End of Memories: Coming-of-Age, Love, Loss, and Friendship. Ludonarrative Writing in Indie Games about Asia-Pacific
Ludonarrative Writing in Indie Games about Asia-Pacific
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51698/tripodos.2026.59.08Keywords:
ludonarrative, coming-of-age, teenage, indie, AsiaAbstract
The article explores ludonarrative writing about several Asia-Pacific indie video games, focusing on titles that subvert traditional narratives to foreground experiences centred around teenage protagonists with darker or more challenging aspects. We analyse A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio, 2022) (Indonesia), Last Time I Saw You (Maboroshi Artworks, 2024) (Japan), and Until Then (Polychroma Games, 2024) (Philippines). These ludofictions address adolescence, the anguish of the search for identity, and the difficulty of fitting into society, all within game worlds where reality is shaped by fantasy elements represented in pixel art aesthetics or through hand-drawn illustrations. Gameplay mechanics vary, from puzzle solving and combat to platformer-style navigation or decision-making based on visual novels. This article seeks to identify distinctive artistic styles and regional or national identities that shape their ludonarrative writing, with a particular focus on framing, playability, and identification.
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El artículo explora la escritura ludonarrativa sobre algunos videojuegos indie de Asia Pacífico, centrándose en títulos que subvierten narrativas tradicionales para potenciar experiencias centradas en protagonistas adolescentes con lados más oscuros o desafiantes. Analizamos A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio, 2022) (Indonesia), Last Time I Saw You (Maboroshi Artworks, 2024) (Japón) y Until Then (Polychroma Games, 2024) (Filipinas). Estas ludoficciones abordan la adolescencia, la angustia por la búsqueda de la identidad y la dificultad para encajar en la sociedad, todo dentro de mundos ludoficcionales donde la realidad se ve afectada por elementos de fantasía representados en una estética pixel art o a través de dibujos hechos a mano. Las mecánicas de juego varían, desde la resolución de puzles y combate hasta la navegación tipo plataformas o la toma de decisiones basada en visual novels. Con esta investigación buscamos identificar estilos artísticos distintivos e identidades regionales o nacionales que configuran su escritura ludonarrativa, concretamente el encuadre, la jugabilidad y la identificación.
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