Oh How the VegeTables have Turned

Explore the hilarious yet complex interactions between fruits and vegetables in a produce-ist society...

... where being an eggplant is a hard reality to swallow. 

Play as a humanized eggplant living in a produce world (everyone is a humanized fruit/veggie). In this visual novel, feel the whiplash of switching between absurdist humor, social commentary, and general shenanigans* as you explore, and ask yourself questions:

Will you ever fit in? Will you ever find a way to join the group you truly belong in? Why does the narrator constantly break the fourth wall and make fun of you?
Will you ever feel comfortable in your exocarp skin?

Find out all this and MORE in the second game of the Produce Cinematic Universe (the Produce-iverse) series! If you're not confused or concerned for my sanity by the end**, we'll give your money back, guaranteed. 

↳ Play the first game in the series if you want more (or less) of this game!

*No pigeons were harmed in the making of this game.
**I wrote this entire game (4,000+ words) in a 2.5-hour sitting (and made the whole game in 6 hours) and it shows.

·········• FEATURES •·········

• 4 unique endings!! (75% of them are bad ones.)
• Quick Saves and Full Saves (access full menu by pressing "esc" at any time)
• A wise-cracking, fourth-wall-breaking narrator who criticizes you at almost every turn
• 3 unique produce-inspired characters (Grapes is from the first Produce-iverse game, which you can play HERE.)
• Noir-inspired world, complete with music!

content warning: swearing (f-bomb), brief description of violence/gore

·········•  CREDITS  •·········

Kimya Taheri - Game Concept, Writing, Character Art

Music & Art Credits

Music Credits:

• Main Theme and End Credits from Voodoo Detective
• Minor 9th -  L.A. Noire
• The House - Frog Detective 2: The Case of the Invisible Wizard 
• Cafe Alt 2 from Paper Mario the Original King
• Another Day’s Work from Gemini Rue
• Guilty - L.A. Noire

Art Credits:

• Characters drawn and designed by Kimya
• Alleyway background by @ExitMothership
• Street background and Bar background by ArsXC/ArseniXC

·········•  INFO  •·········

• Engine: Ren'Py
• Date: October 2024
• Time to Make: 6 hours
• Made For: 1 week rapid prototype project for a studio game class, NYU Game Design
• Other Software: Procreate

·········•  AUTHOR'S NOTE  •·········

My goal for this game was to expand the Produce Cinematic Universe (trademark pending) that I had created in my “Smoothie Operator” game for an earlier assignment. Originally, this plotline about what counts as a “fruit” or “vegetable” was part of the Smoothie Operator game and would lead to a boss battle with a humanized Tomato character, but I had to descope the project significantly. So I decided to use this week to design a heavy narrative-focused game. 

We were tasked with using a specific 5-color palette and a song assigned to us. The song I was assigned (Summer Madness by Kool and the Gang) was very reminiscent of the noir mystery genre. The color palette was full of cool-toned, but bright colors (hence the neon character designs).

The writing was a bit of a stream of consciousness, where I highlighted some serious issues and wrote parts inspired by my inner monologue during tough moments in my life, but I balanced it with the absurdity of the game as a whole, as well as a wise-cracking narrator who breaks the fourth wall frequently. I made plenty of choices or at least clickable items for the player, to keep them engaged since visual novels can be boring if done incorrectly. Overall, I wanted to create a memorable experience that made people think, laugh, and be confused in general (which is how all my games go).

Fun Tidbit: Within 6 hours, I was able to write 4,000 words, design the entire system in Ren.Py, draw character art (one character was repurposed from a previous game, Smoothie Operator), find music and add it, and build it. 

·········•  KNOWN BUGS  •·········

• I have no way of testing the Linux build... but Ren'Py says it works! lol