Hello, we’re Wabisabi!

[h2]Hello everyone, we are Wabisabi Games, the developers of RKGK![/h2]
RKGK is our first game, and we’re so excited to be able to share it with all of you soon!

[h2]Wabisabi Games[/h2]
We wanted to introduce ourselves to the players as you’re learning more about RKGK!

A shared love of video games, anime, manga, and street culture brought our four founders, Oscar Noriega, Anwar Noriega, Julio Zabre, and Esteban Lezama together. Wabisabi was brought together in Mexico, and now has developers coming together from seven different countries remotely all over the world.

While we took on work in advertising to build the studio up initially, our goal was always to create RKGK.

Did you know wabisabi means to appreciate the beauty in the imperfect? Now you know...

[h2]RKGK[/h2]
RKGK is our love-letter to the things we grew up loving– anime, retro platformers, and our roots in graffiti culture.

“We always pay homage to everything we loved as kids that fueled our imagination, from graffiti and streetwear to anime and manga.”

[h3]Anime[/h3]
The anime we watched as kids in the 80s and 90s made a profound impact on our lives. We loved the larger-than-life stories being told with their humor and relatability. The different styles and expression through this artistic medium was like nothing else we had seen.

You’ll see the art style in the main characters of RKGK heavily showcasing these vibrant colors, in contrast to the hand painted backgrounds nodding to 80s and 90s anime. The character proportions are heavily stylized to add emphasis to the graffiti in the universe, which is our main weapon and tool for the story of RKGK.

Watching anime in national tv was tough. One day you were watching episode 143 of your favorite show, and then next day pum... episode 1 again. Maybe this helped us grow the patience needed to make games.

[h3]3D Platformers[/h3]
Growing up, we all played a lot of games, especially games from the golden era of 3D platformers. We fell in love with the genre: the larger-than-life villains, the puzzles, and the ability to figure out the quickest ways to overcome a smooth challenge.

We put a lot of focus on creating a single player experience that’s challenging but approachable to all, regardless of their familiarity with platformers. We’ve been working to make sure that Valah is responsive with a lot of varied actions that can be chained together for a unique experience.

We hope you find all the secrets in the game! (being fully transparent, there are some of us who still haven't.)

[h3]Graffiti[/h3]
We have been exposed to the graffiti culture of Latin America our whole lives. In this culture there is an unmistakable honesty in its expression, where it can be a tool to inspire a thought, open minds, or reveal a history and emotion that can’t be shared with words or an image alone.
We worked with an amazing graffiti artist to develop the art you’ll be using to spread creativity back to Cap City.

This honesty inspired the purpose of RKGK and gave us the setting and story that we wanted to tell (with some cartoon-villain humor, of course!).

We cannot confirm nor deny some of us painted graffiti in real life. 🤐

As you play through RKGK, we’re excited to see you leave your mark on every surface possible, take down Mr. Buff and restore Cap City to its vibrancy. Make sure to wishlist RKGK and follow us on social for more news and information! Till next time!

As we all work remotely at Wabisabi, it's hard to get a team picture– but here's our fantastic emotional support team!