#Froach Club

[lileggbub]

Game recommendation time!

🍈Off stream I played the original Melon Journey from 2012. If you liked Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories on steam a.k.a. Melon Journey 2, it's really fun and interesting to see the origins of that game and where they started, then comparing the two to see how much they expanded/grew. Both games are chill click and play kind of games, but the funny dialogue and overall cute designs are what grabbed me the most when playing it.

[splashink-games]

A Note On... Bittersweet Melon Soda

Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories is a narrative puzzle game by Froach Club/Poppy Works! Search for your best friend in the streets of Hog Town and have a melon soda while you're at it.

Melon Journey was recommended to me by a friend based on vibes alone. Kind of wild to me that I can get games recommended to me based on vibes, but also I love it.

Anyway, it is beautiful. Both the art and the music went so hard I couldn't stop gushing about it during my playthrough on Twitch.

Like damn, there were bangers in there. And it looks like the music was so good XSEEDGames (the publisher) posted a whole remix playlist for the game. I honestly can't get enough of the music, for real.

That's not all though. I can't express how happy the green palette made me feel during the game, it's insane and incredibly impressive because I knew, but didn't realize, a monochrome palette can work so well for an entire game. Not to mention the graphics are actually, like, so good that it's crazy to me.

The game is pretty simple and standard for your typical RPG Maker-style narrative game. Interact with things and people, find out stuff, collect stuff, and solve the mystery! It works pretty well for the vibes of this game.

My only issue was that there were points in the game where I had no idea what the heck I had to do. Especially with some of the side quests. I'm not sure if that's a level design issue or if I was just smol brain at the time (I did, in fact, underestimate the complicated nature of streaming), but there was big struggle being had while I figured out how to progress the story. That's not to say there were a lot of progression issues, but when there were, I was kind of stumped.

Besides that, I think that the writing is a pretty strong point. There were a lot of funny lines and things you could read just by interacting with nondescript objects. The references (that I managed to catch) were pretty cool. The characters were so good too. They're well-defined and the important characters all have their parts to play. I need Strong Dog and Kitten Princess as besties.

The mystery of the game is also well-executed for my standards (I'm not a mystery reader at all so this was fun). Finding the clues that leads to things and clues that lead to nothing, very cool, indeed.

There's a kind of spoilery section of the game that I won't get into much detail, but it kinda introduced an interesting twist that wasn't really a twist. And that was severely disappointing because of how sudden and how well executed that scene was.

An amazing experience, Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories is a definite recommend for my monochrome-coloured, narrative-loving gamers out there!

As always,

Enjoy gaming!

[emotionalmultimediaride]

Game release: "Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories" (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch)

Froach Club, Poppy Works, and XSEED Games‘s casual exploration adventure Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories harks back to the good old Gameboy times. There’s a reason why Nintendo’s handheld console was and still is so popular, and it’s not simply the pixel art, but general happy feelings it created/s. In this case, one plays as Honeydew who is a bunny working in a melon soda factory who has to…

[minipete]

sketch vs. pixel art

Melon Journey 2

[rpgmgames]

July’s Featured Game: Melon Journey 2

DEVELOPER(S): Froach Club ENGINE: RPG Maker 2003 GENRE: Story-exploration SUMMARY: Melon Journey 2 is a story-exploration game about revisiting a town full of adorable animals with eccentric personalities. Yet under its cute and nostalgic surface lies a dark tale of crime and corruption... Play as Honeydew, an employee of a huge melon factory, and travel to Hog Town where melons are illegal. While searching for a missing friend, you'll have to explore the town and its surrounding areas, and speak with suspicious characters in dangerous situations to uncover the truth.

Download the demo from the discord server here!

Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! We're Froach Club! (Mario - @markeryjane, Karolina - @minipete, & Simon - @carpetbones) Our CEO is rude little roach who goes by the name of Froach. We've all been making games together and separately for a quite a while now and we're currently working on our magnum opus... To see our other games check out froachclub.itch.io & carpetbones.itch.io

What is your project about? What inspired you to create this game initially? *Froach Club: Melon Journey 2 is a story of crime and political corruption in a town where melons are outlawed. It's a sequel to our (Mario & Karolina) very first game we ever made back in 2012. Back then we had no idea what we were doing and were pretty awful at using RPG Maker 2003, so we had the idea to do kind of a remaster of the game. We accidentally expanded it so much though that it became a huge, fully-formed sequel.

How long have you been working on your project? *FC: Almost 2 years now.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *FC: Columbo, The Big Sleep, Chulip, Hamtaro Ham Ham Heartbreak, Kino's Journey, Twin Peaks, and Shenmue!

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *FC: This is our first real large-scale project, spanning multiple years of development, so staying organized was a huge challenge. At first we would just work on whatever we felt like, jumping from one part of the game to another. But once Simon became more involved in the project, he taught us his amazing organization skills and we learned how to use to-do lists efficiently and and keep our files straight. And now that we have, things go much more smoothly.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *FC: We started with a really bare-bones story, and as we built up the world by adding more characters, side-quests, and subplots to the main storyline, the game’s scope began to grow. The world of Melon Journey 2 is now much more detailed and immersive than we originally imagined.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *FC: Back in 2012, when Melon Journey 1 came out, we were just a two person team (Mario and Karolina). We continued making games together for a few years until we started calling ourselves Froach Club and added our 3rd member, Simon. We worked together on u1f439 (https://carpetbones.itch.io/u1f439) and Fish Fly Fever (https://froachclub.itch.io/fish-fly-fever) and now Melon Journey 2!

What is the best part of developing a game? *Mario: Making the music, when a scene comes together and the music fits the tone perfectly it's really satisfying. Karolina: Coming up with crazy ideas in the beginning and thinking of all the possibilities! Simon: Creating any form of a dense or rich world for people to interact with or experience.

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *FC: Back when we started out, we played a lot of RPG Maker games on rpgmaker.net and it was a big source of inspiration because it helped us feel like our ideas were doable without any previous knowledge of programming or game making. Yume Nikki in particular gave us a lot of ideas on how to make the most out of RPG Maker 2003, like hacking together menus out of pictures, and creating complex animations using multiple charsets.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Mario: Bailey is my self-insert character kinda. Karolina: Lily. She has really strict Russian parents (who are actually based on mine) and she has a hard time finding a place where she feels like she truly belongs. She goes through a lot but never truly stops caring about what she believes in. Simon: I actually am Ham Ghost Jr.

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *FC: At some point the project kind of outgrew RPGMaker 2003 and we really regretted using it, but we've come to appreciate the limitations and they've helped to shape the game in some ways so we regret it less now, especially since discovering easyRPG which we're using to port the game!

Do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *FC: We like to joke about making Melon Journey 3D, but who knows, it might actually happen one day! We are leaving the ending of MJ2 a little bit open ended~

What do you most look forward to upon/after the release of a project? *Mario: Being able to start a new project. Usually by the end of one project the only thing motivating me is getting it out of the way so we can start on the next thing. Karolina: Seeing if people enjoy our game! I dream about people making fanart and silly deep lore videos. That would seriously make everything 100% worth it. Simon: I cannot wait to get started on a new (maybe even bigger) project!

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *FC: All three of us have an intense fear of something going horribly wrong on the day of the release. That's honestly the scariest part of making a game - saying that you're officially finished with it.

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *FC: Try your best to get your game done and limit the scope! Even if it's not perfect or exactly like how you imagined it, the experience and growth you get from releasing a game is the most important thing.

Question from last month's featured dev @midnighttrain-project: What do you value most in a game? (story, gameplay, art,...) Is that an important aspect of your game? *Mario: I think the interplay of the elements of a game is more important than what the individual parts are like on their own. Like, a simple animation can be transformed by adding a really good sound effect to it, so it's hard to separate elements or say that I value one more than the other. Karolina: I value the story most in games. Even when the art or gameplay is great, if there are glaring plot holes I always spend too much time focusing on them and get pulled out of the experience. That's why we spent so much time making a super well thought-out world and characters for MJ2! Simon: I really enjoy gameplay over most parts of any game, especially if the gameplay is well designed and interesting.

We mods would like to thank Froach Club for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Melon Journey 2 if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

[artistschnekk]

Inktober Day 10: Melon Journey (2012)

Melon Journey by @minipete and co. is fantastic! I love the graphics, the music, the witty dialogue... everybody please go download and play it (for free, or  name your price!), and favorite Melon Journey 2 on Steam! It’s my most anticipated game of the year, and that’s for sure. (Spot the Froach!)

Find Me On: ★ Storenvy ★ Linktree ★ Instagram ★

[thesplintering]

Fruity Adventure “Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories” Coming Soon to PC, Consoles

Fruity Adventure “Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories” Coming Soon to PC, Consoles | #NintendoSwitch #PlayStation #Xbox #80sAugust #RetroGaming

Behold, the power of mElOnS! Publisher XSEED Games recently released more details for its upcoming multiplatform title, Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories. Developed by independent studio Froach Club, Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories is a retro-inspired adventure featuring a visual aesthetic similar to a 1980s monochrome computer screen or a Nintendo Game Boy. The world of Melon Journey is…

[iluvbugs]

i still love dress up games 

[pk-kenzie]

melon journey

[operationrainfall]

Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories - New Teaser Video Released

Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories – New Teaser Video Released

In celebration of National Melon Day yesterday, XSEED Games released a new teaser video for Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories. Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories is an upcoming story-exploration game developed by Froach Club. The press release states that the game will be coming to all platforms; Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC, sometime later this year, 2022. A…

[nervespike]

froach club | Melon Journey 2 

[kingdededede]

So you’re all probably wondering why this blog has been dead for awhile now. Truth is we’re all mega busy people all doing other things so we don’t have time to commit to something like this (plus some of us kinda forgot about it). 

If you wanna support the mods of this blog you could check us out and our original works:

Carpet, known for This and This, makes art and helps on games with Froach Club.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/carpetbones

Tumblr: http://carpetbones.tumblr.com/

Kerocola, known for This and this dedede on the phone, does daily doodles and has her own game she puts off a lot.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kerocola

Tumblr: http://kerocola.tumblr.com/

Mo, known for This and This, makes original pieces and stickers that are really good.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/moandhiscar

Tumblr: http://moandhiscar.tumblr.com/

Sink, known for This and This, draws a bunch and has a comic she’s working on.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SinksAdventure

Tumblr: http://sinksadventure.tumblr.com/

Mushbuh, known for This and This, is working on Burrito Galaxy 65 and a bunch of other cool stuff.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mushbuh

Tumblr: http://mushbuh.tumblr.com/

But no real talk neither me (Kero) and Carpet would have foreseen this silly little joke blog even come near 1.5k followers when we first made it years ago, that’s kinda cool I guess? I mean I knew people liked King Dedede but dang. Anyway you can probably just delete the text of this post and reblog the dedede on a phone if you wanna, it’s no biggie. It’s all cool.

Take care

[scitydreamer]

Oh hey, there’s this big bundle of stuff to check out on itch for the sake of hurricane relief! It’s over in a few hours so check it out!

[minipete]

Can't sleep? Try our hot new product, Melontonin 🍈

[bravehardts]

Day 9 - It's Always Rainy in Scotland

We all enjoyed arguably the best night of sleep of the trip, rising at 8am well rested and ready to go. The weather forecast for the day was not positive--lots of rain. And the clouds delivered on their promise. Strolling downstairs to breakfast, we learned that our hotel used to be the Scottish Royal Automobile Club, which explained all the car photos and decorations adorning the walls. The European breakfast was delightful as we have become accustomed to--the buffet featured many pastries, jams, porridge, cereal, fruits, meats and cheeses--even a Bloody Mary bar. We grabbed a map of Glasgow and headed down West George Street towards the city center again, rain jackets on, and ready to explore despite the poor weather. Again we purchased tickets to a Hop On Hop Off bus, and headed towards Glasgow Cathedral. On the outside, the black stained gothic architecture looked similar to the other cathedrals we have visited. First entering the nave, again it felt like just another on our list. But as we explored more, there were some very unique elements for us to enjoy. From the entrance, it is hard to see just how large this cathedral is, since it is divided into spaces. We even walked down a level to find a series of low-ceilinged chapels reminiscent of catacombs. Within this lower area was an altar to St. Kentigern, also known as "Mungo" (sweet nickname) who lived in the 6th century. He is the patron Saint of Glasgow--kind of a big deal. So big in fact, that a popular lager in town is called "St. Mungo" (didn't get to try it though). After Alex had his first emergency nature pee of the trip (look, it wasn't IN the cemetery, just right next to it), we jumped back on the bus in the rain, and headed towards the museum portion of our day. The bus slowly wandered through the city of Glasgow--revisiting the "Style Mile" (as compared to the "Royal Mile" of Edinburgh)--again, slightly unappealing department stores. Of course there was a lot of history to the area, none of which I can remember in detail (something about William Wallace discarding the bodies of English soldiers in a nearby well?), as narrated to us on our tour bus. Journeying along the River Clyde, we passed by the Science Center and SSE Hydro Center, which looks like a huge UFO. Our first museum to visit was the Riverside, with a funky shape I can only describe as melted aluminum facade with peaks and valleys--also slightly alien. This FREE museum was absolutely fantastic, especially for kids (but we loved it too)--the overall theme is transportation--the large space is filled with actual trains, cars, bicycles, motorcycles, subway cars, trolleys, and boats--a few you can actually step onto and explore. All are authentic feeling and the displays lean towards appreciating the physical design, size, and feel of the vehicles rather than reading lengthy descriptions or watching long videos. Beyond the vehicles themselves, were many displays of various toy trains, cars, classic clothing of the 50s and 60s, vintage Star Wars toys (my favorite), and loads and loads of scale models of boats. Some of these were at least 10 feet long (like the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth II) and incredibly detailed. What we could not find was a model of the Titanic, which somehow Alex is strangely fascinated by these days. There were some interactive exhibits for kids which Alex did particularly like, and gave us a slight respite from trailing him around the museum. Right outside the museum rests the tall ship Glenlee, harbored on the river and also free to enter. Alex immediately began scrubbing the deck with provided brooms and buckets for kids. If only he could put his shoes on in the morning with the same gusto to which he cleaned that ship. There were many areas to explore on the ship and interesting information about pirates, rum, and rats. We enjoyed lunch at the cafe--caesar salad and a soy marinated salmon, along with a Scottish beer called Froach Heather Ale--this was a golden colored ale with heather and bogmyrtle (you heard that right) and it was really nice--just a floral hint at the end, with a full flavor (and a great looking label). I would love to find this back in the states. As we left the museum, there was a mini-go cart that we had to try. Alex, the lone driver, laughed the entire way and only crashed into the air-inflated barrier once. A big hit for sure. Hopping back on the bus, we headed towards the University of Glasgow and the Kelvingrove Museum. As we approached the campus, we realized this is where we should have booked our hotel! This neighborhood was much more traditional and warm-feeling, with more pubs, restaurants, and green areas. The University itself looked exactly as one might expect from an old Scottish college--old grey buildings that could be mistaken for castles. The bus dropped us off in front of Kelvingrove Museum, that looked like it could easily be a train station or creepy sanitarium with its towering red sandstone facade. Upon entering, the main lobby was a high-ceilinged masterpiece, that felt a bit like Grand Central Station, yet with a giant pipe-organ lit with gaudy magenta, at the far end. This was another free museum amazingly enough (except for the special exhibit, which was the Art of Comic Books), and it was massive in its scope. We still cannot tell if this was a natural history or art museum--it contained quite a bit of both. First we ventured into an area on ancient Egypt, with sarcophogi, jars, statues, and of course mummies. Next was a huge hall with all types of animal displays, ranging from an actual bee hive (connected to a PVC pipe to the outside) to the skeleton of a Giant Irish Deer (the antlers must have been at least 7 feet across). There was so much to see and explore here--Alex again took Allison's iPhone and started snapping each display. Allison instructed him to "take one picture of each"--so he started snapping a single picture of every single organism in every single display. Often times he is more literal than me. One hallway in the museum housed a huge amount of stuffed animals--bears, an elephant, giraffe--and directly above it all was suspended a full-sized WWII airplane (not sure the relationship). Venturing on to more artistic areas, there was an exhibit on Scottish art (revisiting Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his peers), French art (including a Monet), and a single painting by Salvador Dali, which sadly, was on loan elsewhere. We finally exited the museum completely satisfied beyond expectations. Despite our reservations upon first entering Glasgow, we are glad we did. Finally, for dinner we ate at "Guys" restaurant, which was the only reservation we could get on a busy Friday night. The food was excellent--the atmosphere was a little stale, but both our lamb dishes (chops and shank) were perfect. Alex had a spaghetti and plowed right through our smoked duck appetizer. Sadly on the TV above our table (which of course we couldn't stop watching) was all the news of the world on BBC, including the Spain attack, Bannon being ousted, the result of the England vs. West Indies Cricket match, and Sir Bruce Forsyth's death (a British entertainer)--the latter receiving by far the most air time of all these events. We returned to the hotel exhausted and ready for our long travel day tomorrow, including a train to Wolverhampton, and my first time "hiring" a car (that means renting) to drive to The Porch House in Stow-on-the-Wold, our first destination in the Cotswolds of England.

[artistschnekk]

Inktober Day 14: Black Ant (2016)

Another awesome game from Froach Club by Ri0 and @minipete !! Go download it on your phone! You won’t meet an ant this fashionable anywhere else...

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