"'Oden Shop' kept despite no oden, after long publisher talks" — "Kiny and the Indescribable Oden Shop" [Developer Interview]

This series features interviews with the developers behind intriguing new indie games. In this installment, we bring you a mini-interview with the developers of *Kinny and the Indescribable Oden Shop*, a chaotic deck-building cooking game developed by Kinnymoms and released for PC and Mac on July 27.

This game is a chaotic deck-building cooking game where you toss all sorts of things into a pot to trigger ingredient combos.As the owner of an oden shop, players toss all sorts of things into the pot—from goblins, seafood, and fruit to ore and even miners. The ingredients collide violently inside the pot, randomly fusing to trigger indescribable chemical reactions and earn points. The game also supports Japanese.

“Kiny and the Indescribable Oden Shop” is available for 1,700 yen.

(Since the response was provided in Japanese, we’ve published it with minimal editing.)

――First, please introduce yourself. What’s your favorite game?

Andy: Hello! I’m Andy Ahn, the Project Director at Kinnymoms, the studio that developed *Kiny and the Indescribable Oden Shop*.

It’s hard to name just one favorite game, but the first thing that comes to mind is the *Yakuza* series. I really love how outlandish humor coexists so naturally alongside the serious storylines. As for older titles, it would have to be *Chrono Trigger*.I went to a 30th-anniversary orchestral concert earlier this year, and it made me realize once again just how wonderful it is when a game becomes a cherished memory for someone.

――Could you tell us about the key features of this game? Also, how did you come up with the idea for it?

Andy: I believe the game’s biggest feature is the way ingredients rain down with a clatter, creating unpredictable physical interactions.

I came up with the idea while traveling in Japan. I was visiting a shop that collected vintage pachinko machines, and as I watched the balls being fired and rolling around for a while, the prototype for a system where ingredients fall like balls and their collisions generate a score popped into my head.

――Were there any games that influenced the development of this title?

Andy: The biggest influence was *Lucky Landlord*. We wanted to incorporate, in our own way, the risk management that arises between the controllable and uncontrollable aspects of building a deck. We also drew heavily from *Balatro*—specifically its exponential score growth and joker system—as well as *Slay the Spire* and *Inscryption* for how they build synergies between cards.

As for the world setting and characters, we carried over some elements from our previous title, *Kinny and the Star Track Puzzle*, and expanded upon them further.

――Please share one episode that left the deepest impression on you during the development of this game.

Andy: What sticks in my memory the most is when we tried crowdfunding in South Korea before the game’s release. To be honest, I thought we’d be lucky to raise even a modest amount, but far more people than we expected took a liking to it. The fact that people were willing to lend a hand even before the game was finished gave us tremendous strength to continue development.

After that, I started seeing our game being discussed in various communities, including X. Among those posts were some written by people in Japan, and it felt both strange and heartwarming to realize that someone across the ocean was waiting for this game. But at the same time, it was a little scary.I realized we had moved past the stage where it was enough for just us to find the game fun—we had reached a point where we had to live up to the expectations of those who were waiting for us. I think the intensity of our development definitely changed from that point on.

――What kind of user feedback have you received since the release? Please share any that left a particularly strong impression on you.

Andy: Whenever we receive feedback about difficulty, it’s what gives me the most headaches. From the power balance between ingredients, to differences in difficulty based on deck composition, to the variability caused by luck—there are so many factors that can make the perceived difficulty vary from player to player. Because of this, we’re constantly revising our benchmarks, testing them, and fine-tuning the balance.

What stood out most to me were the players who discovered combinations we never even imagined and shared them with us. Once we realize there are people who delve deeper into the game than even we, the creators, do, we simply can’t afford to cut corners anymore.

――Taking user feedback into account, could you tell us about your plans for future updates?

Andy: We plan to continue steadily adding content, making balance adjustments, improving the user experience, and fixing bugs. In particular, we’re currently developing a Challenge Mode that includes additional challenges so players can keep playing even after reaching the ending.

――Could you tell us about the Japanese localization for this game? What was included in the localization, what were the challenges, and what has the reaction been like from Japan?

Andy: *Kiny and the Indescribable Oden Shop* officially supports Japanese. Thankfully, the publisher handled the Japanese translation, which allowed us to ensure a high level of quality.

One surprising reaction came regarding the Japanese title. We received a huge number of comments asking, “There’s no oden in the game, so why is it called an ‘oden shop’?” We decided on this title after lengthy discussions with the publisher; we wanted to convey the game’s core concept—putting ingredients into a pot and simmering them—in a way that would be most familiar and relatable to Japanese players.

Also, shortly after release, there was a bug where the Japanese text wasn’t displaying correctly, but thanks to Japanese players who reported it right away, we were able to fix it immediately. I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude.

――Is it okay to stream or monetize this game?

Andy: Yes, of course—we’d love it. You’re free to stream, upload videos, or create walkthroughs as you like, and we’ve placed no restrictions on monetization on platforms like YouTube or Twitch. We often watch the videos you post together and chat about them, so we’re looking forward to seeing some fun videos!

――Finally, please share a message for our Japanese readers.

Andy: First and foremost, I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all our Japanese players. Just as I saw when reviewing the pre-release wishlists and demo play data, Japanese players continue to make up a very large proportion of our player base even after release. It still amazes me that a game created by a small team in Korea has garnered this much interest.The fact that people who haven’t even played the game yet are reading this interview is something that truly delights us as creators.

Earlier, I mentioned the *Chrono Trigger* concert, and what struck me there was the realization that a game can become someone’s cherished memory. I don’t know if our game will ever carry that kind of weight. Still, if someday someone in Japan remembers it and thinks, “Oh, there was a game like that,” that alone would be enough for me. Until that day comes, we’ll keep creating.Thank you for your continued support!

(We’ve also received a message from Dora Ozsoy, co-founder of publisher Rogue Duck Interactive. Since this message was originally written in English, we’re publishing it here in Japanese.)

Dora: We focus on “chill games” and “strategy games,” and we offer a wide variety of chill career simulators and deck-building games. That’s why *Kiny and the Indescribable Oden Shop* was a surprisingly perfect fit for our game catalog.

In addition to its “feel-good” elements—such as beautiful artwork, fun interactions, and bouncing fruit—this game also offers deep deck-building gameplay that allows for countless combos based on the selection of ingredients and items. We feel truly fortunate to have partnered with Kinnymoms on this project!

And a huge thank you to Game*Spark for always connecting us with our players in Japan! You guys are the best!

――Thank you very much.