Be Missed and Remembered: The Letter from Mayoiga (hereafter The Letter from Mayoiga) is the debut title of Overlap Games, a new visual novel brand founded by Japanese light novel publisher Overlap. Developed by Nekoneko Soft, the game is set to release on July 10 on Steam.
Ahead of launch, AUTOMATON sat down with Tadafumi Kamioka – the game’s producer at Overlap Games – and director and scenario writer Tomo Kataoka (known as the creator of acclaimed visual novels Narcissu and Mizuiro), who told us more about how the project came to be and what players can expect from the new visual novel.
Set in rural Showa era Japan (1972), The Letter From Mayoiga is a bittersweet visual novel that incorporates Japanese folklore. The story follows the protagonist, a student called Naofuyu Matsuda, visiting his grandparents’ house in the countryside. In the village, there’s a legend that warns locals that anyone who enters the mountain will be cursed. Skeptical of anything unscientific, Naofuyu ignores the legend and ventures into the forbidden mountain. After discovering an old shrine he remembers from his childhood, he unexpectedly reunites with heroine Susu.
According to the developers, the collaboration between Overlap Games and Nekoneko Soft was sparked by producer Kamioka’s love of Narcissu. Touched not only by the 2005 game’s narrative but its use of sound and graphics, Kamioka decided to leave the new project’s direction entirely in Kataoka’s hands, with only the loose instruction to make a “supernatural game set in rural Showa-era Japan.”
Another goal behind the project was to create a game that would cater to “old-school fans” of visual novels, following a more classic format rather than pursuing something overly unconventional or quirky.
On his approach to the scenario, Kataoka says, “Since this is the first title from Overlap Games, with more to follow, I felt it wouldn’t be right to launch with something overly heavy or too avant-garde. I decided from the start that it would have a happy ending and that I didn’t want to leave players with an unpleasant aftertaste, so I consciously aimed for a lighthearted tone. Also, while the brief called for a “Showa-era supernatural tale,” I made it clear right away that I wouldn’t be making a mystery or horror game. I told them that if they wanted that kind of flavor, they should ask Ryukishi07 instead (laughs).”
The developers preface that The Letter From Mayoiga is not a romance story, with the main characters Naofuyu and Susu rediscovering a familial childhood bond from 10 years ago. The Showa setting is a nod to a nostalgic period when “topics like UFOs and alien invasions were discussed seriously, and science and space were still perceived somewhat like fantasy.”
Of note, The Letter From Mayoiga will offer an episodic story with an estimated playtime between 7 to 10 hours, which is relatively short for the visual novel genre. Explaining this design choice, the director says, “I’m simply not very fond of dialogue scenes where characters go on and on about trivial matters. I prefer the pacing and atmosphere of films. Of course, I believe games that emphasize dialogue have their own merit, like allowing readers to project onto the protagonist and soak in the atmosphere, so this isn’t about which approach is better or worse. However, I believe that the maximum amount of time a person can concentrate on reading text is about 4 to 6 hours at most, and I’m concerned that if it goes on any longer, more people will start skimming or rapidly clicking though the text.”
As a solution, Kataoka decided on the kind of length and pacing that will encourage players to “binge through to the ending,” accommodating modern players’ needs.
Be Missed and Remembered: The Letter from Mayoiga is scheduled to release on July 10 for PC (Steam).
