THE GAME FEATURES A NUMBER OF COMPELLING CHARACTERS, NOT LEAST DAVE HIMSELF. HOW MUCH WORK WENT INTO THEM? We actually spent little time setting up the characters. First, we decided on the role they would play in the game, and then we set the personality that would best fit that role. Finally, we assessed the traits, such as their appearance and hobbies, that would maximise that personality. For example, Duff is a nerd with extensive knowledge of weapons and was created as an anime otaku with a type of “obsession.” I think this process of approach was helpful in creating characters that the players could easily relate to.


HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO TIE THE GAME TOGETHER VISUALLY, GIVEN THE VARIETY OF THE GAMEPLAY ON OFFER? We initially created the fish farm and farms in the game in flat 2D like Stardew Valley, but it didn’t feel quite right standing with the overall mix of 2D and 3D visuals in our game. So, we borrowed some HD-2D methods from games like Octopath Traveller to create visuals that fitted more with the game. The only parts we presented entirely in 2D were the minigames, and to keep them


October/November 2023 MCV/DEVELOP | 51


suited as naturally as possible, we either made them run on an in-game mobile phone or in a separate scene.


IF NOT THE ABOVE, WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF PRODUCING THE GAME’S VISUALS?


Our biggest challenge was letting Dave, a 2D character, fight with 3D creatures. Initially, we planned to make all the creatures 2D except for the backgrounds, but it was


The Mintrocket team celebrate a million Dave the Diver sales.


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