Hey there! I'm Yoshinori Ono, CEO at Lasengle.
Welcome to my blog and thanks for dropping by!
In my last blog, I talked a bit about our workstyles at Lasengle.
The pandemic has been a great chance to think about how we can be more flexible, and adapt to all the different types of lifestyles on the team. While we're all pretty used to working remotely, workation is still a fairly new concept in Japan.
I remember hearing this term back when I was working overseas, about a decade ago. I didn't try it back then because, well, I guess I thought I was just too stuck in my ways to switch work mode on and off in a holiday location.
But, you never know till you try, right? So, I decided to give it a go, just for a weekend--let's call it a mini-workation ("workeekend" doesn't have the same ring so...). It was only a couple of days but it was long enough to see how I could use tech for work, while still having time to relax.
The verdict? Yeah, it might just work. I'd need to try it for longer before I could decide if this was really for me, but I definitely saw potential there.
I can see how with a bit of planning, we could use our Home Style setup as a way to work and recharge at the same time. I've started to chat with the team to see what we can come up with. Once we've worked out the kinks and got a system that'll fit, we'll share it with you all.
And talking about sharing...the team has unanimously (ahem) agreed that the job ads shared on my blog have been an excellent marketing tool in our recruitment efforts, so I've got the go ahead to "add" some more (pun fully intended).
This time, I'm sharing three ads from the engineering team, a first time for the blog. Here's what the engineer had to say about the ads they wrote: "I reviewed all the past posts, analyzed them to understand them fully, and then drafted the following based on my findings." Organized, systematic and logical--just what you'd expect from an engineer.
(If you're interested in Design Studio and Marketing Planning roles, visit here).
■MVP Server-Side Engineer to Join Our Backend Battery
Can you catch and field endless requests without breaking a sweat? Call the right plays to optimize client-side performance? Then step up to the plate and take a swing at this opportunity!
■Technical Director to Conduct Our Orchestra of Technology
You wield your baton and orchestrate a harmonious performance of cutting-edge technologies. You create bold yet intricate masterpieces that leave an audience in awe. Sound like you? Apply now and let's make beautiful music together!
■Engineering Manager: Cheerleader for Our Technical Team
Looking for a head cheerleader to rouse our squad of talented engineers. Someone who can rally the team and foster a spirit of continuous growth. If you're a tech-savvy manager who enjoys building strong teams and tackling project management, then bring your best cheer and join us in supporting our team.
I love a good pun and "Server-Side Engineer" was crying out for that baseball analogy. The author swears it was unintentional ("Pun? Do I look like the type who does dad jokes? Please, this is a serious job ad.") but yeah, I'm not buying it!
And I love how these ads represent the mix we have at Lasengle. Whether we're of the generation that's telling the dad jokes, or the one that's groaning at them, it doesn't matter, because we all share the same passion for game making.
We bring together so many different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, and coming together as a team means we can draw on these, and create a game that's as diverse as we are.
Gaming, after all, is something that connects people across generations, cultures, and timelines.
If your heart is screaming "Let me make games already!!!", and even if only one item on the job ad ticks the box, get in touch. We'd love to welcome you on board!
Next up, my featured game for blog #9, Tunche.
Last week, on March 3rd, we celebrated Hinamatsuri in Japan. For anyone like me, who grew up in Japan, this is a festival that's always associated with certain images and music from your childhood.
It's funny how the things we heard and saw as kids, like fairy tales and nursery rhymes, always seem to stay with us no matter how old we get.
Tunche is a side-scrolling action game.
It takes you on a wild adventure through the Amazon jungle, in search of an evil spirit known only as Tunche.
I didn't know much about Tunche before playing, but through the game I learned that in Latin American folklore, it's a kind of spirit that roams the jungles at night. It's so cool how every country and culture has the tradition of passing down stories and songs, right?
Tunche is really well-designed as a side-scrolling action, so if you're familiar with the genre, you'll be able to pull off impressive high-flying combos in no time. And the fact that abilities vary across characters, keeps things fresh. I had a blast playing with basic attacks, special moves and aerial attacks to find the best combat combo for each.
Even though it's a side-scroller action, the game keeps things interesting by randomizing appearances of enemy types and items, so each stage feels slightly different. I also like the character development feature which lets you take items back to base or a save point and use them to learn new skills. This way, you can keep expanding your combo arsenal.
Boss battles, on the other hand, stick to the classic formula where you memorize their attack patterns and look for openings. This was great because I could focus on thinking up combos and attacks that would deliver massive damage, fast.
Tunche is well-crafted as an action game, but what really blew me away was the artwork and animations. The visuals have this charming, illustrative quality that makes it feel like hand-drawn art. The characters are so lovable, and the action and art work together to give you a truly awesome gaming experience. I even ended up watching the idle screen animations because they're just that detailed!
Another thing I really love about Tunche is how each character has their own story. These are told through in-game dialogue scenes and comic book-style visuals, so as you progress, you unravel the mystery of Tunche, discover the fate of the young adventurers, and more. By the end, you've not just played a great action game, but experienced a beautifully crafted story.
To wrap up, Tunche has simple gameplay and accessible controls for fun, frustration-free gaming. You can customize your fighting style by mixing combos and skills to level up and become invincible. The characters are adorable, and the hand-drawn visuals are stunning.
Tunche is a nice, casual game with a beautiful storyline that's melancholy and magical, and sure to leave you smiling.
That's my take on Tunche.
Thanks for reading.
The next game is calling my name so gotta go--till next time!
Yoshinori X（Twitter）