Farethere City Inside Stories
There's are semi-secret pages about development on the Farethere City site, so here are translations of them.
The development pages have some major spoilers, so don't read until you've seen all three endings.
(Last updated January 5th, 2017.)
——
(Want to peek into the Otherworld of development?)
——
[Inside Stories Splash Page]
This is a place to air various inside stories about the development of Farethere City.
It contains major spoilers, so it's recommended you only look after seeing all three endings.
It deals a fair bit with the game's style, so refrain from looking if you don't want your image of it to be destroyed.
Also, just because it's written here doesn't mean "it's definitely this!" or anything.
As a creator, I'd be happy as can be if you think about it in whatever way you like and expand the world of Farethere.
——
About All That Food That Appears in the Game
Part of it is just that Segawa loves food, but...
"Food" has a power and meaning of "entering into that world or domain."
So that line written in the blue notebook, "if you eat the food here..."
That's to get players to realize "this" world and "that" world are different, and if you eat something you'll become a citizen of this world, etc.
That said, it's not like anything different happens if you don't eat anything for the whole week during the game.
Whatever ending he gets, surely Pigula, star of the party, couldn't go without taking a single bite of the food everyone made for him! (Scummy face)
And so sooner or later, Pigula ate the food "here," and became a citizen of "this" world.
——
When Did You Become Aware?
It should vary from person to person, but it seems to me people realized relatively early on.
In fact, as the creator, I was making it thinking "Hurry up and realize!"
Rather than having a shocking realization of the truth!! at the end, I wanted to strengthen the convictions of "Pigula is already dead, and this world is the afterlife," and scattered various events to that effect...
How did it pan out? Maybe some people figured it out the moment they saw the title...
Just what was I thinking with that maximum-spoilers title? (Philosophical)
But I couldn't think of anything else... Eee...
I was hoping that people would initially get the normal ending, and with the player being fairly confident in their ideas already, they'd go "How can you not realize?! Geez! You one-eyed protagonist!! I'm not satisfied!! Okay, time for another go!!"...
Yet, I'm sure there are also people who go "Huh? What? Oh well," so I'm very sorry...
——
The Truth of the Ghost in the Problem Property
Since it was a little hard to tell from what's in the game...!
* This is long. And it's no problem at all if you don't understand. (So why did I write it...)
The ghost is someone who lived in that property before Pigula did, but she threw a huge fit when she became aware, so Michibiki put her on the Path of Rebirth, she gave up the journey from the sheer cruelty, and since she ended up getting in the way of other travelers, her soul fell into the Otherworld, so she's a kind of lingering spirit.
Only citizens who haven't become aware can sometimes dimly see her, and everyone in Farethere City (like when Karakoro vanishes from town) can't remember that citizen at all.
"Souls who fall into the Otherworld become horribly ugly and vanish in suffering" (on the Path of Rebirth)
"Souls about to disappear are given the right to a phone call" (in Omen Capital)
You can hear conversations to this effect in the game, but...
So, the girl who lived in the property before Pigula fell into the Otherworld, her soul warped, and she was about to vanish, so she made a final call to the place where she used to reside.
And that happened right during the invasion of the problem property on Day 6.
I don't think she wanted anything done in particular, but warped as her soul was, she was human once...
Maybe she just wanted to talk to someone before she went away...
[Day 6 Phone Calls Without Static]
[First Call]
"I became aware. This place is scary. It really was better there."
"I became aware.
I felt hurt, felt sad, went wild, and then... traveled on the Path of Rebirth..."
"But I couldn't do it. It really was better there.
I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
[Second and Third Calls (Both Endings)]
"Hello... Hello?
I used to live there before you.
But now... ahh....
It's painful... it's painful..."
[Second and Third Calls (Normal End ver.)]
"Tranquility was kind...
But tranquility was a liar..."
"Still... Maybe it would have been better to keep being fooled..."
[Second and Third Calls (True End ver.)]
"I'm going to vanish very soon, but..."
"May you also suffer the despair of awareness..."
——
About the Music
The music in the game is all original, with an exception, so I guess I'll talk a little about the music. Just a little.
The music used for True End 2, "Journey to Rebirth," adds the melody of Tooryanse to the music that plays on the Path of Rebirth.
I did it just to try it out and it turned out pretty good, so...
I made a few edits and just used it...
...Heheh... completely... a product of happenstance... (Confession)
Also, the chorus part of the staff roll has the same melody as the title screen song.
I'll be happy if even one of the songs stays in your heart.
Also, this is a serious digression, but they don't use Tooryanse at crossing lights anymore, huh... I was hearing it until just recently...
Lately, it seems they've all become sounds like birds chirping, which is lonely.
I liked that ominous feeling... (Yikes...)
——
Seriously Small Details
I'm picking up a few details that I've gotten worried no one would notice if I didn't mention them!
It's way late for this, but there are spoilers, so look away if you're thinking "I don't care how small they are, I want to find them myself!! You shut up!!"
↓
↓
1. Look at the blue notebook on Day 7 (before going to the party), and...?
(There are small differences between the true and normal routes.)
2. What's going on between Gilbert and Katie?
Their relationship is slightly different in the post-game bonus depending on if you've seen a small event between them.
3. From Day 2 on, you can look at the calendar to check what day it is.
If you're on the route where Karakoro leaves Farethere City, the calendar messages get a little unsure...
4. Depending on whether or not you've completed the Rebirth Stamp Rally, it alters the popularity of the stamp rally during the post-game bonus.
Also, if you've completed the stamp rally, you-know-who appears at the grand opening party on Day 7.
5. Depending on whether Karakoro left or not, some of Docta and Helpa's dialogue, and the Thynon Bath's info on Day 6, will be different.
6. The usage of Marbled Beef.
If you give Marbled Beef to the black monster coming out of the wall in the Otherworld shopping district...?
(You need to be next to its face. It's kind of hard to talk to, but if you want...)
There might be other things but I forgot, so that's it for now!!
——
About the Poems to Enter the Path of Rebirth
I'm sure many have realized this, but each of the poems is related to the state of that garden.
Also, each of the poems was written by the manager of each garden (with passwords to keep unaware residents from going to the Path of Rebirth by mistake), so you... might see some of their intentions and thoughts in them? (Vague)
So, I'll be going over the readings and meanings of the poems in the game.
I thought of them focusing on sound and flow [given they were originally waka, 31-syllable poems], so strictly speaking the meanings may not be quite right, but I'd appreciate if you don't poke too much fun... eee...
Poem of Farethere City
[Poem] If in life ye seek beyond, 'tis no ordeal;
yet there beyond lies no paradise.
[Meaning] Grieving a painful life, if you think you want to die, it's by no means difficult.
However, beyond death, there's no such paradise that the living would want.
Poem of Deepsea City
[Poem] As even foam makes most of fleeting life,
so sinks my body embraced by the deep.
[Meaning] Even foam prudently lives a life that quickly disappears,
and yet I sink deep into the sea, which embraces my little body.
Poem of Grove Club Village
[Poem] From the mother tree, necks wring in peace;
the forest abides, watching fools swing in air.
[Meaning] With peaceful faces, people hang themselves from the mother tree.
The forest can do nothing, only watching the fools floating in the air.
Poem of Scraperton
[Poem] To and from a colorless cage they clock in;
taking nary a breath as life decays.
[Meaning] With no events that would move their hearts, they come and go in a cage-like place.
Unable to even get proper rest, their lives weaken, and they fall apart.
——
About the New Game In Development (Now Released)
"END ROLL"
A despairing RPG with many elements of exploration.
It's basically easygoing, but contains lots of horror, gore, depression, and unethical things.
It's currently about 70% complete.
I'm making it according to my whims, so I don't have a release date, but please wait patiently.
This is basically what it's planned to be like.
* WIP screenshots, so they may differ from the final product.
[Various END ROLL screenshots; the most notable difference from the final is that main character dialogue doesn't include their names in messages.]
——
[Added January 5th, 2017]
Secrets of Character Births? Sort Of
Since Farethere has had its second anniversary, I don't know if this quite qualifies as a secret, but I thought I should write something like this.
In truth, prior to Farethere City, there were a few horror games I was making but gave up on, and a few characters were pulled right out of those games.
I found some concept illustrations while sorting out my hard drive, so let's give them a send-off...
(The fact that they're from quite a long time ago, yet aren't all that different... *eyes go white*)
[Now is the time for me to devour everything!!]
[You must have your revenge.
Gretel & Gretel]
There was "a game where you make questionable meals for your landlady (top)"
and "a game where Gretel from Hansel & Gretel takes familiars from the witch and goes to get revenge on her parents (bottom)."
You can probably tell from these pictures, but Jekyll, Gilbert, and Kantera (END ROLL) have been around since back then.
That's also basically the reason why Jekyll and Gilbert are given full names.
And even Satori was around then too, huh. Completely forgot about that. (How could you!!)
Oh, and Pigula was spontaneously born from a doodle in class.
He predates everyone, but was grosser originally.
All wrinkly around the eye.
[Yesterday's Dream]