Work x Work devs on how the game came to be, why it’s on Switch, gameplay

A fantastical adventure is about to unfold – the story of a prince and a young man working hard at his part-time job!

So, from here on out I’d like to talk a little bit about the game’s actual contents. Please tell me a little bit about what the title Work x Work means.

Yamanaka: At first, the game’s temporary title had been Dungeon Instructor, but as we moved more toward the idea of releasing the game on a home console, we decided on Work x Work. The game’s central theme is “manual labor” or “toiling away,” so the title is playing off of that quite a bit. Yet, if you search for the word “work” in a dictionary you’d find that it could also refer to a sort of mission, or task – we felt that that fit the game perfectly! Moreover, the two uses of the word “work” in the title reflects the fact that there are two protagonists… So, in the end it became Work x Work!

When it comes to the prince and the part-timer, what are some of their characteristics? What’s their appeal?

Inoue: The prince character had originally been the next in line to ascend to his kingdom’s throne, but after some political disturbance he’s been demoted to 18th in line! His reputation and name in ruin, he gets nicknamed “18.” As for the part-timer, he’s basically using his job at the theme park to support his struggling family – he’s not what you think of when you think of a protagonist, and he’s not very good at his job. As for the mechanics, because the protagonist isn’t really all that chatty, your companion fairy – Rua – helps you navigate. They’re kind of an odd pair, but if people end up enjoying their relationship that’d make me happy.

And what about the characters’ visual designs?

Imagawa: Well, we changed the part-timer protagonist’s haircut from a mushroom-looking bowl-cut to an afro, for one thing!

Yamanaka: That’s important – we wanted to affix something to each character’s icon; for example, the prince has his crown. For the part-timer, he needed something that would set him apart from most games’ protagonists, so we wanted to give him a unique silhouette. To that end, I proposed an afro! The afro that Imagawa-san ended up drawing was a bit too cute; even so, it was strangely charming, so I didn’t say anything. I thought he had the kind of silhouette that suggested something like “that guy’s a deadbeat” – it fit the protagonist!

Imagawa: I liked the afro design on the character’s silhouette quite a lot, so I’m glad you took note of it.

The prince’s character and design would pretty easy to understand, I’d imagine – with the crown and such.

Yamanaka: The prince is a really handsome guy, but if you take all that away there’s something missing. Of course, he’s drawn with a nice crown and mantle, but his pride is a bit disproportionate to his current position. Despite falling so far in the line of succession, he still feels like he’s the next-in-line to the throne.

As for the story, is it going to revolve primarily around the back-and-forth between the prince and the part-timer?

Yamanaka: The core of the story is essentially the misadventures of the part-timer – he’s essentially a “dungeon instructor” that takes customers to the park’s attractions and helps them enjoy their time there. The self-centered prince comes to the park as a customer and ends up using the protagonist, and the story starts to pick up from there… That’s just a rough synopsis.

So, a good bit of attention is given to dungeon exploration, then.

Yamane: It’s the protagonist’s job to show customers around the theme park and guide them through the attractions – those are the dungeons. Events will happen over the course of the dungeon, and at the end there’ll be a boss, just like a dungeon in any other game.

Inoue: And those bosses are members of the theme park’s staff! In other games, you spend a lot of time solving puzzles found throughout the world itself; because this game takes place in a theme park, a lot of time will be devoted to solving the park’s customers’ troubles.

What kind of battle system will the game have?

Yamanaka: Well, since the protagonist is only the instructor, he leaves the combat up to the park’s customers. It’s up to the player to work out how to help the customers achieve victory!

Yamane: In battle, definitely be sure to pay attention to the characters’ appearances and their movements. The characters have a sort of three-dimensional feel to them despite being pixel art; it’s a new method we’re trying out for this game – we call it “rubber strap” due to how it looks. Before completely running with the “rubber strap” idea, we tried implementing it in a variety of ways. If we could tell what action was being performed, and if the material provided was good, then we’d go ahead with the sprite. One of the most important things we considered was to convey the characters’ movements and actions adequately and accurately.

Imagawa: Please, make sure to jot that down! (laughs)

(laughs) With respect to the game’s sound design, could you tell me about what kind of imagery you had in mind when composing the score?

Masuko: The imagery differed based on the song, to be honest. For example, Yamanaka-san had a few requests for the battle theme, so I had to make it according to and abide by those requests.

Yamanaka: For the battle theme, I wanted something that sounded cool but also had a fun, lighthearted atmosphere. I essentially asked Masuko-san to “make something strange, something befitting the game” – strange in a good way, of course. I sent him several reference songs that had feeling similar to what I was looking for, and he got it on the first try! I remember thinking to myself, “as expected of Masuko-san!”

Masuko: Even still, it was hard work – it was pretty difficult to grasp what Yamanaka-san wanted exactly. Afterwards I’d go back and think about the underlying concepts behind all of the songs; in the early days of production I’d make songs when I felt inspired! In the battle theme, for instance, there are about three or four parts that I wrote when feeling super inspired. For that reason, there’ll probably be people out there that’ll think, “Hey, I’ve heard this somewhere before!” when listening to the music.

It sounds like there’s a sort of hidden or subdued playfulness all throughout the game.

Yamanaka: We had a lot of fun getting everything ready, even the game’s mechanics, systems, and the like. For example, there’s a “Career Up” mechanic through which the protagonist is promoted from a part-timer; “Career Up” opens up additional facilities within the park’s attractions, and even opens up dungeons! Aside from that, we’re even thinking of implementing a customizable room feature.

Well, I’ll be looking forward to a follow-up with more information, for sure!

Yamanaka: While making the game is fun, playing it conveys that fun even better! Please be sure to be on the lookout for future information.

Imagawa: The game’s overall design honestly makes for a really fun, interesting game, I think.

Inoue: And when it comes to the story, the game’s jam packed with moments ranging anywhere from serious to absolutely absurd – I hope everybody enjoys it.

Masuko: There’s a lot of cheerful songs in the game – at least I hope I was able to convey that through the songs I made! (laughs)

Yamane: I set out to make something that would make players think, “Wow, I’m glad I played that!” I genuinely hope that’s the case!

Translation by provided by Nico Thaxton on behalf of Nintendo Everything

If you use any of this translation, please be sure to source Nintendo Everything. Do not copy its full contents.