The Albuquerque based developer Subliminal is getting ready to release its adorable, narrative adventure Button City. The story follows the fox Fennel and their buddies as they try to save their local arcade from being shut down by the greedy cat Peppermint Pepperbottom. During that, they (and the player) will also find some time to play some goofy arcade games. Since Button City caught our eye, we were able to speak with the co-creators, Ryan and Shandiin Woodward, about what we might be able to expect in this upcoming game and how it came to be!
The Interview
What can you tell me about the game itself?
Ryan: Button City is a narrative adventure game about a fox and an arcade in the sky. You play as Fennel, the new kid in town, as he makes friends and joins a team called the Fluff Squad at the Button City arcade. Just as they start playing Gobabots, the hot new game at the arcade, and are winning against their rivals the kids find out that the arcade is going to be shut down and demolished for a Big Box Mart. It’s up to players to guide Fennel as they go on a high-jinks adventure to save the arcade and become Gobabots champions.
Which squads are in-game? What are the reasons behind each of the teams?
Ryan: There’s two main teams you follow: The Fluff Squad, which the main character is part of, and the Tuff Fluffs, which are the main rivals. We also have the Scrub Squad, which are a group of kids who aren’t 
very good at the game, but try really hard, along with some other teams that [can be found] throughout the town [and] you can challenge. We wanted to have teams that players can see themselves in and relate to the kinds of communities that form at places like the arcade. We wanted to really push that feeling of ship and community, so having little teams helps show that there’s a social component to the arcade. It also helps give friction and dynamics to the Gobabots plot throughout the game, where each team [is] vying for the coveted Golden Gobabot, a mysterious new character in Gobabots that is given out to the winning team and is said to have “the power of four.”
How did the art style come to be? It looks so cute and works out. What was the idea behind it all?
Shandiin: I took a lot of inspiration from Animal Crossing when I first started… I liked the chunky characters from the original game and the cute world and setting. I was also inspired by colorful toys from the 2000s and that era’s bright color pallet. The original concept was a low-poly art experiment that I made while I was learning 3D. It all started with a little fox and his house on a diorama island. We wanted to turn that into a short puzzle game, but it kind of took on a life of it’s own and we decided to develop it into the game that it is now.
Like in Animal Crossing, will buildings, characters, or other things be customizable?
Ryan: We have unlockable costumes for Fennel that you will get throughout the game along with arcade enhancements called Fluff Buffs that change the way the games are played. Fluff Buffs can either make you super powered in the arcade or make the games so difficult that you will have to form pro strats to win.
What has been the overall feedback from those who played the demo? I know this will be a good game for most Animal Crossing fans.
Ryan: People are enjoying the demo so far. From the feedback we’ve seen, they really enjoy the writing and all the different characters. Each person who we’ve seen play [seems] to find an animal friend that [they] resonate with and that makes me happy. I keep hearing that people think the game is funny and that makes me excited to hear, since I worked hard on trying to make the fun a bit comedic. Overall, it’s been really nice feedback from everyone who’s played it and we’ve already addressed some issues people found so it’s been super helpful on our side.
I think if you’re a fan of Animal Crossing and really enjoy the characters, you’ll love Button City. We’ve created strong personalities for the animal friends so you can find someone you like and put them in silly situations that really bring out the best of their character.
What genres are you going to feature in the arcade games?
Ryan: We have three arcade games that players will be able to play.
Gobabots is a competitive character arena game where two teams of fruit robots harvest Gobaberries to make a smoothie at the center of the map. Players collect Gobabots from the main game to unlock new characters and abilities.
rEVolution Racer is an arcade drift racing game where you drive supped-up electric streetcars down Watermelon Mountain. Players will drift down windy roads to fill up their cars’ super capacitors and unleash powerful bursts of speed to get ahead of their rivals.
Prisma Beats is a dancing rhythm game where the characters from Button City dance the night away [to] amazing music by Pedro Silva.
How is the game played, aside from the arcade games?
Ryan: There [are] two major modes of play. The first is the main game within the diorama world where you explore and go through the story, puzzles, and side quests. Players will explore the stackable world and follow the story of Fennel and his friends trying to save Button City. Then [there are] the arcade games where you challenge arcade rivals throughout the narrative and town.
Do you have characters that reflect those with disabilities, but love games? It’s nice to have characters reflect what’s going on in the gaming world.
Ryan: We have a few characters with disabilities within the game. Chive uses a wheelchair, and is a primary character within the Fluff Squad, and you form a friendship with her through[out] the story. She’s super tech-savvy and loves to hack things together. She’s also the best player on the Fluff Squad and has high expectations for the team, especially Fennel, since he’s new. In the story, Chive takes you on one of her adventures to mod a racing wheel so she can play rEVolution Racer with hand controls.
For Chive, we consulted Emily Serrato (@TokiMekiEmily), a Cosplayer/Influencer for Brutal Democracy and a Gamer Advocate for disabled gamers in the FGC, to give us feedback and guidance on her character, how we represent her, and [to] help illuminate blind spots… with her lived experience. I’m really thankful for Emily and the feedback and guidance she has given us. Chive is awesome and honestly, one of my favorite characters and I hope you all enjoy her.
You’re running a giveaway during PAX Online for two awesome looking items. Can you tell our readers more about them?
Ryan: We’re doing a super awesome Fluff Squad and Tuff Fluff denim jacket giveaway. I’m really excited about this since they are custom made by one of our artists who worked on the game. They look absolutely amazing and I’m going to be a bit jealous of the winners. We have the giveaway happening during PAX Online on our website at buttoncitygame.com/buttoncon.
We’re also giving away a bunch of digital freebies from Button City for a little event we’re having in celebration of PAX Online called Button-Con. You can make your own Button City character, print out a Fennel Fox paper model for your desk, find out which Button City character you are, and so much more. You can find Button Con at buttoncitygame.com/buttoncon .
Where can our readers find more information on the game and your social media?
Ryan: You can go to buttoncitygame.com to see our reveal trailer, links to wishlist us on Steam, and [to] download our demo. [You can also] check out Button-Con, the digital booth we have in celebration for PAX Online. If you want to keep up to date on news about the game sign up for our newsletter on our site and follow us on twitter at twitter.com/buttoncity
I’d like to thank you for giving your time to teach us about your game. We can’t wait to dig into it when the time comes!
