Itch.io
Context: Set in 80's Japan, play as a man eating ramen with his wife every week as you discuss everything from the trivial to your greatest hopes and fears. Made for a 48 hour game jam with the theme Past, Present, and Future.
Inspiration: Despite never stepping foot in Japan, the moment I listened to Mariya Tekeuchi's song "Plastic Love," I immediately felt nostalgic for Japanese city life. Surprisingly, I wasn't alone in experiencing this weird phenomenon, with comments on the song reading "inserts non-existent 80s Japan memories." Ramen for Two is my attempt at capturing that sense of longing for something you've never even had.
I contrasted the bustling city atmosphere of 80s Japan with the inner turmoil of a mourning man; thus, you play as Atsushi, a man who regularly visits a mom-and-pop ramen shop with his wife. I chose pixel art to match the nostalgic narrative beats of the game, and I created a flute cover of "Plastic Love," which is played during a flashback, as a nod to our inspiration.
Despite most of the game being about Atsushi's inability to achieve emotional and financial stability as the result of his wife's death, I wanted my game to have an undertone of hope, which is magnified at the end when Atsushi no longer needs to frequent the ramen shop. While it initially seems that his wife is his main motivation to improve, once the game reveals that she was dead for the entire game's duration, the player realizes that Atsushi's pursuit of happiness was within him the whole time.
My Role:
Impact:
Inspiration: Despite never stepping foot in Japan, the moment I listened to Mariya Tekeuchi's song "Plastic Love," I immediately felt nostalgic for Japanese city life. Surprisingly, I wasn't alone in experiencing this weird phenomenon, with comments on the song reading "inserts non-existent 80s Japan memories." Ramen for Two is my attempt at capturing that sense of longing for something you've never even had.
I contrasted the bustling city atmosphere of 80s Japan with the inner turmoil of a mourning man; thus, you play as Atsushi, a man who regularly visits a mom-and-pop ramen shop with his wife. I chose pixel art to match the nostalgic narrative beats of the game, and I created a flute cover of "Plastic Love," which is played during a flashback, as a nod to our inspiration.
Despite most of the game being about Atsushi's inability to achieve emotional and financial stability as the result of his wife's death, I wanted my game to have an undertone of hope, which is magnified at the end when Atsushi no longer needs to frequent the ramen shop. While it initially seems that his wife is his main motivation to improve, once the game reveals that she was dead for the entire game's duration, the player realizes that Atsushi's pursuit of happiness was within him the whole time.
My Role:
- Managed a team of six across multiple disciplines (art, programming, writing, and design)
- Designed the core narrative beat/twist ending that the wife turns out to be a hallucination or ghost (up to interpretation) at the end of the story, which is the main character's coping mechanism for grief
- Acted as co-writer and UI designer
- Contributed to pixel art, music, and Unity implementation
Impact:
- Game featured on the front page of Itch.io's New and Popular category