Interview: Preparing for Love in the Workplace with Sympathy Kiss

Idea Factory International’s next Switch otome Switch game is going to be Sympathy Kiss, a title that looks at love in the workplace. At the same time, it features more mature elements and fears, such as things like dealing with the looming concerns about layoffs, getting along with coworkers, and furthering your career. To help learn more, Siliconera spoke with Director Hiroe Aoki about the game and its themes.

Jenni Lada: How did real apps and software developers influence the development of Sympathy Kiss?

Hiroe Aoki: The release ofLover Pretend, a game I previously created, significantly influenced Sympathy Kiss, as I discovered that there are players who enjoy stories set in the modern real world. I decided to be bold and dive deeper into a story that explored that setting.

Sympathy Kiss is a workplace romance otome game that features more mature themes, so how did actual office life influence the tone, storylines, and love interests?

Aoki: I have worked at several companies until now and have experienced things like bankruptcies and the closure of game apps. I believe those experiences helped me shape the story. On the other hand, I created the characters with the hope that office life would have been more enjoyable if there were people like them.

Sympathy Kiss has system called RiNG to contact love interests via calls and text messages. What led to its implementation, and how did other games with similar systems influence Sympathy Kiss?

Aoki: As long as the story is set in the real world, I felt that communication via smartphones is essential. The world is set a few years later than Lover Pretend, so I adopted the same texting system with RiNG.

The Emotion Select system means that instead of picking a written response, a player chooses emotions to “reply.” How did this system come into play? During development, how did you ensure that the options would be clear enough for players to select exactly what they mean?

Aoki: This time, the main character is meant to be you, the player. Therefore, I thought it would be great to not only have dialogue choices during conversations, but to also be able to express emotions in a way that reflects how real romantic interactions would play out.

Many people from the Sympathy Kiss team also worked on the Switch otome game Lover Pretend. How did the experiences from one influence the other?

Aoki: I incorporated elements from the Lover Pretend system that fit well with the concept and story of Sympathy Kiss. I also consciously aimed to surpass Lover Pretend with the artwork and romantic scenes.

Among the Sympathy Kiss characters, which workplace love interest was the most challenging to create?

Aoki: Each character presented its own challenges, but the most difficult was perhaps Rokuro Yoshioka. Because he’s extremely wealthy, handsome, and possesses a unique personality, he was quite a demanding character. He seemed almost unreal, like a type of person you would never encounter in real life, so his character development and storyline were the aspects I struggled with the most.

Now that many Idea Factory and Otomate Switch otome games are being localized and released worldwide, does that affect the development process? How early in the process does the team know that, for example, Idea Factory International will also release it worldwide?

Aoki: At the development stage, there were no plans to release the game worldwide, so we created it without considering a global audience. Our primary focus was creating an experience that Japanese players would enjoy. It’s essential to first make a game that resonates with the local audience before thinking about expanding its reach.

Both Lover Pretend and Sympathy Kiss are visual novel otome games that include features like the Pretend Time and emotion systems, going beyond typical gameplay. What features would you like to incorporate into a future game in the genre?

Aoki: While I believe that systems like this should be designed with the world and story of the game in mind, I think it would be interesting to create a game that primarily revolves around the RiNG system. The dynamic of progressing through the game via text messages could be engaging.

Do you have any final comments about the game?

Aoki: Our team would be thrilled if everyone around the world could enjoy Sympathy Kiss. Thank you!

Sympathy Kiss will come to the Nintendo Switch on February 27, 2024.