“Tokyo Game Dungeon 6: ‘Not Perfect’ is Perfect – The Cutting Edge of Indie Games in the Reiwa Era”

Hello, it’s Mob. I am in charge of development as a Unity beginner with the Negorabu team at SKOOTAGAMES. Normally, I just create games irresponsibly and go home, but this time, I have the unusual responsibility of reporting on Tokyo Game Dungeon 6.

Writing this article is not something I was originally assigned to do, but somehow it came to me… Well, since it’s a good opportunity, I will go ahead and write it.

Today, I would like to talk about the “essence of indie games” that I noticed from my perspective.

A Casual Organizational Diagnosis That You Can Play with Just a Smartphone: Evil Organization’s Ideal Job Diagnosis

First introduced is “Evil Organization’s Ideal Job Diagnosis”. As someone who works in a company that feels like an evil organization plagued by overtime every day, I was irresistibly drawn to this title. The fact that all the characters are cats is also striking. I thought the combination of cuteness and the concept of an evil organization was a fresh and surprising mix.

The play itself is a mini-game that takes about three minutes, serving as a personality diagnosis. Since it’s a free game published on the web, the content isn’t too extensive. In this case, I would say that’s part of this game’s “essence.”

What particularly caught my attention was the exhibition. By utilizing QR codes and NFC cards, they created a system where visitors can easily play with their smartphones. As a Unity beginner, this was something I wanted to reference.

Features such as the result screen screenshot function and SNS sharing function were also observed with attention to detail. I now think that the indie game’s characteristic of being “small but meticulous” contributes to its solid level of completion. Within the short playtime, there were many considerations to entertain the player, and I couldn’t help but feel that it provided a very enjoyable gaming experience.

[blogcard url=”https://www.freem.ne.jp/win/game/32658″]

An Unexpected Strategy for Playthrough Challenges: Connect Station

The next title I’m introducing is “Connect Station”. At first glance, it seems simple, but when I tried playing it, it offered quite a challenge.

The game’s setup is as follows: you guide the train on the map to the goal, but it won’t move unless you place all the straight and curved tracks provided. The idea of forcing you to lay tracks is interesting.

However, the difficulty was higher than expected. I was particularly troubled by the presence of gimmick tiles that rotate the tracks 90 degrees when passed over a switch. But what left the strongest impression on me in this game was a certain “discovery” in the final stage. After being stuck for about ten minutes, I received the surprising advice from the developer: “Actually, you don’t need to pass through all the tracks.”

This may be a fatal flaw for a puzzle game, but as a whimsical touch unique to indie games, it left a good impression. It’s not that the puzzle was overly difficult. Rather, the freedom that allows for unexpected strategies like this, instead of aiming for perfect creation, may be the beauty of indie games.

[blogcard url=”https://unityroom.com/games/connectstation”]

Explaining the Path of Buddha with a Clicker: Buddha Machine

The third game I’m introducing is “Buddha Machine”. It seems like a simple clicker game, but it’s an ambitious work that thoroughly incorporates Buddhist teachings.

The basic system is as expected. You touch the statue to accumulate points and use those points to increase your stats… This is just like a regular clicker game.

But what’s fascinating is that you can play the game not only with the Buddha statue. In other words, you can use your “favorite,” like a photo of your pet cat, to play this game. The idea of transforming “attachment” into “merit” indeed showcases the depth of the doctrine.

Another surprising aspect is that there is no ranking feature implemented. This comes from the Buddhist concept that fighting against oneself rather than comparing with others is what truly matters.

Additionally, at the booth, the creators provided various explanations. Among them, the reason for one creator’s shaved head is something I’ve yet to forget.

“Is hair really necessary for entertainment?”
This answer honestly resonated with me. (Of course, I have no plans to shave my head.)

If it were just a clicker game with a Buddhist flavor, it might have ended as a light novelty game. However, thanks to the sincere attitude of the developers, it beautifully came together. This was a work that made me feel the potential of indie games to embody groundbreaking ideologies.

[blogcard url=”https://buddhamachine.online/”]

Irony Woven from Education and Hell: The Children’s Garden

The fourth title is “The Children’s Garden”. This game truly shocked me.

At first glance, it seems like a simple puzzle about stacking blocks, but it is actually based on the Japanese legend of “Saino Kawara.” In this cruel world, children who die before their parents stack stones, but demons suddenly appear to keep knocking them down…

The bold idea of combining this with the educational toy “Froebel’s Gifts” and expressing it with a UI reminiscent of early 2000s educational software made me think, “This is insane.” The combination of educational elements and a hellish worldview evokes a profoundly dark feeling.

The system itself is indeed simple. You just stack the blocks, but that world view and system perfectly match, creating an experience that transcends a typical puzzle game. The playtest consists of four short stages, but they are densely packed with content, featuring multiple endings.

The sound design is also quite elaborate, with somewhat unpleasant sound effects and unique songs created by an indie band, enhancing the completion of the world view.

It was difficult to even find “flaws” in this well-crafted work. Instead, I was amazed at how far an indie game could go, and I look forward to its release.

A Fragrant Nostalgia: Tokyo Coffee Pandetika

The fifth title is “Tokyo Coffee Pandetika”. The most memorable part of this game’s exhibition was the aroma of coffee wafting through the air.

The game is like this: you brew coffee for the customers in front of you, and your score changes based on the tempo and quality… It looks like a regular café game, but the unique point is that the setting is during the “coronavirus pandemic.” What’s fresh is the portrayal of this from the perspective of “nostalgically remembering.” When I asked the developers, “Is it already that time?” they replied, “I think it’s about time,” which was an interesting perspective.

The exhibition method was quite good as well. Using a controller modeled after an actual coffee mill, players grind the beans just like in the game, and this proved to be surprisingly effective.

With the aroma of coffee filling the booth, the nostalgic theme, and the combination of experiential elements… Even now, when I think of the booth, I still faintly smell coffee; the way it was exhibited can only be described as “smart.”

Indie games can express this kind of “experience” as well.

It’s No Longer Just Muscle Training: All Training

The last game I’m introducing is “All Training”. This is a game aiming for simultaneous training of muscle and brain, abbreviated as “All Training”. The exhibition booth was surprisingly lively, so I approached to see many people desperately doing squats in front of the monitor while others watched with curiosity… It certainly draws your attention.

The setup was like this: a webcam attached to the monitor detects up and down motion of the player’s face, and the blocks on the screen disappear accordingly. Behind the blocks, there are moderately difficult quiz questions, requiring players to continually squat to find the answers… According to the developers, there are about 100 questions prepared, which was quite impressive.

Actually, I often see muscle training games at events, so I didn’t have high expectations, but this game had a unique feature compared to the usual novelty games.
They actually allow players to clear the game simply by recording their face with a smartphone and moving it up and down… Although this is far from actual muscle training, the developers seem to accept this as “valid.”

This free-spirited idea of “as long as you can play happily, it’s okay” truly captures the essence of indie games.

I didn’t actually play it since I might break my camera, but watching the joyful scenes of those playing made me feel a bit happier as well.

Reflecting on Game Dungeon 6…

So far, I have introduced six games, and I again realized the charm of indie games.

They don’t aim for perfect craftsmanship, yet they also don’t cut corners. This “just right” sense of balance might be the essence of indie games, which gave me a moment to consider.

Starting with the cat’s job diagnosis, through a station puzzle, Buddhist teachings, children’s hell, a café during the pandemic, and even muscle training… Even though the themes are all disparate, it’s fascinating to see how strongly the developers’ “desires” come across.
As someone who usually just makes games and goes home without thought, I hope that someday someone can feel that “just right” quality in our company’s games as well.

While looking forward to that, I will now conclude today’s report since it’s close to my regular time. Thank you.