On November 5, 2026, Denneko Yugi and Shochiku Games will release the 3D roguelike action game featuring beautiful heroines, *Mugen Sakura Rōkaku*.
Set in a labyrinth teeming with supernatural creatures, this game challenges players to fight their way through while strengthening the protagonist, “Retra.” We conducted an interview with Hosenka of Denneko Games, the developer behind this title.
He shared many highlights of the game, including the concept behind *Mugen Sakura Rōkaku*, its design focused on “ease of understanding,” and the charm of Retra. Here’s a look at our interview.
Interview with Hosenka of Denneko Yugi! A Deep Dive into the Meticulously Crafted Design of the Protagonist “Retra” and the Game System
—Thank you for joining us today. First, could you please tell us once again about the concept behind *Mugen Sakura Rokkaku*?
Hosenka (hereinafter Hosenka): The concept for this game began with the idea of creating a “3D action game with roguelike elements.”
The project began 5–6 years ago. At that time, games in the roguelike action genre were still rare, so the idea was born from the thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to have a 3D roguelike action game that’s easy to play and features cute girls taking center stage?”
—What prompted you to make it a roguelike action game, and were there any specific sources of inspiration?
Hosenka: This game itself actually began as a sort of practice project for action games. Around 2020, we developed a 3D TPS (*Star Tree: Unity Unions*) as our previous title, and through that project, we accumulated a lot of 3D know-how.
So, when I thought, “I want to make a small-scale action game,” I figured incorporating roguelike elements—which were popular at the time—and a Japanese-style aesthetic might go over well with the market. It actually started with a bit of ulterior motive. (laughs)
*Star Tree Mecha: Unity Unions* (Released May 2020)
—I hear that Shochiku Games is handling publishing this time. What kind of discussions have taken place?
Hosenka: We’ve had a great deal of back-and-forth. We hold regular meetings about once every two weeks, and since the release is approaching, we’ve been meeting about once a week lately. We’ve been collaborating very closely, and I can really feel the high level of enthusiasm from Shochiku Games.
I often hear negative rumors from other developers about their relationships with publishers—things like, “They don’t promote our game much” or “It feels like our project isn’t a priority.” However, when it comes to Shochiku Games and this title, I feel they’re approaching it with a great deal of enthusiasm, and it’s been a pleasure working with them.
Shochiku Games: It’s mutual! We really love it! (laughs)
—You’ve released a demo and run a crowdfunding campaign for this title so far. What kind of reactions have you received from users and the community?
Hosenka: It’s been three or four years since we first posted the animations and other content, so we’ve kept everyone waiting quite a while. Many fans were drawn to the character designs, and those fans reacted with comments like, “It’s finally coming out!”
Regarding the crowdfunding campaign to support the release, we received warm comments from users who’ve been eagerly awaiting this for years—such as “I can finally contribute!”—and I’m filled with gratitude.
—Was there any feedback from users that particularly stood out to you?
Hosenka: With the demo we released previously, I felt there were many shortcomings, such as an unfriendly UI and issues with difficulty balancing. On the game’s Discord server, we even received direct, harsh comments like, “It still needs more tweaking,” or “It can’t be released in this state.”
Since the development team works with the game every day, we tend to become too familiar with the controls during playtesting and naturally take the optimal actions. However, when we exhibited at events like Tokyo Game Dungeon, we often had people who don’t normally play games try it out, which helped us realize, “You have to pick up items this far” and “We need to handle this properly.”
—Please tell us what aspects you were particularly focused on regarding “Retra,” the protagonist of this game.
Hosenka: Retra is one of the main characters from our previously released title, *Planet Ruler: The Mechanical God of the Star Tree*. She was already well-known for being “cute” and very popular back then, so I thought that if we featured her as the protagonist in this game, it might be a hit.
*Planet Ruler: The Machine God of the Star Tree* (Released in 2015)
An illustrator handled the character design, while a 3D modeler worked on the costume design. As we reviewed multiple concepts, we focused on balancing the amount of fabric, ensuring ease of movement, and capturing a lively, energetic vibe. We also incorporated a Japanese-style theme while retaining the design of the cat-ear hood, which is the character’s trademark.
Although I provided direction, the 3D modeler brought the design to life so well that we adopted it almost exactly as it was.
—This game incorporates a Japanese-style theme in elements like the dungeons and character designs. Was there a specific reason or intention behind this?
Hosenka: This might sound a bit harsh, but our previous title didn’t sell at all because our marketing efforts fell short. That experience really drove home the importance of marketing.
For this title, we focused on “elements that would appeal to an international audience,” and we decided to incorporate the “Japanese-style” aesthetic from our cultural sphere because we judged it would likely be well-received internationally. We’re also making a conscious effort to create high-quality cutscenes to boost our appeal on social media and other platforms.
In fact, I’m personally in charge of all the animation for this title, and I studied quite a bit to bring it to life.
—You mentioned animation, but are there any other aspects of the graphics—such as cutscenes or direction—that you’re focusing on?
Hosenka: I place a high priority on “clarity.”This ties back to what I mentioned earlier about feedback: in an action game, every visual element—such as what happens the moment you press a button, what happens when you land a hit, or the state of enemies and the player—must have meaningful gameplay significance. To ensure a user experience (UX) that helps players understand the game, we’ve designed these elements to be purposeful.
While gamers—myself included—can intuitively grasp “how this system works” just by playing, that’s not the case for beginners or users who haven’t played much. I feel it’s necessary to guide them appropriately through the UI, animations, effects, and visual style.
However, while we’re mindful of this, it’s difficult to implement all of these elements perfectly, and I recognize that there are many areas where we haven’t fully succeeded.
—Regarding UX, the action in this game features casual controls. Is “ease of understanding” also the reason behind this design choice?
Hosenka: For this game, we drew inspiration from the so-called “Musou” series and *Genshin Impact*. While it varies by title, games in this genre often lack a lock-on system; some even work on the principle of “press a button, and your character automatically moves toward the enemy and attacks.”
From the start, we aimed for gameplay where “you can fight to some extent even if you’re just mashing buttons,” but during implementation, many things didn’t work out as planned, so we made improvements—which resulted in some aspects differing from our original plan.
However, our ultimate goal is to create an experience where even those unfamiliar with action games or beginners can enjoy the game simply by pressing buttons to trigger actions.
—These days, the “roguelike action” genre is quite common. What do you think sets this game apart from others, and what are its unique charms?
Hosenka: Above all, I believe it’s the “characters and their visual style.” I personally decided on the scenario and world setting, and I have a complete grasp of each character’s personality and backstory. Since I’m also in charge of creating the animations and visual style, that “consistency” is a major strength.
In terms of gameplay, while the item-stacking system was partly inspired by the *Risk of Rain* series, incorporating that distinctive “fight while flying around” style into this game proved difficult—it simply didn’t align with my vision for 3D action.As a result, we categorized the item system into genres such as “attack-oriented,” “defense-oriented,” “element-oriented,” and “shield-oriented,” and by providing items with distinct playstyles within each genre, we enabled players to develop their characters according to their preferred stats.
Additionally, the way the dungeons are played is designed in a way that’s rarely seen elsewhere. This game features a dungeon danger gauge called “Dream Depth,” and the element of collecting items while managing this gauge is a key differentiator.
—It’s true that a system where players can counteract the debuffs caused by “Dream Depth” and control it themselves feels quite rare.
Hosenka: Initially, that aspect of control was quite scattered, and there was a long period where we struggled to organize it. However, I feel the gameplay has turned out very well with the current specifications. There are still many things we want to do and new gameplay elements we’d like to add to the game, so we hope to incorporate them through updates.
—Regarding updates for this title, will development continue even after release?
Hosenka: We’re eager to release updates, but it really depends on sales. We don’t see this as a “release and forget” project; we want to nurture this title into something great.
Shochiku Games: We feel the same way.
—Earlier, we touched on the topic of character builds. Do you have a favorite combat style or build?
Hosenka: In any game, I love using a “brute-force build” that prioritizes attack power to rack up massive damage numbers. This game also has various systems designed to showcase those big numbers—attack power, critical hits, defense reduction, effects during Over-Tension, and more… By combining all these elements, you can deal damage that feels incredibly satisfying.
—Also, what’s the one thing in the game you’d like players to pay special attention to?
Hosenka: Definitely “Retra.” I’ve been working on this character for a long time—it’s taken several years to create her. There are parts I’d like to tweak, and some cutscenes were even made about three years ago, but even when I look back at them now, the quality is still high enough that I think, “She’s cute, isn’t she? I did a good job!”
I have a deep attachment to and confidence in this character, so I really hope players will come to love Retra as well.
—With the release date approaching, could you share a final message for the players?
Hosenka: We’re really working hard on this. Development is still ongoing, but it looks like we’ll be able to deliver a great product to our users, so we’re going to give it our all for this final push!
—Thank you so much for your time today!
"Mugen Sakura Rōkaku" is scheduled for release on November 5 for PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch.
