Written by. Eugene Kamei-Oser based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-04-07 18:54 JST)

Waku Waku Games, the indie game label of Chorus Worldwide Games, announced that Ketchup and Mayonnaise will be available on Steam Early Access for $6.99 on April 11. Only the Japanese version will be available at launch, but English and Chinese will be supported in the future. There’s also a demo version currently available on Steam, and you can transfer your save data over to the retail version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HHfQPSt3V4

Ketchup and Mayonnaise is a comical and cute RPG about the adventures of the friendly duo Ketchup and Mayonnaise. One holiday morning, a giant capsule-like object falls behind Ketchup and Mayonnaise’s house, and their home is taken away from them. Filled with rage, Ketchup tries to take back their house by force. However, their attacks miss the amnesiac girl who emerged from the capsule. Reluctantly, the two listen to the girl’s request “to find the place where she came from,” setting out on an adventure. Pretending to obey the girl, the two patiently wait for an opportunity to show her who’s the boss.

The two set off to explore fields in search of seven items. Strange creatures roam these fields, including psychic cats and dogs looking for their owners and encountering them on the field begins a battle. It is fundamentally a turn-based command battle system, in which players and enemies take turns repeating their actions until you win by defeating them.

What’s interesting is, that after you select your command or when the enemy attacks, a mini-game will begin. The mini-games consist of objectives such as shooting objects and dodging bullets. Things like the amount of damage you deal, or whether the enemy’s attack hits you are decided by the outcome of the mini-games.

The duo’s lively adventure is portrayed through a wealth of mini-games and amusing conversations between a cast of wacky characters.

Ketchup and Mayonnaise is being developed by Tatarabani, a solo game developer from Japan. It has been in development for two and a half years at this point. According to Tatarabani’s past tweets, the game is being developed to create a Kawaii RPG, mixing action elements from Undertale, Tomato Adventure, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and others.

The early access version will feature about half the content of the full version, including two main environments, more than 30 enemies, and 3 major bosses. The game will be in early access for about 2 to 3 years.

According to a tweet from the publisher Corus Worldwide Games’ Ryuji Oyanagi, releasing the game as an early access title is a challenge for both the developer and the publisher. However, Oyanagi says that the return from the early access release is an important factor in the completion of the game and also helps keep the developer motivated. Oyanagi also said that the publisher’s mission is to fulfill the wishes of the developer, which is why they have chosen early access distribution.