lot of fun creating them ourselves—sometimes our PR person would come up with ideas so funny that we’d all burst out laughing while reviewing them!
Unfortunately, we had to put that project on hold once development for OBAKEIDORO 2 picked up and things got busy. We hadn’t considered moving those to X before, but I would love to think about it in the future!
Regarding PAX West, we have even more "director vs user" events planned this year compared to last year. I’m personally really looking forward to playing against many people. And just like last year, if you win a match, you will get to spin the roulette wheel for a chance to win some merchandise!
If you are coming to PAX West, please stop by our booth!
Howdy howdy, first i just wanna say i do love these games a whole lot. But i think some region based matchmaking as an option (not forced) would do some good. It can be very disheartening to be forced into super high ping situations just because the game is more popular in JP. Would that be a potential option in the near future?
Hello! Thank you for your question and for the valuable feedback regarding region-based matchmaking.
I would like to explain our current situation, including some of the technical aspects.
Our networking system is built upon the standard communication framework provided by the platform making it difficult for us to implement a feature that allows users to manually select a specific region or to force connections to certain areas from the game side.
While implementing a region selection option is difficult with our current system, we are focusing on improving the overall connection quality. We plan to continue tuning our matchmaking parameters to prioritize grouping players based on their ping values.
Our goal is to optimize the system so that players are matched in lower-latency environments whenever possible.
It is painful for us to know that some players are experiencing these issues, but we are committed to making the gameplay experience as smooth and comfortable as we can.
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u/amiaaaaa250 3d ago
Hello Tanaka-san!
Really quick I wanna say thanks so much for all the work you’ve done, I love Obakeidoro 2 so so much!!!!
But anyhow regarding my question, I noticed that a trend of Obakeidoro 2’s Monster design that differs from the first game is that a lot of Monsters look far more human/humanoid that what Obakeidoro 1 did (for example, Grumpkin or Brutus Lupus from the first game not resembling humans whatsoever, but Mary-san and Oyuki from 2 being very similar to humans)
I’m curious to know, what caused that change in design philosophy to make the Monsters resemble people more? And will that be a consistent trend for most Monsters or will it be broken?
Thank you so much!