Laplacian has recently released Kugayama Shiori’s Death Diary on PC via Steam and is currently working on the Switch port for the visual novel. With a unique premise about a ghost obsessed with uncovering what led to her death, the game puts players in the role of following her around and witnessing her distinctive approach to searching for the truth. In case you missed it, check out our review.
Namely, as Kugayama Shiori has no memories of how she died, she tries to relive the moment of death through various incidents to try to find a glimpse of her past. The result is a very graphic experience that manages to treat death with a big dose of humor.
We had the chance to talk to director Hayashi Ryosuke and artist Pellet about the game and their experience creating a visual novel that manages to balance a morbid subject with humor.
Ivanir Ignacchitti: Can you provide some background on how the concept of Kugayama Shiori’s Death Diary came about? It has hints of Groundhog Day where one can become almost desensitized to everything, including death. I’m wondering if that’s the direction you were going for here.
Hayashi Ryosuke: The starting point was an offer from Laplacian to Kazuki Fumi, asking to create a compact work that combined mystery, the occult, and solid gameplay. This is very much within his area of expertise, so we were confident he could bring out the full potential of that concept.
At the same time, we didn’t want Laplacian to stay confined to a single style, so we instead aimed to create something with a new kind of texture by adding in outside influences.
We weren’t consciously referencing any particular work. At its core, this game leans more toward occult comedy. By pushing both the comedic elements and the gameplay, the work’s unique, slightly uncanny atmosphere naturally took shape.
Given that premise, was it difficult to find a balance between the morbid subject matter and humorous tone?
Hayashi Ryosuke: Not at all. From the early stages, we already decided on the direction: a ghost who casually kills herself again and again. This surreal and lighthearted quality became the guiding principle for the tone.
Pellet: From a visual standpoint, it wasn’t easy harmonizing opposing elements—making the characters cute, the aberrations frightening, while having those cute characters become terrifying when they snap. In the end, I unified everything by giving the overall visuals a rough, heavier texture reminiscent of washi paper and watercolor.
Kugayama Shiori’s Death Diary has a gameloop where she’ll die over and over again. As director, were there any death scenes that you had to make the difficult decision to cut from the game?
Hayashi: None at all. Every death that existed at the planning stage was implemented in the game. We made sure that everything we felt should be depicted was brought to the screen without exception.
The character illustrations have a colorful pop style that clashes with the overall themes. Is it fun to create in these kinds of worlds where the characters are technically human, but very unhinged?
Pellet: It’s very enjoyable. Recent Laplacian titles have leaned toward a more delicate style, so the major shift in direction of this project made the process feel fresh.
When designing Kugayama, what did you decide would be her defining feature, and further, is there a connective design feature across the entire cast that players might not immediately pick up on?
Pellet: From the beginning, Shiori was conceived as a ghost who casually repeats suicide, drifting with only a faint sense of self until she meets the protagonist. This led to the jellyfish motif, which served as the starting point for her design. There’s actually a species actually called the phantom jellyfish in real life. If you take a closer look at her hair, it resembles that jellyfish.
Though to varying degrees, the other ghost characters also have motifs based on creatures with names or folklore related to spirits and monsters—such as the Ghost Mantis or the Shigure Ageha, a type of swallowtail butterfly.
A defining feature of this title’s cast is the inclusion of eye-catching elements like inner hair colors. Rather than a realistic sense of fashion, I aimed for a visual impact that is unique to game characters, leaving a strong impression at first glance.
For both of you, was there a particular character aside from Kugayama that you’re surprised readers are gravitating towards? Does it match your favorite character of the supporting cast?
Hayashi: To be honest, we’re so busy working on the Switch version that I haven’t had the time to closely follow player reactions yet (laughs).
I didn’t even have a moment to catch my breath after the initial release—we’re already right in the middle of working on the Switch port. I’m giving it everything I’ve got just to clear the tasks right in front of me, so it looks like it’ll be a little while longer before I can sit down and really enjoy the fan feedback.
Pellet: Like Hayashi, I haven’t been able to closely follow player feedback just yet. That said, I get the impression that the characters I felt confident about during the design phase are indeed gaining popularity, so there isn’t much of a gap in expectations.
Since this project involved a visual style quite different from our previous works, I had mixed feelings of anticipation and concern about how fans would receive it. In the end, however, it seems to have been well received, which is a relief.
Could Kugayama Shiori’s Death Diary lead to a series of mystery adventures? Is this a space you’d like to explore more of or would you rather move on to new projects when finishing one?
Hayashi: There are no plans to turn this into a series. We’re currently focusing on our upcoming projects. Right now, we want to pour all our energy into the two upcoming projects, Monochrome Serenade and Isomerica. Once I’ve finished one story, my focus shifts toward a new challenge.
What is the process for planning out these multiple-ending adventures? What makes a bad ending satisfying to you? And how do you know when they’re being used for the sake of it or when they’re necessary? When do you know “it’s time to wrap this up,” and then open the true ending route?
Hayashi: To be honest, I don’t really design things with a strict, theoretical blueprint. I’ve never once thought of bad endings as just a way to fill out the numbers, either. I choose every single development based solely on the criteria of whether it’s interesting or satisfying when experienced as a game.
There isn’t a clear-cut rule for when to bring a story to its conclusion; it’s more of an “instinct” that develops during production. As the player’s experience builds up, the right timing reveals itself naturally. I’m simply capturing that moment and giving it shape.
