Dear me, I was. is new territory for Arc System Works. It tackles a genre the developer hadn’t ever approached before, and although a visual novel might not sound as technical as a fighting game like Guilty Gear, it comes with its own special set of challenges. Recently, we sat down with the game’s Director, Maho Taguchi, and its Art Director, Taisuke Kanasaki, about the ways they’ve tackled those challenges and the inspirations that guided them on the game’s development. The ideas for Dear me, I was. began when Taguchi and Kanasaki were working on another project together. During that time, the team came across Florence, another adventure game from the developers at Mountains and publisher Annapurna Interactive. Enamored with its textless and stylistic human art and interactions, Taguchi approached Kanasaki about making a new adventure game with his art style, and that’s how the ball for Dear me, I was. got rolling. The visual style of Dear me, I was. is easily one of its standout elements. The watercolor art gives the story a very distinct and beautiful look, and the game uses rotoscoping animation to deliver life to the characters and their actions. Kanasaki is no stranger to rotoscope art and animation. He was particularly fond of A-Ha’s Take On Me as an early inspiration, but Kanasaki also used the style in the early development phase of Hotel Dusk: Room 215. Dear me, I was. presented him with an opportunity to revisit rotoscoping in a new game and brighter aesthetic. According to the devs, it became a lot of work with how much Kanasaki drew, but the result came out impressive to say the least.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146870/dear-me-i-was-developer-interview-november-2025
Dear me, I was… devs on art, story inspirations & exploring a new genre
