Dome-King Cabbage was one of the games showcased at E3 2021's Future Game Show. Although its time in E3's spotlight was short, it was enough to showcase how unique this title is. For those unfamiliar with the game, Dome-King Cabbage is a visual novel that includes a unique take of a monster-collecting RPG.
In a recent interview with Game Rant, Cobysoft Co.'s Joe Buchholz shared the process of creating Dome-King Cabbage and how it's similar to building Legos. Buchholz also talked about how Japanese manga and anime and Capcom's Ace Attorney franchise inspired Dome-King Cabbage in terms of how the story unfolds and the overall design aesthetic of the visual novel's environment, characters, and monsters.
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Q: Congratulations on having Dome-King Cabbage as one of the games highlighted at E3 2021's Future Games Show. Tell us how the game was selected for the showcase and how do you think it will be affected after this?
A: Thank you! Freelance writer Jordan Oloman kindly reached out to me to be in the show. I’m not sure how he stumbled across the game, but I’m grateful he got in touch with me! Being in the Future Games Show definitely helped get a few more eyes on the game, and if just one person had their interest piqued by seeing the hype reel, then I’m happy.
Q: Why did you choose to make a game about a job interview? How would you describe the overall experience players should expect from Dome-King Cabbage?
A: Mush, the main character of Dome-King Cabbage, is in a transitional period in their life-- and life-changing moments are a lot of times accompanied by intense job interviews. I wouldn’t expect you to think this is a normal type of job interview, though. It’s more like a harsh mental trial. Mush is interviewing to gain the status of a Dome-King, a kind of monster-tamer with psychic abilities. Players should expect a sort of surreal but pretty straightforward visual novel with not too many choices. The most important part is how the main story unfolds rather than completing multiple routes/endings.
Q: Tell us more about the monster-collecting aspect of the game. How does that tie into the job interview story?
A: The game takes place in a monster-collecting RPG setting, but you can’t necessarily capture them through random encounters like you would in other RPGs - especially considering Mush doesn’t have that ability at the start of the game. Think of exploration in the game more similarly to how it’s executed in the Ace Attorney series with basic navigation and conversations with strange monsters. Dome-King Cabbage scenes feel a bit like peering into a small diorama. Mush explores the enigmatic Crumb Island, speaks to various monsters, and pieces together how to even begin the “interview” process.
Q: How many monsters can players collect, and can you share more about their designs?
A: The number of monsters Mush will come across and connect with is still to be determined! I’m constantly coming up with creatures, so it seems like the number is always fluctuating. Here are some designs that I’m fond of:
This is a kind of flayed-angel monster. The sentient part of the monster is the fetal creature floating in the ribcage. The rest of the muscles and bones are controlled by the little blue critter. That felt weird to type out, but that’s just the way it is!
This little guy is Bungo. He’s extremely small. He wears a little pair of overalls that don’t fit quite right, so both of his cheeks are constantly out and on full display. He might not look like it, but he’s an expert blacksmith and weapons specialist. He’s left that life of weapon-crafting behind, and now he runs a humble shop on Crumb Island. He sells lukewarm hotdogs and random salvaged things from the island.
This monster’s name is Penkiin. He communicates through telepathy and is able to suspend and illuminate those lightbulbs levitating around him. Dome-Kings that came before Mush have taken a lot of Penkiin’s friends with them on adventures, and for this reason, Penkiin has decided to plant himself in this lake and never come out under any circumstance. He vows to never leave the island. I can only speculate what his lower body looks like.
Q: Are any of the monsters in Dome-King Cabbage inspired by other games such as Pokemon design-wise? Were there any lessons from Pokemon or similar titles that you think made Dome-King Cabbage a stronger project?
A: I would say that despite this being a visual novel set in a monster-collecting RPG, the designs are surprisingly not super inspired by Pokemon. The designs range from blobs of slime to really human-like creatures. You wouldn’t see a flayed angelic creature in Pokemon, but I guess that kind of thing might fly in Digimon or Yu-Gi-Oh! The inspiration is honestly all over the chart. It's kind of a milieu of various Japanese monsters that I grew up watching on TV and collecting cards of.
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Q: What do you think sets Dome-King Cabbage apart from other visual novels, and are there any games or other visual novels that inspired it?
A: I would say the main thing that sets Dome-King Cabbage apart from other visual novels is its unorthodox aesthetic and presentation. While I do play visual novels and love them (Ace Attorney, 999, and Danganronpa are some of my favorites), I would say that my inspirations are more from the manga world. The work of Akira Toriyama, Kentaro Miura, Taiyo Matsumoto, Toyokazu Matsunaga, Eiichiro Oda, and a long list of unmentioned masters are my most potent set of influences. The ethos of doing everything myself was adopted from these incredible creators.
Q: What are the challenges you’ve encountered in developing a game mostly by yourself? Do you plan to collaborate with other people to work on other elements of Dome-King Cabbage, such as the soundtrack?
A: I’m sure it’s the same challenges that every other indie developer faces, but maybe intensified by wearing every single hat in the process, from marketing to programming to music to art. The soundtrack is pretty much complete, and you can hear snippets of it scattered across social media. I made it all myself by piecing royalty-free loops together along with some of my own instrumentation. I rarely collaborate, but when I do, it’s with someone for a one-off character or trading card made to promote the game.
Q: We’ve seen some of the modeling work you’ve done for the game. Can you share a bit of the development process from start to finish?
A: The best analogy I can make for my process is playing with LEGOs. I’m usually taking pre-made blocks and putting them together in my own way. I’ll take a base body mesh, do a cloth simulation on it to give it clothing, then sculpt a head in Blender and attach it to the body, for example. There are tons of ways to go about creating a character or environment, and that’s one of the beautiful things about 3D art. You can start to build up your own personal visual library and re-use assets to your liking.
Q: Dome-King Cabbage has been in development for several years now. What is the hardest point of the development process?
A: The hardest part of the development process has simply been living. Not only is it self-made, but it’s self-funded. I’m caught in a pretty nasty cycle of working on commissions for a bit, earning enough to live for a short period of time and work on my game, then the cycle repeats once I run out of money. I hope people are patient with this process until I find a way to secure some much-needed funding.
Q: We know Dome-King Cabbage is being developed for the PC, with future ports being worked on for Mac and mobile devices. Do you think the game will ever be released to other platforms such as the Nintendo Switch?
A: I would love to have Dome-King Cabbage release on as many platforms as possible! Right now, the only thing I can completely guarantee is a PC release, but I absolutely want it on more platforms and will work toward that.
Q: What’s the future of Cobysoft Co. after Dome-King Cabbage? Any plans for other games/visual novels in the future?
JB: I have so many ideas! I would love to do an anthology of short visual novels with friends that’s much more collaborative. Bundle them all up and release them like you would a comics anthology. I have other exciting things planned for the future, and I’m just appreciative of anyone who cares enough to pay attention to my weird ideas.
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Dome-King Cabbage is in development for PC.