In an interview posted on the official Rontekumo app on September 16, the developer of Atelier Kallia: The Night Kingdom and Memory Guide talked about the progress of work on changing the heroine’s physical mechanics. The topic is hotly debated after Gust Studio conducted an unusual survey. While this was already hinted at by initial positive findings last month, it’s now clear that implementation of the mechanic is indeed well underway and the developers are actively working to implement it ahead of the game’s release.
Since nutrition is a key mechanic in the game, the developers wanted to know how players would feel about the possibility of Kariya transforming into a more “complete” version of her default appearance after eating a large meal. That’s what led to last month’s viral poll.
In a new interview, producer Junzo Hosoi and director Daiki Fukui admitted that they were surprised by the huge demand for the feature, with nearly 75% of fans expressing a strong desire to see it in the game. Among English-speaking users, the number is even higher — 90%. The survey was conducted in Asia, North America and Europe; Hosoi said the idea received support from all regions, but in North America they responded most favorably.
Fukui pointed out that the development team anticipated various scenarios when deciding to investigate and prepared in advance for the possible implementation of this feature. While he didn’t directly confirm that a final decision to change Kariya’s physique has been made, his words make it clear that work is indeed underway on this opportunity and that the team is working hard on it. Fukui said that although there are some difficulties during the development process, they will not have a significant impact on the overall work progress, so fans should not worry.
Also worth noting are the mid-term results of the survey: among players who support the idea of changing their physique, 62% favor being able to fix Kariya’s desired body shape, while 32% prefer that the heroine’s body change spontaneously based on the amount of food she eats. It’s unclear what decision the developers have made on this issue, so additional announcements may be made in the future.
