Back in 2021, Cupid Parasite came west and brought with it a unique take on the otome formula. Now its fandisc, Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling will take us back to the world of Los York. We had the chance to discuss the process of making the games with Fumie Tatematsu, the director behind this colorful adventure.
Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling continues the story of Lynette Mirror by giving epilogues to the original game’s routes and adding a new romanceable option called Merenice Levin. In the interview, Fumie told us a little about their vision for a stylish rockabilly-inspired atmosphere, making fandisc content that can serve as a bridge for newcomers and fans, and many other choices behind the games’ design.
Ivanir Ignacchitti: Cupid Parasite features a distinctive, colorful art style, with American-esque backgrounds and bright colors that evoke the fashion of a Barbie dollhouse. How did your team decide on this particular art direction?
Fumie Tatematsu: I have an affinity for the retro and stylish coloring of rockabilly, so the direction of the colors was decided from the planning stage. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that I wanted to create a world filled with rockabilly style, and that’s why I initiated this project. However, sharing my vision with the entire team using words alone was quite challenging. When we say “colorful,” there are many different directions that can go. Whenever I would see some mocks, I remember feeling that it was indeed pop and cute, but not quite what I expected, especially in the early stages of production. The pleasure of finally honing in on the style and sharing ideas by creating color palettes, gathering reference materials, and actually handling the data was the best!
Ivanir Ignacchitti: The characters in Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling are notably diverse and unique. Can you talk about your process for creating and developing these characters? How did you and Ririka Yoshimura ensure they resonated well with the audience?
Fumie Tatematsu: First, we assigned the characters’ personalities, backstories, likes and dislikes, and their relationships with family and friends. We then asked Yuuya for the character designs. I believe that the way they have lived their lives up to the moment they meet everyone should be reflected in their appearance (hairstyle, clothing, items, etc.), as should their inner selves, so we strive to set their stories carefully and realistically. At the same time, we had a plot meeting with Ririka Yoshimura. Although the characters all had problems, we believed that if there was charm in their convictions and core personalities, they could be viable as romantic partners. So through the plot meetings, we developed a story that let them shine. We had several meetings, but it was a lot of fun, and we ate plenty of donuts along the way!
By carefully depicting how they solve various problems together, revealing the characters’ true selves, and showing how they and the heroine are drawn to each other, I feel that our players have accepted them.
Ivanir Ignacchitti: Storytelling is a critical aspect of otome games. How do you approach the narrative development for a sequel to ensure it resonates with returning players while still being accessible to newcomers?
Fumie Tatematsu: Indeed, I poured my hopes into the new character, Merenice Levin, to serve as a bridge between the previous game and the fan disc. One reason was the concern that a story only set after the happy ending might be less accessible to new players…
Above all, I wanted to create routes where the romantic journey was enjoyable and include scenes featuring every member of the Parasite 6, so I believe Merenice played a significant role! Additionally, to ensure that those who haven’t played the previous game could follow along to some extent, I included simple flashbacks at the beginning of each route. However, I didn’t fully explain everything in hopes that it would pique the players’ curiosity and make them want to play the first game.
Ivanir Ignacchitti: The title “Sweet and Spicy Darling” suggests a mix of sweet and intense moments. How do you balance these tones in the game, and what can players expect in terms of emotional range?
Fumie Tatematsu: Originally, I was building a bittersweet color scheme with rockabilly tastes, and the coexistence of “sweet and spicy” was actually a dichotomy I had been conscious of since the previous work. This time, being a fan disc, I wanted to visually challenge how the world looks after falling in love… So instead of the sharp blacks used in the previous work, I switched to brown to make things softer. While tightening the look with dark colors, I tried to achieve a balance by using bright, sweet colors.
Since “sweet and spicy” represent polar opposite emotions, I believe the players’ emotions will go on a rollercoaster ride in the routes. As usual, we’ve prepared a plethora of outlandish accidents for the fan disc. However, what differs from the previous game is the presence of a strong bond between the heroine and her beloved. I hope you look forward to seeing how this difference in their bond influences the way they solve various incidents.
Ivanir Ignacchitti: The user interface (UI) and font design can greatly affect a player’s engagement with the game. Were there any particular improvements or changes made to the UI and font for “Sweet and Spicy Darling” based on feedback from the original game?
Fumie Tatematsu: I personally believe that UI is one of the most crucial elements in expressing the world. I always remind myself to be careful not to prioritize graphical design over the convenience of the UI… However, in Cupid Parasite, since the colorfulness was well-received in the previous work, I confidently leaned into that design! (laughs)
As I might be repeating from an earlier response, I’ve made changes to convey a “softness.” For instance, I chose fonts with roundness and applied filters to give the overall color scheme a pinkish hue.
I’d be happy if it manages to convey the glittering, sweet atmosphere of being in love.
Ivanir Ignacchitti: “Sweet and Spicy Darling” introduces new routes and epilogues for fans. What challenges did you face in expanding the characters’ stories, and how did you decide which aspects of their stories to explore further?
Fumie Tatematsu: They live in the city of Los York, truly breathing, working, and falling in love… I feel as if we’re revealing parts of their daily lives, so it felt more like delving deeper rather than expanding. That being said, there were many situations I wanted to introduce. There weren’t any challenges in this, but deciding which everyday moments to capture was difficult! I’ve packed it with “emotions unseen by the heroine” and “events that are turning points for the men,” so I encourage you to play and peek into their daily lives!
Ivanir Ignacchitti: The soundtrack features many memorable themes with vocal elements. Each Parasite character has a unique track that highlights their personality and blends well with the game’s pop style. What was the creative process behind these themes?
Fumie Tatematsu: Having character-specific BGM tied to each character’s personality proved very effective, as it allowed the presence of “him” to be felt just by the music alone, even without any illustrations, which was particularly impactful when crafting moments about falling in love. During production, we explained the characters to the composers, provided reference tracks for the musical style, and in some cases, solidified the sound based on the text.
I understand there might be concerns that lyrics in BGM could distract people from focusing on the character voices, but we wanted to experiment with cinematic expressions (inspired by my favorite superhero movies). I feel this approach has contributed to the uniqueness of this work, and I’m glad we did it.
Ivanir Ignacchitti: In developing “Sweet and Spicy Darling,” were there any unexpected sources of inspiration or interesting stories from the production process that you could share?
Fumie Tatematsu: I’m not quite sure why I think this way (laughs), but I find the phonetics of “seafood” to be quite interesting. In the previous work, oysters made an appearance, and I remember scheming to include seafood in this work as well. One source of inspiration was travel magazines! They were incredibly helpful in capturing the ambience of different countries! You also might make an unexpected discovery if you play Peter’s fan disc route. When I reached it, I got goosebumps. If I were to put it in the words of the new character Merenice, “the birth of Cupid Parasite might have been destined!” is the feel I’m going for!
Ivanir Ignacchitti: In the original Cupid Parasite, the Love Test influenced players’ story paths, offering engaging explanations for each outcome. Which Love Test personality type do you personally resonate with the most?
Fumie Tatematsu: I can relate the most to the ludus love type—not just in terms of romantic tendencies, but how it influences one’s entire personality. I also prefer to have broad, shallow knowledge over deep, narrow knowledge. I want to learn about a variety of things. So I take pride in thinking that my diverse knowledge aids me in worldbuilding and in planning-related jobs! (laughs)
Ivanir Ignacchitti: What message do you have for fans eagerly anticipating the release of Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling? What do you hope they take away from their experience with the game?
Fumie Tatematsu: Thank you for reading this far! Following the previous work, this title has turned out to be quite a wild ride. In the fan disc, while cherishing the sweetness of the various emotions that rise in relationships as partners respond to each other, we’ve also prepared some thrilling moments, as if you’ve jumped into a grand action movie. I hope you can feel that things that are impossible to achieve alone can be overcome and even leaped over with love. As I felt during the localization of the previous work, seeing the game translated into English gives it a true sense of it being the “real deal”! Though the setting is the fictional city of Los York, the culture and conversational tones inspired by Western films make the English text fit perfectly.
It’s truly an honor to be supported by your enthusiasm and to deliver this work across the sea. I hope you thoroughly enjoy it. We, the staff, are also looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling is coming to Switch on May 28, 2024.
