Sunday, February 12, 2023
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Pastel Colours and Floating Dreams
“Making
stories about cute gays to melt your heart” is a noble ambition and
through their brilliantly bright and heartfelt stories NomnomNami
sets out to fulfil these words. This incredible talent is an indie
developer who operates out of itch.io and has been working for a
number of years now to bring their dream to as many people as
possible. With a pitch perfect mix of light and fluffy presentation
and precise emotional pressure points, NomnomNami has formed an
immediately recognisable style which has attracted deserved attention
from streaming and a dedicated fanbase. Let’s gaze into her
majestic worlds and see what they have to offer and maybe you will
even be convinced to bathe in that pastel vision.
Developer Overview -
Being
able to utilise different game engines and mechanics while maintain
the same style and ideas is the sign of a truly talented developer.
Over the course of her projects she has utlites RPG Maker for several
game, such as the Lonely Wolf Treat series, and Ren’Py to make both
her pure and hybrid visual novels, such as First Kiss at a Spooky
Soiree for the former and Astra's Garden for the latter. There has
been a define push in more recent titles towards the addition of
mechanics lite systems to complement the visual novel’s narrative
and she has publicly released a framework for these elements. Even
the bad ending structure of Bad End Theatre is a manifestation of
this move into exploring new gameplay spaces and as this game’s
success it is a testament to her ability with the engines
she uses.
When
it comes to artwork it is hard to be more memorable then the pastel
colours and sharp contrasts that characterise NomnomNami’s
illustrations. It is challenging to put into words just how much of an
impact on her games the art has for engaging the player with them. In moments bright pink and greens can give way to darker tones
of blue and red while still maintain a consistent core presentation
to ensure it feels like these images all exist within the same
space. In having this ability to switch between strong images the
games gain a wider and stronger set of emotions to invoke in the
player and can do so with greater consistency due to how people
respond to distinctive colours. There is a clear effort to only use
this contrast in key moments to make sure the technique and strength
of the artwork is never diminished through repetition. The fact
each one of NomnomNami’s games has artwork that is so memorable, both individually
and as part of a body of work, is an example of her skill.
Constructing
a consistent tone across all of your games is a difficult task and no
matter how hard you try there will always be some differences, even if
only due to an improvement in your skills. While NomnoNami’s
work is not an exception to this rule, it does have a surprisingly
singular vision for what she wants her work to be. Her statement
about “Making stories about cute gays to melt your heart” is at
the centre of all her work, even if it is not immediately obvious, and
this adds a certain set of expectation to each new game which she
often uses as a means to subvert or push the emotional themes of the
work. Even when there is no hidden agenda, it provides her games with
a sense of fluffy familiarity to ensure the player is comfortable in
the experience and leaves with a smile on their face.
Selection of Notable Works-
Bad End Theatre
If
you have ever heard of NomnomNami then it is likely because of this
game and the attention drawn to it by content creators such as
Markiplier. This visual novel really is the perfect storm of
everything which makes NomnomNami’s work so special with keen
character writing, striking visuals and emotive moments. Its title
makes the core focus of the narrative immediately clear but does not
truly express just how clever this play on the structure of the bad
end is from the player’s perspective. Through presenting the
structure of the visual novel itself as the puzzle the player must
overcome, they are given a feelings of both agency and powerlessness,
often at the same time, that helps sell the situation of the
characters alongside the overall themes. The various bad things which
happen to the characters are prevented from becoming to bleak due to
a deliberate effort to inject levity into every crevice it can be and
coupled with a distinctive use of colour and art style it creates a
balanced package. However, this is not to say this game pulls all its
punches, when it needs to it will provide the appropriate twist of
the knife to hit your emotions. Bad End Theatre is an example of a
game which deserves the attention it received and captures what makes
its developer shine in its purest form.
HER TEARS WERE MY LIGHT
This
is one of NomnomNami’s
earlier
games having been released for NaNoRenO
2016, but even after all this time it still remains one of her
strongest short and self-contained visual novels with it even
receiving a content update last year. Contrast
is both the narrative and visual core of Her Tear Were My Light, from
the darkness of space with the light of the stars to warmth of
companionship with the cold of isolation, it is in every moment.
Their is an excellent understanding of how to use this technique
to squeeze the most into the short play time as possible and make each second sell
the emotions which are the game’s primary method of engagement. As
with many short visual novels, Her Tears Were My Light focuses around
creating emotional resonance rather than any expansive ideas due to
the issues inherent in this constricted narrative form and it
achieves this effect through its small cast. There are three
characters in total and each of them have an exact purpose within the
narrative which they adhere to in order that there be no wasted space
and this results in a clean experience where the player gets a strong
sense of what defines them. In combination, all of these factors
create a compelling and easily digestible visual novel that acts as a
sweet gateway into her other work.
Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet
Very
few games offer you multiple opportunities to eat a main heroine and
for that heroine to actively court the idea. This is the strange and
quirky tone which is soaked into every fibre of the narrative and
presentation from its cheerful characters to its bright artwork and
these allow it to excel in creating a memorable impression on the
player. The pastel colours and confectionery themed cast names act to
reinforce the ‘sweet’ nature of the bonds that we witness form
and reshape as the nature of the mysterious Gumdrop is revealed. A
sense of playfulness extends to the choices with the most noticeable
being the option to eat Gumdrop and the way it is obviously
telegraphed as the incorrect choice, but at the same time there is a
sense of the game actively daring you to choose the bad one. What
results is a tongue and cheek story with an ability to build a
feeling of goodwill between the game and the player for the purpose
of creating an entertaining ride.
Conclusion
Forming
a signature style is key to the success of many developers and
NomnomNami is a shining example of what doing so can contribute to the
quality and appeal of your work. Her games have an impressively wide
appeal but still retain the ability to pack an emotional punch with a
clear and focused vision for what each title aims to accomplish. If
anything in this overview has sparked your interest then I strongly
encourage you to give one of her games a chance and find out for
yourself the intensity of her emotional stories.
