It’s very rare that I don’t think of the works of Satoshi Kon (pop on Tokyo Godfathers this Christmas, you won’t regret it), but the one I always come back to is Opus. This is a manga that the director made in the mid-90s and ultimately never finished before his death, following a manga artist who gets drawn into his own creation and is forced to deal with the consequences of his writing. Tulpa the Unseen Lover, a psychological visual novel made by former Spider-Verse animators, is a bit like that, but in this case it’s about a manga creator bringing an animated girl to life in his mind.
From the first frame, you can tell this was made by people who worked on Spider-Verse. There’s of course the half-hearted effect of the comic, but it’s the pronounced character animations and playful approach to framing that really sell this fact. This also comes from a married couple! Cute! And the deeper explanation of the concept is also compelling, provided it succeeds.
The game follows Nick, a 23-year-old manga artist who lives alone, and he has a secret: a cute anime girl, Tulpa, has formed in his head. In some context, a tulpa is a being made through the power of your mind, apparently inspired by Tibetan Buddhism. You get to name this girl and choose what she wears, and it’s also up to you to make sure she doesn’t “make your life hell.” I’m not sure why she would do that, she seems quite cheerful, although the trailer obviously points to a more ominous undertone that I’m sure will come with choosing certain narrative paths.
I’m hoping it’ll be some sort of puzzle game in that it will wonder why Nick would manifest a character like this, especially since you can put her in a maid outfit and such. Again, the psychological quality of this situation suggests some self-awareness, it is always good to be cautious and optimistic. In any case, I’ll be curious to check this out later.
No release date is attached yet, but you can add it to your wishlist on Steam if that tempts you. I would also like to point out that the development team is called Horse Position without comment.
