I definitely shouldn't have read the comments on our latest YouTube video with my morning coffee! Almost reservedly chuckled my sandals AND socks off 🧦🤭 Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Annika, the anxiety-ridden, approval-obsessed German potat 🥔

If you are an introvert like us, you have probably felt this kotowaza deeply once or twice in your life! #ことわざ #gamedev

Dear art peeps, please don't judge me for putting the entire rainbow spectrum on my planning color palette - I swear it helps me keep track of things! 🫠 #indiegame #gamedev #writing #narrativedesign

We are currently working on a storyboard for a short gameplay video of Soup for Soul. The video should give a first impression of how the later game may look and feel. Stay tuned, we will show you the results when it's finished! #gamedev #indiegame #storyboard #trailer

Currently trying to come up with dialogue text for a 2 minutes max teaser video. Emphasis on '2 minutes max' and 'trying' ... Why oh why is it SO hard for me to be concise!? I can already see this teaser turning into a feature film... #gamedev #writing #narrativedesign #indiedev #indiegame

Today, Japan celebrates Autumn Equinox Day 🍂 Many people not only use this day to welcome the new season, but to honor ancestors and remember those who have passed away by visiting shrines or temples. What do you like most about fall? 🎃🥮🍁 #autumnequinox #japan

Our writer Annika has her struggles with me. I’m always trimming down her “word masterpieces” 'cause they don’t fit the layout. In contrast to her surname (Curts), keeping things short has never been her strength. 😁 Do you also find it hard to keep things short? #indiegames #indiedev #thisisfine

Today's kotowaza hits a bit too close to home for us indie game devs... 🙈 #ことわざ #gamedev

Because we have so many different characters visiting our game's ramen bar, it's easy to lose track of all their daily schedules 🫨 So, naturally, I made another little Miro diagram! #indiedev #gamedev #indiegame #writing #narrativedesign #gamewriting

While animating Mr. Tanaka’s hand, we discovered that one of the bones in the rig wasn’t placed correctly. We had to fix it to keep the animation clean and smooth. Mr. Tanaka handled it just fine. Didn’t hurt a bit 😅 #GameDev #3DAnimation #RiggingFails #indiegames #Blenderfail

With our 141st commit this week, we've officially cooked up (ha) our longest variable name to date: 🥁🥁🥁 cuttingDirectionSelectionHandRotationSmoothTime ! No one said cooking was simple! Let alone programming 🤯 Can anyone beat our high score of 47 characters? #gamedev #gameprogramming #indiegame

Pealosophy #3: "Gaming time! Peas don't disturb!" Imagine you're in the middle of your favourite game when your phone rings. Would you pick up? #gaming #indiedev #pealosophy #kawaii #indiegame

It's Respect for the Aged Day in Japan today! 🧓👵 This holiday is intended to honor the elderly and their contributions to society. If you live to be a hundred years old, the prime minister even gifts you a sake cup 🍶 If that's not an incentive to live healthily, I don't know what is! #japan #敬老の日

To be fair, you won't get very far in our game with a sword, but with a kitchen knife, you can very well move emotional mountains! 🔪 #ことわざ #gamedev

Even though it's probably not what you'd find in a book about narrative design, I'm proud of my little concept board! 💛 Do you have your own weird writing habits or some tips and tricks to share? #indiedev #gamedev #writing #narrativedesign

Creating our very first character Misaki and exploring different looks. Which design would you choose? Version A or B? #indiegame #cookinggame #conceptart #digitalpainting #characterdesign

To my fellow narrative/writing peeps - do you also have concept tables only you understand or is it a me problem? I found this one (shows when guests visit the ramen bar in which mood) quite intuitive, but I just earned a very puzzled look 😅 #gamedev #indiegames #indiedev #writing #narrativedesign

Just an ordinary day in Hamburg (well, except for the beautiful weather). But wait, there is someone else enjoying the warm sunlight. 😎🐢 Can anyone tell what kind of turtle this ist? #Hamburg #thelittlethings #turtle #shiggy #wildlife

Time for another 'kotowaza' (ことわざ) or Japanese proverb! This time, it's about THE topic of all time: love ❤️ (From personal experience, I'd like to add that the person who's coughing is sometimes the very last one to realize it 😅) #ことわざ

Sometimes, when I've convinced myself again that I've been super unproductive this year, I take a look at my (slightly unhinged) Miro board. Even though it's not particularly pretty or professional, it's undeniably and literally a real piece of work! #gamedev #indiedev #narrativedesign #writing

"Game devs only ever work digitally"... Nope! Sometimes it's easier to grab a pen, pull out some paper, and start scribbling. A dynamic brushstroke looks best when you swing it straight from the wrist onto the page! Do you like the final logo design? #IndieGames #ArtProcess #AnalogMeetsDigital

During our research on Japanese cultural topics, we encountered 'kotowaza' (ことわざ); proverbs that often contain a sharp insight into a certain truth. Many of them made us ponder and/or chuckle and they're super inspiring for our story and characters! #ことわざ #gamedev

Chef hands work hard... so today, our ramen chef Mr. Tanaka gets a tiny virtual 3D manicure! 👨‍🍳💅 #MorningRoutine #GameArt #GameDev #HandCare

Tending to a small veggie patch is a great way to take the mind off game dev for a while. 🌱 Especially when you can harvest some very familiar little nubs! #gardening

Anyone here looking for a band name? How about "T-posing blockout dudes"? The title sounds even better in German. 🙉 All of our current in-game characters are named like that... maybe we should keep it? #tpose #blockout #3dart #indiedev #band

"Just make it exist first, you can make it good later." That's our motto these days as we are working intensively on our game's vertical slice. As a passionate perfectionist not an easy task for me tbh 😆 #exist #indiegames #indiedev #devdiary #motivation

Soup for Soul: Assassin's Creed Edition 😅 #Indiedev #Indiegame #outtakes #devdiary

Just arrived at devcom #devcom2025

🟢🟢🟢 We're on our way to devcom! #devcom_global

Sometimes I don’t make life easy for our game programmer Valeria. She’s constantly putting out fires I start as an artist. Luckily she’s incredibly patient with me, which I really appreciate as much as her firefighting skills. #gamedev #indiegames #artistlife #indiedev #thisisfine

The 3D modeling of the ramen bar is in full swing and today we did some visual experiments with fire and smoke. Wanna cook?🍳🧑‍🍳 #indiegame #gameinprogress #devlog #Ramenbar #cookinggame #simulator #fireandsmoke #kitchen

Yesterday: Spent hours painting our character’s hands in Blender. Hit save (just to be safe), closed the program—feeling good about it. Opened it later and... everything's gone. Turns out, saving the project doesn’t save the texture file. Lesson learned the hard way. 😅 #RookieMistake #DevDiary

Sometimes we need a short break from this noisy world. That's when the task of coloring our beautiful Japanese street view artwork comes in quite handy 🍜☔ #gamedev #indiedev #indiegame #conceptart #speedpainting #2dart #relaxing #coloring

Can the Ramen Master enjoy his little breaks in between customers? Or do they rather emphasize the loneliness he feels inside? #indiegame #conceptart #2dart #indiedev

We are currently working on our protagonist, whose role you take on as a ramen chef. That's why you play in a 1st-person perspective in which you can only see your hands. First movement test animation in progress. #wip #gamedev #indiegame #devdiary

Misaki is the first character of our game to get a dedicated concept artwork 🖌️🩷 In Soup for Soul, you can get to know her and find out more about her newly adopted after-school activities! Painting and recording by: @vanessa-zeeb-art.bsky.social #indiegame #indiedev #conceptart #characterdesign

A hot bowl of ramen isn't just good for the soul, it's also the perfect remedy for a slight hangover after events like the "Deutscher Computerspielpreis". 😅 Final concept art of a fully prepared soup, ready to be served in our game Soup for Soul. #indiegame #hangover #ramenart #indiedev #derDCP

What does your perfect evening look like? Have a nice weekend! #couchpotato #gaming #indiegamedev #peaceandquiet

A good bowl of ramen should provide balance in every aspect: in texture, in flavor, and in color! 🍜 Watch our amazing art director @vanessa-zeeb-art.bsky.social concoct such a beautifully balanced 2D ramen bowl – all with just a Wacom brush! 🤯 #gameart #indiegame #gamedev #ramen

One of the things I (Annika) found most impressive in Japan was how even amidst the hyper-futuristic looking skyscrapers in Tokyo, I could always find a beautiful tree, a colorful flower bed or a stunning park nearby 🌸🌱 #Japan

After the rain, our chef sits outside for a quiet breath. The street is still glistening, the clouds slowly part. Soon, the warm glowing windows and the aroma of broth will draw in the next wave of hungry souls. 🌧️🍜✨ #CozyVibes #RamenAndRelax #IndieGame #SliceOfLife

One of the things that impressed me the most during my trip to Japan was the stunning nature. 🏞️ I went to a lot of beautiful parks and forests there and every visit was so magical ✨ (With the one exception of a very feisty deer that bit me in the leg for not having a treat on hand.)

Today we’ve got a tax lecture – not the most exciting topic, but very important for us when starting our small business. Horn-rimmed glasses on, pens ready, let’s dive into it. 🤓💰 #IndieDevLife #StartupLife #PressStart

Over the past three weeks, I (Annika) have been on what was originally intended to be just a vacation, but then turned out to be quite the inspirational trip: I went to Japan! 🌸⛩️ So, keep your eyes peeled for some more or less ramen-related photos coming your way 🍜🍥

We are currently working intensively on our first small prototype. 🎮✨ Here you can see the first stages of our cooking mechanics. Something tasty is in the making – stay tuned! #GameDev #IndieGame #Prototype #CookingGame #WIP

Unser vom @bmwk.de gefördertes Spiel Closer the Distance ist für Beste Innovation und Technik beim Deutschen Computerspielpreis @derdcp.bsky.social nominiert! 🍾 ☺️ #derDCP @gameverband.bsky.social @games-stiftung.bsky.social @devcom.bsky.social

Es ist soweit: Die Nominierten für den #derDCP 2025 stehen fest! 🥳 Auf unserer Website könnt ihr euch nun alle Kategorien und die Nominierten anschauen. Wir können es kaum erwarten! 🤩 Mehr 👉 deutscher-computerspielpreis.de/presse/deuts...

We had our first coaching session last week. It became clear that the vision of our game is already crystal clear, while that of our company is still undefined. Perhaps we need to grow into it first. Fortunately, peas grow quickly. 🌱 #gamedev #growth

How to describe our Monday mood:

In our game "Soup for Soul", you will take on the role of the owner and chef of a small, cozy ramen bar in a bustling Japanese city. 🍜🌆 With every passing day and every soup you cook, you will learn more about the everyday life, wishes, and sorrows of your guests, such as the young artist Tsubaki.