Wow.

What a journey. It seems like only yesterday, I- no. It doesn't seem like that. To be honest, it feels like it's been ages. This game started in the spring of 2023 and now it's almost a whole entire year later.  The team worked so hard to get this done as soon as possible. Even though there were a lot of bumps in the road, we managed to pull through.

So let's talk about the game. 

(Spoilers ahead!)

Why only one ending per route?

This is my first otome game.  As much as I wanted to have more routes along with more endings, I knew I needed to keep the scope doable for both jam and post jam releases. Lewis was always a love interest. That wasn't going to change. He was going to be the only love interest with two endings before Cenric came along. Then it would be those two, with two endings each: Love Ending and Friendship Ending. Eventually, I decided to have only one ending. The theme for last year was Pure Love. So, I focused on that in the game. As much as I love angst and writing it, I wanted the conflicts to be solved through pureness of the heart. That's why the game never got too sad or there wasn't as much conflict as in a normal villainess story.

I think the singular endings really fit for this game and it's themes. I did imagine what the bad endings would be like, but I feel as if they deserved more. I love putting my characters through trauma as much as the next person, but for this, it just didn't feel right.

Working With the Team

I had the honor of working with such a talented team. With everyone that left and joined, I was happy to work with every single person. It was honestly scary to let people in on this project (I'll explain later) and I was afraid my feelings wouldn't be conveyed properly. But everything seemed to fit perfectly.

The art team was absolutely wonderful. Their immediate understanding of how I wanted characters to look, how I wanted the CGs... It was amazing seeing everything come together.  The programmers were amazing, even with my lack of knowledge. I felt as if I held them back, yet they were able to make the game look amazing. The music was a perfect fit to the atmosphere of the game.

I want to give a special shout out to the VAs. It was one of the first times that I voice directed a bigger project like this. I was nervous, excited, and wanted to make sure they flourished within the game.  The voice actors fit so perfectly with their characters. It honestly felt like fate. I hope everyone enjoys their performances.

Why food?

Here is where things get a bit more... deep. While the game is overall a comedy, the topic of food and the troubles Cenric and Lewis have with it stem from real life. I have a really tough relationship with food. It hasn't always been good. At times I resented it. Like Cenric, I lost joy in cooking. And like Lewis, I found eating to be a chore and had negative memories connected to certain foods. I wrote Davinia to have confidence in herself and the way she loves food because that's how I  aspired to be. She loves food and loves eating unapologetically. She taught both Cenric and Lewis how to love food and themselves. In a way, writing this also helped me. 

When I first came up with the concept of this game, I was struggling with the relationship I had with food. But since then, it's become much better. I enjoy eating. I adore cooking for others. It's become a love language of mine. I hope that the game encourages others to find love in food and that food brings all types of love. It's cheesy, but it's genuine. 

Final Words

I will be making a more in depth video about the process of making The Villainess Just Wants to Eat!! It'll include character concepts, behind the scenes, scrapped ideas, and more! So please look forward to that.

Thank you to everyone who waited patiently for a full release. I hope you all enjoyed playing the game and seeing the story unfold. And, I hope everyone will love the side stories as they're released! 

Until next time,

Syd <3