Who is Studio Pixanoh
Studio Pixanoh is a fully remote indie studio based in Los Angeles. The studio focuses on creating vibrant, original worlds inspired by classic games and anime, blending nostalgic gameplay with modern design and fresh, innovative twists. It’s debuting title, Town of Zoz, is known for using mechanics as a narrative tool.
Games By Studio Pixanoh
1. Town of Zoz [Read Full Review]
An Interview with Studio Pixanoh
GW: Was the slower, routine-driven early game intentionally designed to shape the player’s mindset, or did that structure emerge naturally during development?
Studio Pixanoh: The slower exposition in the start of the game is purely intentional. Even before I had begun reaching out to other devs to work on the project, I knew I wanted to make a game that leads the player to believe it’s something that it kind of isn’t.
I wanted the beginning of the game to feel very familiar to people who play Japanese RPGs that tend to have slower starts, but also familiar to those who play games similar to Harvest Moon.
Did you ever consider shortening or accelerating the life-simulation phase?
I personally wanted to slow down the beginning of the game by actually providing the player with more in-depth farming mechanics and focusing more on cooking for people in the town. I wanted the game to fully feel like a Stardew like experience and hope that players truly believe it was only this.
By adding a stronger emphasis on the cute farm creatures and how they are involved in the farming mechanics. This however, didn’t make the cut due to scheduling issues and scope.
How did you approach the risk that some players might not reach the later, more action-focused sections?
The entire first 30 minutes of the game is combat centric. We changed the whole beginning of the game so that players would realize there was quite a bit of combat in the game. We focused on showing more hints and teasers of late-game content in trailers.
Originally, none of this content was going to be shown. I personally wanted the players to be 100% surprised by the darker tones of the more action-oriented late-game content. We also removed quite a bit of side quest content so that players would reach more action-oriented quests quicker.
What kind of feedback did you receive during demos regarding repetition or pacing in the early hours?
We had some people who liked the pacing, comparing it to older JRPGS they remember growing up playing, while others claimed the combat was too hard and it was a surprise there was so much in the very beginning. There was a lot of mixed feedback.
At what stage of development did farming and cooking become core, essential systems rather than optional activities?
Farming and cooking were always intended to be essential systems in the game from the very start of development. I personally didn’t want the player to almost ever be able to go out into wild areas without having cooked food from the very start of the game, but we weren’t able to create enough content that made this feel like a right choice.
Was part of the goal to have players reinterpret these mechanics over time as their importance evolves?
Ito’s dad in particular forces what seems to be boring chores with no meaning. This is very reflective of growing up in real life with a strict parent. We don’t know why we have to do things, we just know we have to do them. Only later can we truly understand lessons passed down to us from those wiser.
It was always intended for players to reflect and be like “ Oh.. This is why Conki was such a hard ass.”
How closely was Ito’s character arc developed alongside the gameplay progression?
The Design Lead was always in the know of what was happening in every chapter. The design team would meet with narrative every milestone to establish the large story points in the game and fully flesh out how design would overlap with each story point. This includes the most impactful encounters with new enemies and even fights that happen directly around 2D cutscenes.
Did the transition from daily life to adventure originate more from narrative planning or from gameplay systems?
This was always the plan. The game was meant to follow a naive young adult who knows very little about themselves and the world around them. The narrative style was very much inspired by early Dragon Ball, where Goku doesn’t really know much about the world and isn’t on any particular kind of adventure until it comes and stumbles into his life through Bulma.
I always wanted the audience to “grow up” along with the main character in a way where annoying chores that are forced upon them by their parents become extremely important as life becomes more difficult.
Do you see the slower opening as a necessary part of the experience, or something you might refine in future updates or projects?
I think anything I do in life requires refinement in the future, this includes how I make games and tell stories. I think doing things the same every time is a great way to live a boring life void of growth and challenge.
Who is/are your favorite character(s) in Town of Zoz?
Definitely Boomi.
If you could give one tip to players to get the “full experience,” what would it be?
Don’t watch any of the trailers or watch any playthroughs before playing Town of Zoz. Play the game if you love reading Manga and want to experience a game that was developed to feel like something made in the year 2000.
Respect each other, speak your mind, and focus on ideas, not individuals.