OR: There are several sexually explicit scenes in Loca-Love: My Cute Roommate. How did you work to ensure that the sexual elements of the game did not overtake and dominate the romantic aspects of this ‘sugary sweet’ love story?
H: I believe that all players have something like an “affection gauge” for all heroines, which fills up when they see her acting cute during the sweet, romantic scenes. And when the gauge is so full that it’ll burst, that’s the right time to insert an X-rated scene. I think I’ve managed to keep the balance pretty well by thinking of it that way.
“I love the kind of romance where a couple is incredibly sweet and considerate towards each other, and yet they still maintain a certain level of distance.”
OR: Is there anything that you wish you could have included in this game that you did not, due to time constraints or otherwise?
H: No, I don’t think there’s anything we left out. The game was developed exactly according to schedule.
OR: There are no branching story pathways in Loca-Love: My Cute Roommate. Why did you choose to tell one continuous pre-determined story throughout this game, without giving the player the opportunity to go in different directions?
H: In many visual novels, the player takes the place of the protagonist and makes choices for him, but kinetic novels allow the player to read it like a traditional novel, where they simply watch over the characters and their actions, anticipating in excitement what they will do next. In the Japanese otaku scene, people often use the word “tōtoi” (尊い, “precious”) to describe the happy, heartwarming feeling evoked by watching the innocent romance of two young people blossom from the shadows, without interfering with it. I thought it would be better not to have choices this time in order to emphasize that feeling.
OR: This is a personal question, but how do you view romance? Is it akin to the type told in Loca-Love: My Cute Roommate or is it something different?
H: I love the kind of romance where a couple is incredibly sweet and considerate towards each other, and yet they still maintain a certain level of distance. That’s the kind of romance that makes people say, “Why don’t you two just get married!?” I think that’s great!
OR: To those people out there who may have just seen Loca-Love: My Cute Roommate and are thinking about picking it up but aren’t sure about it, what do you have to say to them?
H: Games in the Japanese “sweet, fluffy romance” genre can give you cavities with their sheer sweetness, and make you squee in pleasure at their cuteness, so I’d love for you all to experience it for yourself! I’m sure it will make you want to find some sweet romance of your own. That’s actually what happened to me; after reading the game script I was overcome by all sorts of feelings, and I ended up going to a mixer party to try my luck. (It didn’t work out for me, though.)
But I’m sure that the Loca-Love series will influence your life in some way, so please check it out!
Loca-Love: My Cute Roommate is available NOW for purchase on Steam.
Have you picked up Loca-Love: My Cute Roommate or any of Frontwing’s prior offerings? What do you think of Hiwa and Ichitaro?
Let us know in the comments below!
