For all the minigames that make it into acompilation of experiences likeWarioWare, some inevitably get cut. That was the case for the games found atMineko’s Night Market’s titular festival, where the overall design included many experiments that won’t quite make it to release.
Mineko’s Night Marketis about more than minigames, though. It follows the young girl Mineko who has just moved to an island town at the base of Mount Fugu, who explores her new home and community. Mineko seeks out the excitement of the Night Market, the mysteries of the Sun Cat Nikko, and the friends she’ll make as she helps her town get back on its feet. But theminigames of the Night Marketare an important draw forMineko’s developers at Meowza Games, co-founder Brent Kobayashi explained in a recent interview with Game Rant.
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Games like themed parades, cat races, and stage performances fill the peaceful atmosphere of the evening festival. One major minigame didn’t make the cut, however, with Kobayashi explaining that the plushy animal battle league won’t be available inMineko’s Night Marketat launch.
“One thing I was always drawn to in big games were ongoing side games, independent of the overarching narrative, that led to the richness of the world. One of my favorites beingthe Triple Triad game fromFinal Fantasy 8. Early on, we were hoping to develop a sort of ‘league’ among all the youths in the village where you could collect and battle Boximals, collectible plush animals, in a low stakes game where you can win and lose dolls to each other to build up an ultimate collection of them.”
Sounding vaguely reminiscent ofPokemon, the Boximals minigame would’ve featured as side content throughout the main narrative ofMineko’s Night Market. Given its Triple Triad influences, it’s likely that the other players of Boximals would be a blend of both major and minor NPCs seeking to take on challenges and allowing Mineko to expand her plush collection by beating the stuffing out of someone else’s Boximal.
While this could have been a fun addition toMineko’s Night Market, Kobayashi explained that cutting something like this happens all the time in game development. And ultimately, the final game still conveys the important ideas that Meowza had when designing it.
“As any game developer will attest to, there will always be more ideas than you have the time and/or resources to implement…Throughout development, the game has seen many iterations, many experiments, and many mechanics that came and went. But at the heart of it, the game has always been about finding your way and discovering friendship, and hopefully we were able to convey that message to people who need it!”
All that said, there may still be hope for those seeking to sate their plush combat desires in Mineko’s Night Market. Kobayashi said that Meowza still loved the concept behind Boximals and was hopeful about adding it to the game in a future update. In the meantime, though, there are plenty of other minigames to explore at the festival.
Kobayashi called special attention to the way Mineko will sell her wares at the market, usinga negotiation and bartering minigamethat’s designed to feel more accurate to the experience of selling handmade wares at a street market. Mineko will “craft crafts, eat eats, and cat cats” inMineko’s Night Marketright out the gate as well.
Mineko’s Night Marketreleases September 26 on Steam and Nintendo Switch, with PS4, PS5, and Xbox One versions coming on October 26.
