Anime is one of Japan’s biggest cultural exports, and its style has spread worldwide. Between breakout anime and manga like Demon Slayer, video games with anime aesthetics like Tales of Arise, and crossovers like Naruto appearing in Fortnite, the medium is ever-present. Classics such as Ghost in the Shell and Cowboy Bebop may get live-action adaptations in North America, but original stories from the 1990s are what inspired Wander Stars.
Wander Stars is the next title by Paper Castle Games, a four-person team based out of Spain. Its debut venture, Underhero, received acclaim in 2018 and a physical release through First Press Games in 2020. The idea for Wander Stars’ main mechanic — combining words to create attacks — was imagined during Underhero’s development, and Paper Castle is preparing to hit Kickstarter (at a date to be determined) after starting work in 2019. Game Rant spoke with Wander Stars’ lead writer and 2D artist Andrea “Andie” Gallo about its influences and how they impact gameplay.
Running in the 90s
Paper Castle Games was founded in Venezuela, and its members; Gallo, lead artist and designer Alvaro “Kay” Dominguez, lead programmer Rafael Cabrera, and composer Stijn van Wakeren (based out of the Netherlands); grew up watching anime in the 90s. Gallo said anime is particularly huge in Latin America because of how much cheaper its licensing rights are compared to American cartoons.
It’s hard not to recognize the popularity of franchises like Dragon Ball in Latin America. One example of its reach came in March 2018, when governments of cities in Ecuador, Mexico, El Salvador, and more hosted screenings of a pivotal Dragon Ball Super episode, as reported by outlets like Anime News Network. Dominguez thought up Wander Stars’ word-combining mechanic, which Gallo said “immediately reminded us of the anime we used to watch” that featured characters with “bizarre” attack names.
Dragon Ball is the main inspiration for Wander Stars, which features 14-year-old martial artist Ringo and her companion Wolfe seeking pieces of the Worldstar Map. The game will be broken into 10 “episodes,” with roguelike elements as players start each episode with just a few words so they can “improve a great deal” by fighting and exploring — as heroes would in a Shonen anime. There will be permanent power-ups and words for players to unlock using “honor points” between attempts, and while each episode has a story there will also be random events that flesh out character backstories and lore.
These “anime filler episodes” can be discovered by replaying portions of the game. Gallo said the team hopes Wander Stars’ Kickstarter raises enough to fund development and possibly also expand its scope with free DLC like extra episodes and “other big surprises.”
Wander Stars’ Gameplay and Aesthetics Create a Stronger Whole
The upcoming game’s visual style isn’t only pulling from Dragon Ball. Gallo said one thing she loves about 90s anime is there are numerous styles to pick from, so Wander Stars can look to many inspirations while developing a style that stands on its own.
Wander Stars’ roguelite progression is “very in line with classic RPGs” according to Gallo, but it focuses on more than just improving the party’s stats. Its battle system is designed like Pokemon, but fighting other trainers instead of monsters. There are over 250 words in Wander Stars’ catalog and growing, and they create numerous permutations as players receive words during runs that create different attacks based on the order they’re used.
“We looked at other anime series like Sailor Moon, One Piece, Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion, and more to try and internalize this visual language so we could come up with something that looks different, but still feels familiar. We hope that it reminds people of their old favorite shows.”
The “ripple effect” of this system creates extra work for its art design, leading to visual assets becoming “a bit modular.” However, it has been an intuitive process because Wander Stars is pulling from a childhood love of anime — such as Sailor Moon, one of Gallo’s favorites that played on national television in Venezuela. It’s an artistic departure from Underhero, but one Paper Castle is enthusiastic about.
Wander Stars is currently in development for PC and Switch, with a Kickstarter campaign planned for the near future.
“We’re still making an RPG with interesting characters and a story full of surprises. The art is not pixel art but we’re actually more comfortable with this new style thanks to our animation background. We’re applying more of our strengths this time around, which is very exciting!”
Sources: Kickstarter, Anime News Network
