So, basically, it all started with the idea to invert the mechanics of Hidden Folks. Instead of the player searching for hidden characters, they would be saving them from being poked by some mysterious villain's hand. Plus, I wanted the creatures being saved to be as cute and defenseless as possible. For some reason, the image of those little sootsprites from Spirited Away kept popping into my head.

Something like that.

Then came two nights of experimenting and endless giggling at the funny situations our 'sandbox' was generating. The soot sprites were ready right away — even though I’m no artist, drawing little cute circles with eyes wasn’t hard. While our developer Anastasia was putting together the game’s logic, I was creating the houses in the right style, assembling them in Unity, and filling them with the soot sprites.

Just look at them! That was a time of pure, unclouded joy in the development process, something I think many of us haven’t felt in a long time, even though we’ve been in game development for years.

Our game designer Max was trying to help out on two projects at once, and our project manager Dima — on three, no less. By the way, here they are: game 2 and game 3

None of us got much sleep, and we were all falling behind.

But the fun was totally worth it! The final step was adding sounds, and that’s when the game really got its full vibe — becoming the cutest pastime on the internet. Even though the game still has no clear goal, no understandable beginning, and no logical end, it’s still awesome. Try it yourself ;)