Last year during the Hungry Ghost Games Festival, one title in particular intrigued me. That was You Are NOT Bunnygirl by (Just) Jordan. Partially because I am a bunny Vtuber, and partially because the title made me wonder what the game could possibly be about.
Our short 30-minute gameplay can be found here!
1. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer this interview! Could we get an introduction to you?
Yo!! Thanks for having me—my name’s Jordan Peloquin, I go by (Just) Jordan online. I make video games, music, fanart, and a bunch of other stuff, too!
2. What inspired the making of You Are NOT Bunnygirl?
The story of You Are NOT Bunnygirl was inspired by many experiences that I’ve had in my own life. At the time when I began writing it, I felt like I was being forced to take unwanted responsibility in my day-to-day life, and prioritize other people at the expense of myself. I wanted to write a story that expressed that feeling of unwanted responsibility. The theme of self-care naturally developed out of the desire to break free from that responsibility and do what was best for myself.
Of course, feeling as I did that I was living under a heel, a lot of bitterness and righteous indignation has worked its way into You Are NOT Bunnygirl. I’ve chilled out (slightly) since the game began development half a decade ago, and I’m hopeful that the final product is at least even-handed enough so that it doesn’t feel childish or reductive with regards to its themes.
3. How does You Are NOT Bunnygirl explore the notion of self-care?
Self-care comes in many forms. Sometimes, self-care means eating an extra Oreo and sleeping in. But sometimes, self-care is about shoplifting as many Oreos as you can carry and faking a cold when your boss calls to ask where the hell you’ve been all week.
To me, self-care is a form of advocating for what is best for oneself. What is “necessary” to make somebody feel good changes from person to person. And at its most extreme, what I personally consider to be self-care can be inconvenient or even dangerous to others. That was the kind of thing I wanted to explore in You Are NOT Bunnygirl: self-care as a form of violence which involves fighting back against the people who would otherwise see you trapped or oppressed.
4. Were there any games that may have inspired aspects of You Are NOT Bunnygirl?
Absolutely!! You Are NOT Bunnygirl was hugely influenced by various indie games from the past 15 years. UNDERTALE is the biggest, and one which many people already clocked. YANB’s genre and battle system, which allow the player to resolve conflicts in multiple ways, were both directly inspired by UNDERTALE. Other inspirations include OFF, Space Funeral, and Five Nights at Freddy’s.
5. What game engine is You Are NOT Bunnygirl designed on and why?
Unity! And, because it’s the engine I know best!
6. Who are your favourite character(s) and mob(s) in You Are NOT Bunnygirl?
Man, this is such a hard question. But…I mean, it’s Elaine. It’s got to be Elaine. She lights up the screen every time she’s on it. She’s the character whose voice comes most naturally to me, and from concept to execution, she has changed the least out of all the game’s characters: simultaneously the hottest mess and coolest badass in the room. At least, in my opinion. On a mechanical level, I think the idea of having an NPC tied to the save point worked out very well. Not every save point in the game includes Elaine, but most of them do, and her presence (or lack thereof) throughout the game’s many areas greatly informs the current mood of the story.
I would also say that Elaine’s personal choices speak to the themes of You Are NOT Bunnygirl in a way that no other character does, not even the main character.
In terms of mobs, there’s a boss in one of the middle sections of the game which I’m extremely proud of! I think the music, art, and mechanics all came together really well. If you’re reading this after playing the full game and you’d like to know who it is – it’s the one with three heads :3
7. What kind of unique gaming experience do you hope players of You are NOT Bunnygirl will have?
My hope for You Are NOT Bunnygirl is that players who complete the game are braver and more self-assured for having done so.
8. What do you hope for in the future of games exploring self-care?
I hope that self-care in video games (and in all art, really) continues to be expressed as the tangled mess of compassion, violence, selfishness, and empathy that it is. Self-care looks different for everybody, and I hope that video games can continue to recognize that.
9. What reception have you gotten about You are NOT Bunnygirl after its release and are you currently working on anything?
The reception has been really good! By now, the game has received many rounds of feedback, and things like the battle system have become very polished as a result of player input. I feel that the game’s base mechanics have come far from where they began, and quite I’m proud of that. More people are playing the demo as a result of Next Fest, so I’ve even seen fanart online!!
And, yes, I’m always working on something new! I’ve finished writing my third EP and my first full length album, both of which I would like to record and release within the next couple of years. And I’ve got about a half dozen outlines for new video games that I’m interested in developing, one of which will probably become my next big project after You Are NOT Bunnygirl releases.
10. Where can we subscribe to the progress and news about your games?
You can join the Community Discord and subscribe to my YouTube Channel! You Are NOT Bunnygirl releases on December 12th, but it is far from the only game I will develop in my lifetime. My future projects will probably all end up on my YouTube channel in some way.
I want to thank Hime one more time for having me for this interview, it was great filling out such in-depth questions! Much love to her and to y’all <3
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Thank you so much Jordan for your refreshing and lighthearted responses! Reading through your answers brought me so much joy, and I have no doubt that You Are NOT Bunnygirl will bring smiles to many more people to come ^_^