Hello, dear followers. Mikey on Steam.
Today, I'm going to talk to you about two characters. And unfortunately, it's not me. Patience, you little rascals!
At first, the team called them "the little guys." They were meant to explain the tutorial better than a Game Designer could explain anything to an artist.
Speaking of which this is the same artist behind Flying Hamster, who hadn't picked up a stylus in centuries, and it shows: with a few (overly) simple strokes, she produced two little avatars worthy of a 4-year-old's sketchbook.
That's Game Atelier's art direction for you.
The developers used these little figures to represent the explorer and the operator. Then, in a rare burst of creativity, natural discernment, and intense reflection, "EXY" and "OPY" were born (also, there was less to write and less to pronounce).
That's how great characters come to life.
They're both here to explain how to play: one explores, the other guides.
Which you would probably have figured out on your own, after having it repeated to you enough times.
You'll see them in the tutorial of each level. They're cute. They're useful. They do the job. Players love them, blah blah blah…
Ah! Here we are at the last paragraph, the most interesting part: I can now reveal that the artist drew EXY and OPY first, and that they were merely the rough draft of a sublime character who will be loved by players even more. Me.
Notice how my design is so much more refined and flawless compared to these two little runts.
Notice how the artist was considerably less lazy, and how a single flash of genius subtly brought my existence into being. Me. Mikey. Who has been holding the entire lore of this game together through the sheer force of my magnificent microphone head from the very beginning.
I'm being told I'm off-topic and that this is running too long and it is on this climax that I hand back the mic.
🎙️ Mikey — lead protagonist, undisputed narrator, and the only character in this game who has never needed a tutorial.