Dev: We're making a Ghibli-esque game Me: What, like Grave of the Fireflies? Dev: N-no... Me: Hm... strong themes around the struggle of humanity and nature coexisting? Dev: -visibly sweating- Me: Ah. It's just the pastel anime aesthetic isn't it? Dev: Please... stop... the SEO will hear you! - ThreadSky

elainelithgow.bsky.social • 44 days ago

Dev: We're making a Ghibli-esque game

Me: What, like Grave of the Fireflies?

Dev: N-no...

Me: Hm... strong themes around the struggle of humanity and nature coexisting?

Dev: -visibly sweating-

Me: Ah. It's just the pastel anime aesthetic isn't it?

Dev: Please... stop... the SEO will hear you!

Comments

mrfuzzyfart.bsky.social•43 days ago

Finally playing Visions of Mana and loved the old style cell shaded cartoony feel but getting annoyed that you can double jump out in the wild map areas but you can't in towns???? Seems like a DUMB design choice. (There are things that are up high in towns)

hornet0156.bsky.social•43 days ago

I mean, is that really necessarily a problem? The art style is really unique, and people will want to emulate it on the project they're working on regardless of the themes or genres it's a part of.

shaneo902.bsky.social•43 days ago

It does really irk me when people boil down Ghibli movies to “wholesome cozy stories” when most of them deal with pretty dark subject matter. Other than Ponyo and like my neighbor Totoro they’re not “wholesome and cozy”

rolistespod.itch.io•40 days ago

Totoro aka "Is the mother actually terminally ill? Nevermind, I'll worry about that once we've dealt with a young girl disapearing. Oh wait! They found a shoe and villagers think she drowned."

I guess the end credit prove the reddit Totoro=death god theories wrong.

plasma-whorrorshow.bsky.social•42 days ago

Yeah- like, even Kiki's Delivery Service deals with some harsh themes about imposter syndrome and burnout.

rayjaksart.bsky.social•43 days ago

I’m convinced ghibli ‘fans’ don’t even watch the movies. I get it the aesthetic is nice, but there’s an actual film and message under all those pretty picture.

rayjaksart.bsky.social•43 days ago

I want to clarify that you can still be a fan of the art style even if you don’t watch the movies. I just think that the internet as a whole is getting into a bad habit of just seeing a show’s artstyle and immediately becoming a fan. Theres more to animated films and shows than just the artstyle.

3ammania.bsky.social•43 days ago

Yeah, like Princess Mononoke is and will always be a staple. Beautiful movie with a beautiful message and I wish more people had media literacy

rayjaksart.bsky.social•43 days ago

I don’t even think it’s a media literacy problem. It’s a problem of people preferring style over substance. Which is human nature, but it is a shame tbh.

3ammania.bsky.social•43 days ago

Yeah I've seen that as well. Like people not wanting to play the 2D point and click fallout games vs the first person shooter ones (I'm mostly referring to 76, kinda 4. NV is safe). More people just need to step out of their comfort zones

rayjaksart.bsky.social•43 days ago

I totally agree. However I can understand why some choose to stay in their comfort zone with media (and life in general.), but in this day and age where everything is accessible. We all should be a little more adventurous

theredseagull.bsky.social•43 days ago

I played Little Nightmares for the first time recently and there were moments where it seemed like a much darker version of Spirited Away

comradebubbles.bsky.social•44 days ago

Choosing violence, I see.

elainelithgow.bsky.social•44 days ago

Can't help it. One of my greatest personal gripes is when folk strip the meaning from an entire genre or director's work and render it down into an aesthetic to be repackaged.

Does my head in.

jpbradley.bsky.social•44 days ago

You're right and you should say it.

comradebubbles.bsky.social•43 days ago

Absolutely this.

punpunforfun.bsky.social•43 days ago

some folks have never watched Nausicaa or Castle in the Sky and it shows

plasma-whorrorshow.bsky.social•42 days ago

People need to watch Porco Rosso before they should be allowed to make something "Ghibli-esque"

alpacnologia.bsky.social•43 days ago

in fairness castle in the sky is very pastoral anime aesthetically, these devs just don’t know when to apply the Juice (death robots and artificial hurricanes)

sleepy-joe.bsky.social•43 days ago

it's just a way to market their game, and there isn't a scarcity in politics in video games' stories, so why go after them

anarchytabletop.bsky.social•43 days ago

Grave of the Fireflies is the one anime I could not watch because it was too depressing (for me). I should probably try again at some point.

laurieblake.bsky.social•43 days ago

Pompoko is the sneaky version of this. It lures you in with cute and funny and then puts on the "natural world vs humanity" knuckle dusters behind its back

lulz.network•43 days ago

bleh

gulumunkus.bsky.social•44 days ago

Subtle messaging??? Powerful stories???? Nah we cant have that!! Waiter!! More pretty sky paintings please!!

tmordasky.bsky.social•43 days ago

Huge Miyazaki fan but never could bring myself to watch Fireflies, my grandfather was B29 crew and flew those raids.

ikacprzak.bsky.social•43 days ago

Ever play SMAC? Gaia's Stepdaughters is more Ghibliesque than that.

phantom-limbs.bsky.social•44 days ago

Oh my GOD

phantasticplushies.bsky.social•43 days ago

Recently showed my partner Princess Mononoke and he was taken aback by the violence every time, especially when one bandits arms get completely shot off. He learned real quick that the cute aesthetic doesn't mean the story will pull its punches.

theryanbell.bsky.social•43 days ago

Grave of the Fireflies game would go insane.

nonpost.bsky.social•43 days ago

only ever watched ponyo i think it was about that

akkator.bsky.social•43 days ago

Sometimes I wonder if they were more honest if it would still work.

Like if you just want to make a cozy pastel setting book/ light adventure I'm sure some would still be interested.

hotpotsot.bsky.social•43 days ago

How to let me know your game is uninspired: tell me it's inspired my Chrono Trigger and "classic JRPGs", Ghibli, Stardew Valley and/or Harvest Moon. Just make a steam tag for shallow pixel stuff and be done with it.

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