Ever since I played the demoversion of the game Fishbowl, I was very excited for the full game. And after finishing it, not only did it deliver all what it promised to me, but it actually managed to surpass my expectations. I was very eager to talk with the creators of this little indie masterpiece and thankfully, both of them were able to find some time for us. So today we are talking with Rhea Gupte and Prateek Saxena from the studio "imissmyfriends".
Firstly I want to thank you, for making time for us. Can you tell us something a bit about your studio? How did the journey of imissmyfriends start?
Thank you for having us! We are a two-person team based in Goa, India, Rhea (she/her) and Prateek (he/him). Prateek dreamed of developing indie games since he was a kid and Rhea always dreamed of storytelling, world-building and making her own characters. For a long time, we knew we wanted to make our own indie games at some point in our lives. However, financial constraints and the lack of opportunities here had us pursue other careers for about a decade, Prateek in UX design and Rhea in fashion and fine-art photography. When the pandemic started, it opened up more possibilities for us to collaborate and work on something together. We began making Fishbowl, part-time, during this period. A few years later, we decided to give it our all and work on it full-time.
Did you already work on other games in the past? Could we have seen some of your work?
Fishbowl is our very first game we’ve made ^_^
What were your favorite games that you played or inspired you?
Growing up video games entered both our lives at a much later stage, as kids, Rhea’d be able to play games on a cousin’s computer and Mixed Up Fairy Tale’s was a game she fell in love with as a child. As a big reader, it felt like magic to be able to ‘play’ as a character and move the story forward. As a teenager, we had a family Windows computer at home and it had all sorts of games pre-installed like Dangerous Dave, Chip’s Challenge, Minesweeper, Tetris, Age of Empires 2, Road Rash and she’d also download games like Mystery Case Files, Diner Dash and the like, back when internet speeds were so slow that downloads would take entire days.
In Prateek’s case, he’d watch his best friend play Rollercoaster Tycoon and not really understand what was happening but still fully enjoy it. Later on he played Pokemon Red and Blue, N, Mortar Mayhem, NFS Underground. While developing Fishbowl Prateek ended up playing a lot of Art of Rally, Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap and Final Fantasy VI.
Some games which were really inspiring to us were all indies, Undertale, To the Moon, Night in the Woods, I was a Teenage Exocolonist, Celeste, Sea of Stars. They communicated to us the power of video games in storytelling, building empathy and making a difference in the world.
After playing Fishbowl I realized that the name of your studio is a reference to the lockdown years. How did you manage through that time since it inspired you to make the game?
Ah! It actually is a reference to a much earlier period in our lives, when we graduated from college and we were all moving away from friends whom we used to live with and share our lives with. Back then we would fantasize about making our own indie game studio someday and if we did, Prateek wanted to call it imissmyfriends.studio as an ode to that time. Many, many years later when we actually did start our own studio and began making Fishbowl, the name stuck :)
The pandemic was a really difficult time. Being away from friends and family and not being able to visit people or travel had a significant impact on us. Pouring ourselves into Fishbowl during our spare time gave us something to look forward to during a period of unpredictability. Especially when we didn’t know for how long this would go on. Video calls became a big way to stay in touch with everyone and adjusting to the changing situation locally and in the world at large, the loss, the misinformation, systemic problems which came to the forefront, while also having a sanctuary in our home of safety and creativity, it was a strange time to wrap our heads around.
Also, do you believe it gets harder in our adulthood to keep in touch with our friends? Can life get in the way? (on both sides)
It would vary from person to person. In our experience, as kids, most friendships we have are based on common activities or routines of showing up at the same place daily or regularly, whether it’s school or classes or the park. So that overarching necessity of showing up at the same place definitely forms very different kinds of friendships and shared experiences.
As adults, people move, have demanding jobs, responsibilities, there are many other factors which need time and attention, so friendships in that stage need to evolve to fit the needs of where people are in their lives and the things they are going through. You are also exposed to different life experiences and you end up making new friends based on shared values and interests in a different way. There is beauty and maturity in understanding each other in terms of each other's limitations and the joy these friendships bring.
We’ve both been very lucky to have very dear friendships in our lives and we also believe in working towards keeping the relationships close even if they may change in form, proximity or the amount of time spent on them. It’s safe to say that we could not have made Fishbowl without our friends, their company, the much needed laughter during intense production schedules and them just being there for us.
We’d decided that after Fishbowl released, we’d do a small imissmyfriends.studio friends tour to spend some more time with our friends. We’re starting it soon with a sleepover at our friend's home next month and visiting some of our friends overseas alongside Gamescom.
How long did it take to make the full game?
We started making Fishbowl, part-time back in April 2021. It took us five years to make the game as a two person team. Two and a half years were part-time and the remaining were full-time. It was such a big part of our lives for so long, now that it’s released, we are slowly figuring out the next steps for our studio.
I also wonder if you would consider bringing the EcoCat game on mobile? That could be pretty fun.
Ah! That is such a sweet question! ^_^ We have considered it as a fun thing to do but we aren’t sure if we will actually do it. There is a whole Ecocat universe brewing in Rhea’s head. Haha!
Was the main character Alo based on a real person or is it a work of complete fiction?
Alo is a work of fiction. However, we did pour a lot of our own emotions, experiences and struggles into her fictitious journey.
I personally could very much relate to Alo dealing with the death of her grandmother since I also experienced a huge loss in my life. Do you believe though people who didn't have such experience will be able to resonate with her as well?
That’s a very good question. We do feel, somewhere, if a person has never experienced this kind of debilitating loss for themselves, or have never shared her experience of struggling with self-doubt or in a creative pursuit, it would be a little harder to relate to her and have empathy for why she is the way that she is. People who have had similar experiences see themselves in her much easily but others could get frustrated with her and want her to move along, or get over it or ‘fix’ her to be better rather than just staying with her. The idea of making Fishbowl was to build empathy in people who are going through these struggles for themselves, towards themselves, as they care for Alo.
How do you feel about that one day our whole life and our personality will end up in a bunch of boxes? I thought about this firstly after watching the japanese movie One Day, You Will Reach The Sea and now Fishbowl brought these feelings back. But also love the idea that we can give those memories to others who can resonate with them as well.
Oh we’d love to check out this movie!
It’s a strange thing to think about. Hehe! Hopefully all the things we’ve gathered and cherished over the years can go to homes and people who will treasure them or find them useful, perhaps have a good laugh or find it easier to move through the loss of us not being around anymore.
Did you also have a favorite toy like Alo´s Paplet? If yes, do you still have it and could you share a picture?
Rhea did have a favourite toy growing up, a purple pillow which had stocky hands and arms sticking out of it’s face, whom she’d named Bubboo. Unfortunately the whereabouts of Bubboo are unknown and maybe she was passed on as a hand-me-down when moving houses. Really wish we had a picture of Bubboo.
Prateek had a Hot Wheels car which kinda looked like Speed Racer which he’d enjoy playing with. It might just be around in his parent’s home, tucked away somewhere, but unfortunately, no photographic evidence available.
The memories we will experience during the game... would you say it is the real truth, or the way Alo sees the truth? I am asking, because sometimes we can idolize the people we love and miss and here it kinda seems like it.
This question right here is the crux of Fishbowl. Of seeing your childhood in a new light after you’ve grown up. Memory is a strange thing. As we grow up, there are many things that stick in our minds, research tells us how easy it is to form memories of things which didn’t exist and to believe them as the truth, and of course, the context of memories as a child is so different when you can see things from an adult's lens. For example, Alo being kinda oblivious to the financial troubles they had as a child, but understanding the full depth of it as an adult looking back on those days. Seeing Jaja as this almost one-dimensional, loving human being, but learning as an adult that she too made mistakes and had regrets, like any other human. Her holding on to soothing memories which make it easier through her present and how she benefits from some of those warm memories and reminders. Memory is complex and complicated and we tried our best to portray that complexity, that touch of imagination one could add to them and the sense of home and belonging that one also seeks in them.
What would you say is your favorite part or thing in the game?
That’s a tough one!
Today, Rhea will choose the friendship shared between Alo, Zuari and Kiah. How much history there is, how much the three of them have been through together and the promise they make to continue to be by each other’s side, even if it’s long-distance.
For Prateek it is Alo’s desktop and the anti-virus Boo. We had many ideas of more things we wanted to do with her computer to make it feel more real and interactive, happy to have been able to slip this one in.
Out of curiosity, can Alo´s life also take a darker turn, if we as players don´t help her deal with her troubles?
The choices in Fishbowl can lead you to a very different confrontation during the Inside One segment of the game and the ‘feeling’ with which the game would end would subtly change. But the idea behind making Fishbowl was to make a game about healing, so it was important for us to have players know at the end that Alo is safe, she persevered, she didn’t give up. So Alo’s struggle might take a darker turn as per how one plays but the ending is still one of hope.
Would you agree with me if I would say that some of the poems Alo wrote did not deserved to be scratched?
That is so kind of you. We can feel Alo bloom reading this.
We feel like none of her poems deserved to be scratched out. Irrespective of how good or bad they may be poetically. The act of scratching was Alo rejecting a part of herself which very much did exist and the judgment she has on herself towards those thoughts and towards her craft that she is trying to hone, go against growing as an artist. It’s important to keep all work, especially the so-called ‘bad’ art and incomplete art and art that comes from the ugliness and vulnerability of being human, feeling deeply, all of it is important to make one better at expressing themselves and eventually becoming a better artist.
One mechanic I kinda don´t understand is that why aren´t the activities of cooking and eating related? Shouldn´t it go hand in hand?
That is such a good question! We differentiated between them as Alo eating mostly instant food and pre-packaged stuff from the fridge versus actually taking the time to make something from scratch, engaging in the slow and simple process of chopping vegetables and mixing the spices. Both make her feel good and nourish her but the act of cooking gives her a higher mood up on her moodmeter as compared to grabbing something from the fridge.
Do you believe Routine is the thing that keeps us as human beings from going crazy?
Having a gentle routine is really good for mental health and emotional wellbeing. However, people can take it to the other end wherein perfectionism kicks in or they start being too hard on themselves if they cannot stick to it. Often, people struggle to make their own routine as per their own reality and the lives they live, and end up trying to follow somebody else’s which may be unachievable, inappropriate or just a terrible idea.
In Fishbowl, we give players the freedom to make or not make their routine. They can move around in Alo’s home as they please and do as much or as little as they are able to. Some people thrive in their routine while others become slaves to something they created for themselves. It is our way of asking the question of whether the routine serves you or do you exist to serve the routine? Are we willing to bring a helpful routine to an erratic life or bring levity to one that has too much structure? To be accepting of new joys when needed and to break a mold when needed could offer new ways of seeing and being. Hopefully that idea of getting in touch with how one feels and then moving through the day accordingly in something that gets subtly communicated through Fishbowl.
Who do you believe will enjoy the game the most?
We feel people who take their time to engage with it, at their own pace, and keep room for introspection and reflection will enjoy the game the most. And of course, it being a visual novel, people who enjoy text heavy games and reading slice of life stories would enjoy the themes in Fishbowl and the simple yet poignant character arcs.
Could you share a picture of your team and studio with our website?
Attaching them! ^_^
Thank you for your time and also thank you for the wonderful experience that Fishbowl gave me.
Thank you SO much for playing and the thought and care you put into reviewing the game, and for these very thoughtful and fun questions, forever grateful!
