Earlier this month, Quillo Entertainment released Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale for PC via Steam. Following its release, we had the chance to speak with Director Onon “Andy” Ng about the influences behind the game, its narrative and emotional moments, challenges faced in development, various gameplay styles, and much more. 

What were your main inspirations behind Apopia?

Onon “Andy” Ng (ON): The main inspiration was a dream that has kept daunting me for over 20 years. In that dream, I saw my mother standing there, ignoring my emotional pain, my cries, and my screams. That feeling — that hopelessness — was something I can’t describe with words alone, so I decided to make a game to express that feeling.

Besides my personal experience, there are some game titles that deeply influenced me to create Apopia: Doki Doki Literature Club, Life is Strange, Ib, The Witch’s House, and Fran Bow, to name a few. These titles contain very strong narration and emotion that stuck with me. Such narrative power can only be found in games, and they significantly influenced me in the making of Apopia.

Apopia has been in development for quite some time – what were the biggest challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

ON: With such a long development cycle, Ricky and I were bound to encounter challenges along the way. We have very different personalities so our differing styles of working and processing things resulted in arguments at first. I think what really helped me overcome them was my fiancée. She inspired me to see things and handle relationships with a new perspective. And eventually, our communication improved and things went much smoother. And I think it was my faith that helped me see my flaws. That’s how real connections are supposed to be built. Like the message from Apopia. You have to open your heart to let others in.

It was incredible to see the variety in dark worlds. What were some inspirations that you had when designing them?

ON: The End of Time in Chrono Trigger.

I remember one summer, my cousin came to my home and stayed for several months. While he was there, I watched him play Chrono Trigger. Out of many different scenes, The End of Time was the one that particularly drew my attention. It’s a scene that literally feels like the end of time. The stillness, the sound, the atmosphere inspired me so much when designing the Dark Worlds.

Mai’s relationship with her mother really stood out and resonated with me. What made you decide to take the game in this direction?

ON: As mentioned previously, it stemmed from a personal experience for me. I felt compelled to do it to help me work through my recurring nightmare that haunted me for many years. I also wanted to help others who may have had similar experiences, if they could relate to that emotion.

Of course, the game is a bit more intense than my own experiences, But the emotions in the game all came from my true feelings. I think that’s why they feel so real and relatable to some people.

What was the most challenging sequence to animate in a way that truly captured the intended emotion? [WARNING: APOPIA: SUGAR COATED TALE SPOILERS INBOUND]

ON: It’s definitely the final scene when Moly and BOSS hug.

I drew several versions of that animation before the final version that you see in game, and the final was finished just a few days before the launch! 

It took so long to finish because it is literally the ultimate salvation of Moly. For her entire life, she never admitted / accepted the existence of BOSS, a.k.a. her “negative thoughts”. In the BOSS fight, she successfully conquered BOSS with the support of her friends, but ultimately, the real salvation came from within herself. The only thing she needed to do was accept her other side.

And if you notice in the final shot of that animation, when the camera zooms out, the frame appears around them. It is because that moment when Moly accepted BOSS has now become one of her core memories. BOSS helped Moly overcome a difficult time.

Within the game, there are sections where the gameplay almost switches to different genres. Were there any you wanted to add but couldn’t?

ON: Haha… now thinking back, there’s really a crazy idea I had for one part in the game but didn’t do.

It was the part where Moly “built” the minecart. Initially, I wanted to make something similar to Minecraft / Don’t Starve. I wanted to make Town East a very large environment for Moly and explore and gather different materials… and she’d be able to craft various items, including the minecart of course…

In retrospect, I was grateful that we didn’t try to do it. I think the narration now is more hilarious, which I really like. And execution wise, it was the correct choice.

What do you hope players take away from Apopia?

ON: Open your heart, embrace your feelings.

Let’s laugh, cry and hug together.

For more on Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale, be sure to check out our review of the game. Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale is out now on PC via Steam.